Once again, printed T-shirts have caused a debate, this time on the football pitch. Liverpoo’s Luis Suarez has been suspended for racist language and his teammates chose to wear a T-shirt with his image on for their match with Wigan this week. It didn’t go down too well with some other players …

Paul McGrath said he was ‘saddened’ to see the Liverpool players in their printed T-shirts and would have been ‘… much happier if they had worn anti-racist t-shirts’ while Jason Roberts (Blackburn Rovers) chipped in on Twitter to ask if other clubs were now going to wear T-shirts with the image of Man U’s Patrice Evra, against who Suarez has been found guilty of using the offending language?

But Kenny Dalgish, Liverpool Manager and Suarez supporting T-shirt wearer was unrepentant claiming that he and the players were showing their their respect and admiration for the suspended player.

It’s yet another piece of evidence that shows how easily printed clothing can become part of a wider controversy – and why it’s important to ensure that your design, slogan or clever promotional idea doesn’t cause confusion or draw criticism from wider society if your intent is to win friends for your product or brand.

A staff uniform is becoming a more popular incentive for employees the longer the difficult economic situation continues. Everybody can see that being provided with work clothing is a worthwhile benefit, and that when that clothing is easy to care for, it’s a saving both on the wear and tear on personal garments and on the washing and laundering of them too.

So how does a company or organisation benefit from this process?

First, a uniform reveals something a company or business. It conveys an image that the organisation has chosen to adopt, and it displays that image in a way that works both up close and at a distance. If you see a person in a pin-striped suit carrying an umbrella, it conveys a different image to the same person wearing jeans and a hoodie. Organisations can typify themselves equally easily, depending on the garment they choose, the colours they select and the logo or other image that encapsulates their brand.

Polo shirts tend to be the default choice for workplace uniforms because they are unisex, culturally appropriate (as long as both long and short sleeved options are available) and come in a vast range of colours that can help shape an organisation’s identity.

While a corporate identity doesn’t just depend on uniform, the nature of the uniform can shape the identity of the organisation and the culture it develops.

Disappointing figures in the last quarter show that the slew of promotions offered by many High Street retailers have failed to boost sales.

The British Retail Consortium says that the unseasonably mild weather may have had a part to play in the decline in spending, as people felt no need to buy warmer winter clothing or electrical items that usually herald the run up to Christmas because the temperature did not drop until late November. Clothing retailers saw their worst year-on-year performance in more than two years.

The figures also showed that when purchases were made, spending was on promotional and discounted items, so those shops, whether real or virtual, that stayed out of the promotional scurry may have lost out dramatically.

For the next few weeks, nerves will be tightly strung, as the Christmas rush segues into the January sales period. It seems that the more aggressive promoting tactics being used by many stores, such as leafleting outside shopping centres and having staff in bright T-shirts with Sale! Messages offering to give away bottles of water or handwipes, have been successful in driving crowds stores, but what the spend will be is anybody’s guess – until next month.

It’s said that Brooks Brothers has dressed more American Presidents than any other clothing line, and this month it had a Scottish showcase in its Regent Street shop.

More than 300 fashionistas attended the event which featured knitwear, tweed, cashmere, ties, embroidered and embossed items and hand-made shirts. The occasion was the Harris Tweed centenary and Brooks Brothers used the event to highlight its own nearly two century pedigree, with photos of Abraham Lincoln (who got that black coat from the Brooks Brothers store), Andy Warhol and Clarke Gable, all dressed in Brooks Brother’s clothing.

It’s not just tweed that makes Brooks Brothers different – the brand has driven the search for new clothing fashions that it can import, such as bringing button-down shirts to the USA and inventing the wash and wear suit. Branding clothes with the classic Brooks Brothers logo has kept the company in the public mind as one that delivers a formal quality along with ease of wear and laundering and it has also been careful to supply clothes for TV shows that match its brand identity such as Mad Men and Glee.

This clever association of clothing, famous wearer and innovation has really driven the brand as one that innovates and yet contains the best of American heritage. Other companies might find a very different focus for their brands – more casual companies might like a figurehead who plays a cool sport to wear a sponsored polo shirt or to find a band or actor who typify the brand values and then to offer them promotional clothing to wear in public. Whatever way you play the famous clothing game, it benefits both brand and individual to be associated with each other.

In Pennsylvania a businessman has started a new charitable organisation to provide encouragement to the masses and T-shirts to the most disadvantaged in American society, such as homeless people.

The idea behind the People Helping People Project is simple. For every T-shirt somebody purchases, another will be given away free to a disadvantaged individual.

The T-shirts for sale have inspirational messages on them, along with inspiring images such as the sun breaking free from clouds. The founder of the organisation says that he’s responding to a sense of gloom in US society, “ … the recession, the layoffs, the floods, the earthquakes, people are panicking …I want to inspire them and let them know that they just gotta go another day,” says David Wrobel.

The project also includes the option to sign up for a newsletter packed with inspirational tips, and it’s intended that in future there will be an option for individuals to buy their own shirt and nominate a person to receive the free one, along with a handwritten note of encouragement. People Helping People is also considering offering printing business T-shirts to businesses and clubs with their own company’s logo on them. For each one purchased, another T-shirt would be given away to a needy individual.

The New Zealand Rugby Union is fearful of a boycott of the 2015 World Cup, and it’s partly down to branded clothing.

The International Rugby Board (IRB) has controls over the way national sponsors can be included in international tournaments which means that national teams lose money – according to New Zealand, $13 million in a world cup year. How so?

Rugby and football are very different: at a FIFA World Cup the teams are allowed to continue to promote their individual sponsors by having them appear on clothing worn at the team hotels and at press conferences up to two days before every match. But the IRB imposes a complete ban all sponsors (except their own) at the Rugby World Cup. This means that photo opportunities, interviews and other publicity activities that usually allow a team to parade in branded clothing before a big match are denied to the rugby teams.

And in South Africa the team jerseys being sold to the Springboks fans have caused ructions. One MP has said that he will boycott the national shirts, because they were made in China instead of South Africa – and that this denied the country’s struggling clothing industry a chance to benefit from the Springbok phenomenon.

The South African Rugby Union has been lambasted by the national Trade Union Congress for ignoring national job-creation policy, causing a national and international flurry.

Neither national team has achieved the kind of publicity it hoped with its branded clothing initiatives, and while neither of them are likely to be thrilled by the way their promotional clothing initiatives have worked out, neither issue is likely to cause a long term problem for the national team.  The unanticipated outcomes might have been avoided by operating a better sourcing policy, having regard for fair trade and organic products in relation to national pride, and understanding and considering the constraints of sponsorship agreements in advance of investing in them.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is designing clothing. Marketing Week reveals that the charity branded clothing, along with gifts and pet food, will be launched to attract new supporters and to boost fundraising campaigns. Already there is a range of cuddly toys in production to appeal to young children this Christmas. The aim is to find new sources of income.

The charity says it has established a brand style guide to give a consistent appearance that will encompass shops, shelters and products including staff uniforms and clothing for sale.

Such is the interest in branded clothing for business, that a new one-day conference is planned in 2012, to cover digital and screen printing technologies for fashion lines and promotional clothing.

It’s being organised by ESMA – the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association and will include an examination of the swiftly returning interest in brand clothing and the innovations in print technology including digital, 3D, and sensoric textiles which can monitor and even respond to changes in the temperature or humidity level of the body or to outside stimuli by, for example, emitting heat or light from the fabric itself.

Screen printing will also be explored with new technologies in computer to film technology for T-shirt printing.

The one-day event will take place on 3 February in Stuttgart as part the international textile trade fair TV TecStyle Visions.

There’s evidence that shoppers are still buying, despite the lowest High Street sales for years. While retail sales dropped almost everywhere, owing to riots and the general effect of the recession, some shops managed to beat the trend: Debenhams and JD Sports have both managed to increase sales over the summer months.

Aggressive marketing and clear communication have been the keys to the success for both retailers. Newspaper and TV advertising, local radio spots, big bold posters in stores and staff wearing promotional clothing advertising a sale have all kept the bargain-hunting British focused on spending what money they have with these retailers rather than others.

Small and independent retailers have reported similar successes, bucking the trend by giving the public exciting information without sounding desperate. How do they do it?

While ‘red ticket’ items definitely have meaning for buyers, when there’s a recession it may be better to choose a more comforting colour: red implies danger and suggests the store may be about to go out of business. Instead choose purple or green posters and put staff in screen-printed T-shirts in similar rich and calming shades. White is still the best colour for words printed on a dark T-shirt, but yellow – often seen as the attention-getting shade – can backfire in times of economic recession as it has connotations of cheapness that can make the consumer feel they are about to be sold something sub-standard as they associate red and yellow with ‘dodgy dealers’. While red and yellow work in a boom, they can be counterproductive in difficult times.

Wording matters too – ensuring that staff carry the message can be a simple as printing T-shirts that bear the words ‘Sales mania assistant’ or ‘Ticket items 10% off on production of a smile!’ can generate a feel-good factor about buying in a sale that encourages shoppers to spend a little more.

Some work clothing has Health and Safety implications – it has to meet the needs of staff who are exposed to the elements or work in difficult conditions. In these cases, High Visibility clothing allows the company, and the individual, to feel confident about safe working.  However, for many companies the chance to brand the outer clothing of their employees is not just about identification – it’s a way to generate public awareness, build team identity and create opportunities to add to the company’s profile.

Choosing the right jacket or fleece is important as it gives employees confidence in their appearance: it needs to be fully comfortable, easy to wear and smart. The logo and details you add to the jacket, whether it’s embroidered or printed, is the final finishing touch that gives a jacket or fleece its professional appearance.

A tailored jacket for women looks fantastic and is specially designed to look good on the female form, while a more relaxed blouson-style jacket works well for a younger workforce in a more casual environment.

Detailing on a jacket can range from a discreet logo and telephone number or website address through to large images that showcase your business activity along with promotional details that encourage people to come and find out more from the wearer.

Perhaps the most famous promotional jackets are American: the letter jackets worn by High School athletes and the ‘colours’ worn by biker gangs – they both have instant recognition factor and carry a strong message to the viewer. This is why it’s important to work with a good clothing printer to ensure that the message your clothing carries is more ‘letter’ than ‘chapter’ – printers and designers have experience in how people respond to images, colours and ideas, so calling on a reputable supplier of printed and embroidered clothing to help you put your brand jacket together is essential for maximum success.

Whether it’s a sunshiny top to be worn by professional dance partners on a cruise ship, a crisp white number for staff at a convention or a durable grey T-shirt for delivery drivers to wear when representing your organisation, a T-shirt is a brilliant shop-front for your organisation.

Some individuals in a business can carry a different message to others – one company in the West of England has delivery staff who wear ‘How’s my smiling?’ T-shirts, featuring a delivery van image and a number to call if the delivery person is particularly pleasant … as a result of this simple message, they are finding that they get first orders from organisations in buildings they’ve delivered to, because the T-shirts have created a recognition factor.

Words and pictures

One key feature of a marketable popular T-shirt is a popular or funny slogan. Can your business create an amusing but professional slogan or image that makes it memorable? Sheila’s Wheels insurance company made a splash with their vivid pink TV adverts – and the follow through led to a ‘fan’ site, downloadable adverts and music and even staff wearing pink and Sheila’s Wheels tribute acts! The Meerkats are producing an even bigger public recognition factor – can your business do the same?

Choose a garment

Using really high quality blank T-shirts and good print quality gives you durable and attractive T-shirts for your employees.

Work with your printer

A T-shirt printer has the skills and capacity to produce fairly short runs so you can test the water on your new ideas, maybe by outfitting a single department or region, before sinking lots of capital into them.