Two Counselor Top 40 suppliers have forged a new strategic alliance that they believe will be a benefit to promotional products distributors.

Starline (asi/89320), which specializes in hard goods, and Vantage Apparel (asi/93390), an apparel provider known for its massive in-house decoration capabilities, have teamed up in a move that will expand the product offerings available through New Jersey-headquartered Vantage’s webstores.

Rob Watson, Vantage Apparel (asi/93390); Brian Porter, Starline (asi/89320)

In addition to Vantage’s apparel products, those stores will now also house items from Starline, including bags, coolers, Bluetooth speakers, flashlights, home goods and drinkware, including tumblers from the popular Stanley brand.

“Our collaboration with Starline marks a significant milestone for Vantage Apparel,” said Rob Watson, CEO of Vantage Apparel. “By integrating their high-quality hard goods into our platform, we are not only broadening our product range but also enhancing the value we provide to our distributors and their customers. This partnership exemplifies our commitment to innovation, integration and excellence in the promotional products industry.”

Vantage, which has been in business for 47 years, recently unveiled a single-piece webstore platform that offers features like pop-up shops, points programs, budget allocations, powerful reporting, order approvals and strengthened security, with PCI and SOC2 compliance.

Vantage’s collaboration with Starline allows distributors to incorporate a curated selection of both apparel and hard goods into their webstores, providing real-time inventory and enhanced ordering capabilities for all products, executives said.

“Each product in Starline’s on-demand lineup offers the same single-piece, decorated option that our customers have grown to love and expect from Vantage,” said Chris Alfano, chief digital officer at Vantage Apparel and the company leader that Watson described as Vantage's mastermind behind the partnership.

Starline, which counts more than 50 years in business generating sales in the U.S. and Canada, is excited about the partnership. The integrated Vantage/Starline offering is available to Canadian distributors as well.

“Vantage is known industry-wide for their creative and innovative decoration capabilities, combined with first-class apparel,” said Brian Porter, chief revenue officer of Starline. “This works so well with our award-winning digital Tru Color decorating and best-in-class product quality that the synergy was a natural fit. We’re beyond thrilled to expand our capabilities and combine those in a one-stop solution for both apparel and hard goods.”

Speaking to ASI Media, Watson shared that the digital interconnectivity between Vantage and Starline was facilitated by integration through PromoStandards, a nonprofit organization committed to improving supply chain and transactional efficiencies in the promo industry. “It enables us to connect easily and naturally,” Watson said. Last year, Vantage formed a team dedicated to digital integration initiatives. 

Based on reported 2023 North American promotional product revenue of $53 million, Vantage Apparel ranked 38^th on Counselor’s most recent list of the largest suppliers in the industry. With 2023 North American promo sales of $61.2 million, Starline ranked 32^nd.

The deal between the companies is not an acquisition but, as executives characterized, a partnership/collaboration. Watson told ASI Media more such collaborations could benefit promo as a whole. 

“Rather than just acting as competitors,” he said, “we should explore ways in which to work dynamically and in tandem.”