Printwear & Promotion The Total Promotional Package
P&P editor Melanie Attlesey sat down with Felix Tiller of Produkt // Jack & Jones to find out more about the brand’s launch into the UK blanks market.
The eagle-eyed among our visitors to Printwear & Promotion LIVE! in February would have noticed an exciting new brand showcasing its fashion-forward garments for the first time.
Produkt, born from well-established retail brand Jack & Jones, has entered the blanks market with a capsule collection of garments. Its launch into the UK market at P&P LIVE! was extremely well-received according to Felix, with comments such as ‘what are Jack & Jones doing in this world!’ and ‘wow’ overheard.
A new name
Produkt is not a new name in the corporate world. The brand has been working with companies such as WH Smiths, Ikea and Centre Parks, plus a number of football clubs to produce their fan merchandise, for a number of years now. But with a 12-to-16-week lead time from the factories in Bangladesh and an MOQ of 1,000 pieces, this made the brand out of reach for smaller companies who may only want to order 300 pieces at a time, but keen to work with Produkt.
“I looked at all the obstacles and problems we were facing and thought how could I solve this?” explains Felix.
After taking a deep dive into the inner workings of the printwear market, that’s where the idea of the blanks range began to formulate.
“I look at the blanks as stem cells. You can turn them into anything. And if you can engage localised printing and embroidery, it allows you to do much shorter runs and provide much shorter lead times,” he adds.
The range currently incorporates a unisex tee, a unisex hood sweat, a unisex polo pique, a unisex over-sized tee, a unisex crew neck sweat, and a unisex zip hood sweat. “We’ve really hit the nail on the head with this collection and can’t quite believe how quickly it has snowballed,” says Felix.
Decades of retail experience
Jack & Jones has amassed more than 25 years of retail experience and data, and this has clearly translated into the quality of the garments and the colours used.
For example, the unisex tee is made from 100% organic ring spun cotton in a 180gsm weight to provide a premium feel. It also features a super smooth printing surface to achieve quality direct to garment prints. All styles are based on the best-selling retail equivalents sold by Jack & Jones, but adapted to suit the blanks market, with additions such as a half-moon in the neck incorporated into the designs. The Jack & Jones over-sized tee is currently a best-seller on ASOS, so this was an obvious choice to bring to the printwear market. While the fashion colours used are ones that perform well in the retail world.
Given the reception received to date plans are already underway to expand the range, with a kids’ collection expected for launch in January 2025.
The launch of Produkt into the UK printwear market is quite an interesting one. It marks the first time that a high street brand has entered this space. As Felix remarks, it’s the equivalent of H&M launching a blanks range. To put it into perspective, Jack & Jones’ parent company Bestseller sells products from more than 20 different brands into more than 70 countries across the world and owns around 2,100 retails stores in 32 countries. And Produkt is the first of these brands to enter the printwear market.
Produkt’s entrance is certainly already having an effect on the market, with other brands having either already adjusted their ranges or price to reflect the emergence of a new retail-quality brand.
“I think we are having an effect on the market. It’s interesting to see how other brands are reacting to us,” says Felix. Only time will tell if the launch has any further impact on the market as Produkt makes its presence known in the coming months and years.
The capsule collection has arrived!
Produkt is available exclusively in the UK via Prestige Leisure UK. Ashleigh Gray, digital marketing co-ordinator, explains why the brand is a perfect fit for them.
Q. What makes Produkt stand out?
A. Produkt is the first blank garment range that has been introduced to the industry by a high street fashion brand. The styles and colours have proven to be popular on the mass market and the brand has endless data to back that up. They have lifted the styling from their current ranges and introduced them to our market and we just know it will be a hit. They have some fantastic values when it comes to people and the planet. Through their Direct-to-Farm programme, they ensure everyone in their supply chain is looked after at every level. Their ongoing focus on ensuring they remove more emissions than they put into the planet is also admirable. They are always setting clear goals for the future and consistently achieving them.
Q. Why did you choose to add the brand to your collection?
A. This year Prestige is putting a huge focus in investing in providing our customers with the best products and services that in turn support their business growth. We wanted to have an exclusive, sustainable brand in our collection and, after discussing with several other brands, Jack & Jones was the clear winner. Their company ethos was one of the first things to jump out to us as they aligned with a lot of our own. They are also extremely passionate about entering the industry and developing the range together with Prestige as their UK partner.
Q. What are your thoughts about the brand and the quality of the garments?
A. This is something that everyone who has seen the product has commented on. The product feels amazing, and all the little details scream quality. From the stitching to the super smooth printing surface, it really encompasses the brands attention to detail and high-quality production.
Q. Who do you think the target audience of the product is?
A. The product and brand, as mentioned has a big focus on sustainability. First and foremost, our customers who are looking to add a sustainable range to their offering or the ones who are already well on their way to offsetting their impact on the planet will be interested in this range. We think customers who have their own fashion brands will have a particular interest due to the styles, colours and fits being based on best-selling styles from Jack & Jones. In Jack & Jones. In terms of our workwear customers, we think the range will be most popular with their customers in the executive, corporate sector, and high-end hospitality utilising them as high-quality, long-lasting uniforms. We will support all our customers who would like to add the Produkt range to their offerings with marketing assets, joint visits, and sampling, for them to market it to their customers in the most profitable way.
Q. Have you had any feedback from customers yet?
A. We had an amazing response from customers at P&P LIVE! when we presented it as a ‘sneak peek’. We left the show feeling super motivated to get the full launch under way and we are getting more enquiries every day as we release more and more information. The overall feedback was about the feel and quality of the product but there is also a lot of trust from customers as the brand is coming from such a well-known retail giant like Jack & Jones, already synonymous with quality and style. We knew it would be well received but didn’t quite grasp the
level of excitement that it would create.
Q. Do you have any advice when it comes to selling or decorating the product?
A. Our aim is to educate the customers as much as we can through various channels to ensure that they are confident promoting it to their customers. We are currently in talks with Stahls’ to host a webinar solely on the Produkt range so customers can keep an eye out for more information on that. A lot of research has gone into making this range by the team at Jack & Jones. They are new to the blank apparel industry, so it has gone through vigorous testing to ensure it is compatible with all decoration techniques, especially printing. The T shirts are all organic cotton and even though the hoodies have 20% recycled polyester, they have ensured that the surface is 100% organic cotton, so the prints can be as vibrant and long-lasting as possible.
• The full Produkt range is available now through Prestige Leisure UK
