Strategy April 22, 2019
Trend Alert: Tie-Dye
The chaotically colorful look of the 1960s counterculture is suddenly hip again.
The Dish: Tie-dye is hot in the world of high-fashion and retail. That’s stoking opportunity for promotional products distributors to sell the fun, free-wheeling pattern in the branded merchandise space.
The Basics: Traditionally, “tie-dye” refers to a process of hand-dyeing fabric, in which sections of the fabric are tightly bound, as with thread, to resist the dye solution, thereby producing a variegated pattern that typically bursts with color. In the traditional process, the tie-dye patterns produced on each piece of apparel/fabric are rarely the same from unit to unit. Modern printing methods allow tie-dye patterns – like the one below – to be applied to a variety of products consistently.
The Trend Evidence: You might think of tie-dye as the outdated wear of ageing first-wave hippies – and younger would-be flower children who wish they’d been there for the countercultural heyday of the 1960s and ‘70s. Up until recently, you would have been more or less correct. But in 2019, that’s changed. As Harper’s Bazaar notes, celebs like Beyoncé and Justin Bieber have rocked the look. Meanwhile, major fashion labels like Prada, Proenza Schouler and Stella McCartney recently showcased tie-dye in their collections, prompting imitation. Niche brands are getting in on the trend too, as displayed by the Earth Day-related tie-dye collaboration between PINTRILL Founder Jordan Roschwalb and artist Gordon Stevenson, who goes by Baron Von Fancy. The Elder Statesman, a Los Angeles-based luxury lifestyle brand, has gone all in on tie-dye, making it a staple in its collection.
The Opportunity: For promo pros, the fashion-inspired fervor for tie-dye can lead to sales. Now is a great time to capitalize as tie-dye is often associated with summery vibes, making the look ideal for spring and summer promotions. Potential clients include end-buyers that are in any way associated with colleges and universities, be they the schools themselves and departments within the schools, to fraternities/sororities. Summer festivals are another potentially torrid market for tie-dye. These events could center on music, art, craft beer, wine and more. Nonprofits, especially those with an environmental emphasis, could well be eager for tie-dye for both events and staff wear. Corporations/businesses planning company picnics and/or employee volunteer initiatives, particularly those focused on community clean-up, could make tie-dye customers. Certainly some hospitality clients -- like nightclubs, beach bars, resorts and more -- will be keen to capitalize on tie-dye’s newfound cachet. Running races like 5K’s and 10K’s, particularly those that benefit an environmental or social cause, could put tie-dye on their branded merch wish list. Also: Think zoos, community-supported agriculture ventures, and animal rescues that do live animal shows for children. Tie-dye could feature in staff and camper wear at summer camps, too. In general, many promotions that target youthful audiences could potentially score success with tie-dye.
Dyenomite Typhoon Tie-Dye Shirt (#200TY) from S&S Activewear (asi/84358).
The Products: While tie-dye is most commonly associated with T-shirts, the look has increasingly spread to a variety of products. For instance, fashion designers have featured the patterns on dresses, jackets, sweaters, hoodies and more. There’s product diversity in the promo space, too. ESP, ASI’s product search engine database, turned up nearly 1,500 results for the search term “tie-dye.” In addition to a vast variety of T-shirts, products included bandannas, lanyard leashes, blankets, hoodies, beanies, footballs, onesies, bucket hats, caps, sunglasses, plush toys, drawstring backpacks, tank tops, freezable lunch bags and more. There’s bound to be something to tickle your clients’ tie-dye fancy. We think that’s pretty groovy.
Tie-Dye Sunglasses (#7151) from Accelerator Marketing Group (asi/36984).
8.5 oz. Tie-Dyed Pullover Hooded Sweatshirt (#CD877) from alphabroder (asi/34063).
1/2" Tie Dye Lanyard w/ Snap-Buckle Release & O-Ring from SnugZ/USA (asi/88060).
Tie Dye Blanket (#9021) from Southern Plus (asi/88367).
Sublimated Tie-Dye T-Shirt from Colortone (asi/45581).