Originally published in Potentials
magazine, September 2006 "Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society." Mark Twain's words still ring true, but to make practical use of their wisdom today requires a redefining of the word "naked." If you're trying to make a statement, clothing may as well be invisible in the eyes of society unless it bears a big-brand label.
Proof of the pervasiveness of brand consciousness in the consumer market can be found all around us. Children recognize logos before they can read, and hip hop artists worship brand names in their music the way folk singers in the 1960s and 1970s worshiped sunshine.
Consequently, in the corporate apparel industry, experts agree that the usage of consumer labels such as Lands' End, Timberland, L.L. Bean, and now, Tommy Hilfiger, in company gifting and outfitting programs directly impacts the perceived expectations of employees, clients and customers. Says Andrea L. Engel, vice president of product development at Broder Bros., Co. in Trevose, Penn., "Companies want to identify their brand and their logo with nationally recognized and admired brands. Corporate gifting and employee recognition and rewards carry extra value when co-branded with a superior brand like Adidas or Columbia."
What's in a Brand? Like the quality of movies one expects from a favorite actor, a brand suggests more than an imitable look; it suggests a package experience. At Lands' End, 40 years as a successful consumer brand has built up a strong brand reputation for this top-rated company with the signature misplaced apostrophe; a reputation that it continues to strengthen through its own highly developed corporate division. "Different companies do it different ways," says John Maher, senior director of sales and marketing, referring to the company's in-house customization facilities. "We wanted to do it that way because it's critical for us to maintain the quality of standards that we have." Lands' End handles everything from taking and filling orders to doing embroidery in house. "We get the product out of the door very, very quickly, because we do it all ourselves. Lands' End is known for its guarantee, which is basically a two-word guarantee, a 'guarantee period.' "
The promise of those two words means that anytime a customer is not happy with a product, they can send it back for a refund or exchange. With that in mind, Lands' End is all the more assiduous when it comes to the embroidery work and customization of its products, an area in which the company takes great pride.
Another key area enhanced by the benefits of a name-brand experience is customer service. Cheryl Rogers, marketing manager for direct-to-business at L.L. Bean in Freeport, Maine, says, "In addition to the quality of our merchandise, the service that we offer to our customers is what sets us apart from our competitors. We are known to have top-notch customer service. We have a hundred percent satisfaction guarantee on all of our products, which we honor throughout our service." A large part of that service falls upon consultants and customer service reps. "Our customer service team plays a big role in assisting our customers to find the right product and colors, and choose customization that works best with that product," says Rogers. "Someone buying on behalf of their boss will want to put a lot of good thought into what ultimately is purchased, and I think our customers are very happy with the service we provide." With an over 50 percent rate of repeat business, L.L. Bean has good reason to believe that that's true.
Unlike Lands' End and L.L. Bean, not all consumer brands enter the customized apparel industry through the creation of their own corporate division, but opt for distributors instead. Idea Workshop Inc., a business-to-business brand management company, handles high-end apparel brands such as Lacoste and Nat Nast, and their newest acquisition, Tommy Hilfiger. Working through a distributor, however, does not mean that a brand relinquishes control over their product. Such is the case with Tommy Hilfiger, explains Idea Workshop president Bob Horwitz. "Idea Workshop had been speaking with Tommy Hilfiger and explaining the corporate/incentive channel to them for a while. With the expiration of one of their licenses this spring, they felt the time was right to enter the market. Tommy Hilfiger wants to control the product and the distribution of their brand in this channel."
Outfitting Programs Are In, Uniforms Are Out The most obvious distinction between consumer brand apparel and generic apparel is style and fit. Industry surveys are finding that there is some very valuable business sense to be extracted from the recoiling and wincing of employees asked to provide top-notch customer service while donning a one-size-fits-all shirt tucked to the best of one's ability into a baggy pair of khakis. Says Maher at Lands' End, "What our clients are telling us is that they're looking for programs that don't look like a uniform program, but something their employees would want to buy. When given the choice of what they want to wear to work in a casual environment, they find Lands' End to be more stylish, more contemporary. Oftentimes, you get into programs where employees, before they leave the building, are taking their uniforms off in the restrooms, or the break room. Here, you have the opposite problem—if it's not embroidered, or decorated in any way, how do they get people to not wear it on the weekends."
The difference between corporate outfitting and traditional uniform apparel is that outfitting programs create variations of staff attire based on a theme of two or three colors, so that not everyone looks identical. "It's about being able to tell that they're all part of the staff because everything coordinates well and looks nice," says Maher.
A survey conducted by Lands' End shows that in a retail environment, not only did employees feel better wearing Lands' End brand apparel, but also that customers liked seeing people in a product that looked good and fit well, and, as a result, the stores did better. Says Maher: "The stores that had coordinated outfitting programs performed better from a financial standpoint than the stores that didn't."
In regard to style, other brand attributes that go beyond outward aesthetics can contribute to the allure of a brand. At Timberland, quality and craftsmanship is entwined with corporate altruism. Elaborating on the popular urban outfitter brand's strong inclination for social causes, Bill Adler, head of Timberland Business Direct, in Stratham, NH, says, "The passion to outfit people with great products that motivate them to achieve great things and make the world a better place is at the core of what Timberland stands for. It's woven into the fabric of all our products." Adler adds that the Timberland brand attracts high-end customers who value these attributes and want to associate with Timberland products for that reason.
Forward Fashion, Not Stillwater A third major distinction between consumer brands and generic industry apparel is that consumer brands bring consumer trends into the corporate market. This fall, the leading trend in apparel will be performance fabrics, a trend that continues to grow strong in the consumer market. "When we say performance, we think of things like stain resistance, wrinkle resistance, things like that," says Maher at Lands' End. "Those are the types of products that employees like because they're easier for the employee to take care of, and employees stay looking neat and fresh while wearing it." In addition to performance dress shirts and polos, Lands' End has also come up with a washable wool suit. Priced around two hundred dollars, the tailored suit, made from a blend of wool, spandex and polyester, can be washed and tumble-dried at home. New for this fall is Lands' End Weatherfield collection, which includes performance jackets, hats, gloves and winter footwear available in bright colors and contrasting two-tones.
At Broder Bros., distributors for American Apparel, Adidas, Columbia and Champion, popular performance and outwear items include Adidas' ClimaCool golf shirts and Columbia's Falmouth Parka for men and women. Asked about any new additions to their product line for fall, Brian Mangione, vice president of sales at Broder Bros. in Trevose, Penn., comments, "A very key brand for us this fall will be WeatherProof. We have worked very closely with them designing an assortment that will offer technical and fashion-related pieces at a tremendous value to our customer. This will be one of the best outerwear offerings in the industry."
Trends noted by L.L. Bean's Rogers include "stain- and wrinkle-resistant and breathable fabrics. We're also offering more colors and sizes in classic Oxford shirts. The trail model fleece is another good program for us as well as trail model rain jackets; it has a waterproof nylon fabric called Tek 2.5 that's lighter than most and more breathable than a lot of fabrics that are out there."
Says Adler, the fall Business Direct collection at Timberland "combines a great mix of apparel, jackets, luggage, hats, wallets and footwear, as well as the Timberland gift card." Gift cards are also available at Lands' End and are being introduced for the first time by L.L. Bean this September.
"The Timberland Gift Card continues to be a very popular incentive item," says Adler, adding that "Timberland proudly supports our clients and communities by donating one percent of Business Direct revenue to a nonprofit of our client's or their customer's choice."
The Tall and Short of Brand Apparel How to sum up the benefits of brand name apparel into one giant fashion statement? The writing on the American Apparel t-shirt is clear. Clothing affects job satisfaction and performance, and influences how customers view the service they're getting. By incorporating brand-name apparel into your business, whether through corporate gifts or outfitting programs, you benefit from the value of the brand as well as the quality of product. What's more, brand apparel manufacturers who enter business-to-business are intent on delivering the same level of convenience, style and customer service they bring to consumers, to corporate sales clients. Now that's not just good business, that's a perfect fit.
Need to accessorize your new corporate apparel? Or need a holiday gift idea? For stylish ideas, read In the Details . . . Sometimes finding the perfect gift means noticing the little things.