Wearables – Do You Know what you are Selling?   Get in the know – below:

Value:  your customer determines value by what they see at retail and through direct mail (i.e. Nordstrom, Lands End).  The supplier that most closely “mimics” retail is the supplier you want to be aligned with.  Nobody comes close to the fashion forward styles of retail as Dunbrooke.

Fleece:  Do your client’s know what they are getting?

- Polar Fleece is a trade name (a brand name of Maldin Mills). 

- Dunbrooke’s brand is Sport Fleece – and our brand is 235 grams per square centimeter – (most are only 200 grams)!

- Dunbrooke’s Sport Fleece is of the highest quality because it is pre-pilled…on both sides.  This describes the degree to which it has been brushed – many manufacturers only pre-pill one side of the fabric, we pre-pill both to bring you the highest quality garment.  True fleece is 100% polyester – beware of cotton/poly blended fleece, which does not maintain shape and is not colorfast.  View Dunbrooke Fleece styles.

Microfiber:  The Mystery Fabric

Did you know, its 100% polyester as well?  Now of course, the best way to sell this wonderful fabric is to call it Microfiber.  Polynosic Microfiber is a poly/rayon blend -- it has rayon woven into the fabric.  Tencel is rayon and is derived from wood pulp.  Our Augustine windshirt for example has tencel in it – making it polynosic… the best and most breathable/colorfast microfiber available.

Are your clients getting the best quality of microfiber?  If they choose Dunbrooke – they are!  Here is what you need to look for when purchasing microfiber:

1)  It must be polyester or poly-blend, look out for anything called “micro-touch”.

2)  Look for brushed – how soft is the microfiber – high quality microfiber is brushed for softness.

3)  Fading – high quality microfiber looks faded from brushing no matter how deeply it is dyed!

4)  Construction – garment should have tight seams, quality closures, and important golf features such as a double swing back.

Mercerized Cotton:  It’s soft…  but why?

One major advantage of mercerized cotton is that you can wash it 20 times and it still will not fade.  What makes a cotton mercerized?  To begin with, the garment is made with superior grade cotton.  Second it is boiled at extremely high temperatures, and third – it is soaked in an acid solution where it sits for literally a few days.  Fourth, it is put into a neutralizing solution, and lastly – it is baked!  The result – a beautiful, shiny, super strong, absent of any impurities fabric!  Mercerized cotton shirts remain colorfast and have incredible strength.  Dunbrooke’s mercerized cotton items are created just as described above – creating the highest quality garment.  

Dunbrooke has always gone to great lengths to design and manufacture quality clothing.  There are subtle but very important details to understand when selling garments to your clients – pictures can be deceiving – make sure you always show samples – and that you are selling quality garments your clients can wash and wear again … and again… and again:

Cotton:  DO NOT look at the ounces/weight of a shirt listed in a catalog and make a decision about whether or not this garment will work.  The weight listed for one shirt may be lower (5.5 oz. for example compared to 8.2 oz. for another) – simply because one was cut from 45” goods and the other from 60” goods.  Weights can be very deceiving – order in samples and you will see how deceiving the listed weight can be.  Ordering samples from Dunbrooke is absolutely free if it is returned within 30 days – there is NO restocking fee!  When samples are shown, the Dunbrooke item is most often picked because of its quality and styling!

Pocket Sizing:  Put your hands in the pockets of the garments you are showing.  Try them on before you show them!  Do they feel right?  Often, you will find the pockets are not deep enough in lesser quality items – where are the pockets positioned? 

  Waffling:  Look along the seams of the garments – a poor manufacturing process will create seams that  “waffle”.

Men’s and Ladies Apparel:  Does the manufacturer offer men’s and ladies styles and sizes?  The number of women in the workforce is still growing – it is estimated women will out number men in the workforce by 2005 --  (55% to 45%) are you still selling only men’s sportswear?  If so, you are missing a tremendous opportunity!