THE DTG COLUMN
A Manchester-based company is bringing iconic images back to life and they’re being snapped up in their thousands. But only direct to garment printing will do. COLIN MARSH, Resolute DTG’s MD reports.
I
t will have been hard to miss the plethora of comeback tours recently... Everyone from Take That with Robbie, to Steps and others from the Pete Waterman stable to the resurgence of the Manchester Scene with the return of the Happy Mondays and The Stone Roses. Along with the inevitable attraction for these bands of tickets sales, there is also the lucrative merchandising market. Having been at the heart of the Manchester scene in the ʼ80s and ʼ90s, Leo Stanley is now using direct to garment printing to bring some of the iconic images of MADchester to the high street. It was a flash of inspiration after a memorable night at the Hacienda that led to the creation that became one of the best known symbols of the MADchester Scene. Leo opened his Identity store in Afflecks Palace in 1984, firstly selling army surplus gear that had been dyed black to those into the goth scene and then following a request from The Stone Rosesʼ Ian Brown, flared jeans. They were also selling T shirts made by London group Soul 2 Soul and decided to respond with their own range. Leo scribbled down “And on the sixth day God created MANchester” after a night at the Hacienda and got 50 printed. Tells Leo: “They all sold in an hour, and soon we were selling 500 a week. Even Madonna was photographed in one.” The T shirt still sells today, only this time it is printed using direct to garment printing. Leo now prints for a host of the UKʼs top designer labels, but also has the Identity fashion label, as well as new clothing ventures Not Guilty and Back in the Day, which uses classic images of stars such as The Stone Roses, The Happy Mondays and Kurt Cobain taken by photographer Ian Tilton.
Says Leo: “Using Direct to Garment printing gives us fantastic reproduction of these iconic photos. Other methods of garment decoration just donʼt do them justice.”
The impressive set up at Identity, consisting of five direct to garment printers supplied by Resolute DTG, capable of producing 250 T shirts an hour has been carefully thought out and researched by the team at Identity. The unique look and feel of direct to garment printing was the only process that could satisfy the
INSPIRED: Leo Stanley says direct to garment printing offers fantastic reproduction of iconic photographs on T shirts. The set-up supplied by Resolute DTG is capable of printing 250 T shirts an hour.
Iconic images return thanks to DTG printing
exacting standards of todayʼs retailers. With Identityʼs own labels featuring on the high street in the likes of HMV, Leo needed to be sure that he achieved the right balance of quality over production time and flexibility. With plans to upscale their modular systems over the coming months, bringing capacity to 20,000 direct to garment prints a week, this proves that the direct to garment process can be seen as a true production process and no longer just suited to short runs. While working under license in Turkey during 2010 I witnessed direct to garment printing on a much larger scale than I had seen anywhere else in the world. Banks of printers producing thousands of prints a day, from flat patterned fabric to designer label fashion wear, the printers and their operators ran around the clock. Running alongside large format dye sublimation printing and automated screen printing many of these companies were producing a large proportion of decorated garments destined for the rest of Europe and the UK.
In just two years, what I thought we would never see in the UK has happened right in the heart of Englandʼs original rag trade city. Identity Printing are proving that
local companies still have the capability to produce what is required and desired by todayʼs retail customer right here in the UK. As the months go by we see more and more direct to garment success stories appearing.
For a further look into the archives from Manchesterʼs heyday visit
www.identity-
manchester.co.uk
■ If you have a question about direct to garment printing please contact: Resolute DTG Ltd, Unit 2 Turnoaks Lane, Chesterfield, S40 2HA. Tel: 01246 202686; email:
info@resoluteink.co.uk or visit
www.resoluteink.co.uk www.facebook.com/resoluteink. Donʼt forget to like our Facebook page
www.facebook.com/resoluteink for the latest news in the direct to garment sector.
Any figures and prices quoted are based on using Resolute DTGʼs own equipment and ink. | 18 | August 2012
www.printwearandpromotion.co.uk
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