Technology, social responsibility, innovation, high-quality brands and products – all of the hallmarks of the promo industry’s progressivism were on display at this year’s PPAI Expo, which took in place in Las Vegas from January 9-12. Building off the momentum of ASI Orlando (where attendance was up 50%), the continued bounce back of trade shows manifested itself at the Expo, where both distributors and suppliers cited good energy and a pervading sense of optimism.

Besides a slate of new products from top suppliers and a couple major announcements –including the acquisition of Evans Manufacturing (asi/52840) by HPG (asi/61966), the Top 40 supplier’s latest move in a series of high-profile deals – there were a number of interesting trends to be discovered on the show floor.

Wood-Based Products

As consumers gravitate toward natural materials, wood-based items were especially prevalent. “The rustic style is coming back,” said Kelsi Bramhall, client relations manager for giveOgive (asi/56725). Based in Salt Lake City, the supplier sells Made-in-the-USA wood boxes and crates that can be richly stained (in black, brown and gray) and creatively logoed (laser engraving, UV printing and “fire brand”) for a decidedly upscale feel. The items are made from North American pine and can be filled with gourmet treats and other goods.

The boxes and crates from giveOgive (asi/56725) are made from North American pine and can be stained in black, brown or gray.

Trippy Outdoor offers unique wood chairs that are small, portable and comfortable. They’re made from 7-ply maple (think skateboards) and can be separated into two pieces, with the seat sliding into a magnetic holder in the back that can then be carried around. Co-founder Robby White said that while it was conceived as an outdoor chair and can definitely be used for camping and the beach, customers have been putting them on their porches and inside their houses and businesses. The chairs – which are made in Dallas and can support up to 1,000 pounds – can be brightly decorated with a proprietary UV-resistant ink that doesn’t fade. “What’s really cool is our printing capabilities,” said White. “We can put anything on there.”

Check out these very cool, vibrant -- and portable -- wooden chairs I spied from @TrippyOutdoor. Comfortable too! pic.twitter.com/xyh3mAtL2N

— C.J. Mittica (@CJ_ASIMedia) January 10, 2023

Retail brand (and Canadian-based) Lynn & Liana Designs offers cheese boards and serving trays that are dipped in plant-based, food-safe resins made from recycled bioproducts. The resins richly accent the Acacia wood with striking pops of teal, gold, onyx and more. Logos can be engraved in the wood or embedded in the resin.

The cheese boards and serving trays from Lynn & Liana Designs are available in nine resin colors, including onyx, sapphire sky and Caribbean blue (shown here).

Wood wasn’t the only natural material that suppliers were using to great effect. Lively Root (asi/67793) offers customizable plant kits – easy-to-care for houseplants that come in ceramic or 100% recycled “ecopots.” The packaging features no plastic, the plants come from the company’s own farm in San Diego, and a portion of the proceeds go to the Arbor Day Foundation. “Distributors have been telling us that they can finally go back to their clients and say ‘I’ve found something different,’” said Brian Bates, senior VP of business development.

These easy-to-care-for houseplants from LivelyRoot (asi/67793) can be branded on the pot and the plant sticker and can include a custom message card.

End-User Customization

Custom products are nothing new in branded merch, but suppliers are beginning to cultivate the tools that put that power directly into the hands of the recipient. Outerwear supplier Hexa | Custom (asi/60557) has built a custom microsite platform called Hexa Design Lab. Distributors set the brand guidelines and then let end-users customize the jackets down to the colors of the individual panels. “They can design what they want instead of receiving something they don’t want. It’s a more sustainable approach to gifting,” said Creative Director Kathleen Baker. The supplier also featured new takes on its popular Mega Puff jacket, including a vest and a cropped jacket.

The popular Mega Puff jacket from Hexa | Custom (asi/60557) is also available in a vest and cropped version.

Wooly Made offers leather goods such as wallets, pouches and coasters in tasteful decorations like engraving, debossing and “perforation.” The items are made in Portland, OR, and are available in nine colors, all dyed in-house. Consumers can go online with the company’s platform to customize their own wallet, including choosing leather and thread colors. “You don’t have to buy 500 of the same wallet,” said Co-founder Jake Fromer. “You can give them a code and they can design their own.”

These Made-in-the-USA leather goods from Wooly Made come in nine rich colors and can be decorated three ways, including the unique “perforation” imprint (shown on the right).

Product & Decoration Innovations

The beginning of the year is always host to a raft of unique new products, and 2023 is no different. Hanes (asi/59528) unveiled a pretreated ringspun cotton T-shirt for direct-to-garment (DTG) decorators that can save significant time and money and be a boon to the print-on-demand market. Decorators who do DTG typically have to apply a treatment to the shirts before printing. “Right now there’s a labor crisis, and decorators need one person just to spray the shirts,” said Chris Guard, senior product manager for the apparel supplier. “This will save them time.” The shirts are available in four colors – including white, a color that decorators often don’t pretreat. The white Hanes pretreated shirt, Guard said, will give the print an extra boost and hold colors better.

The Perfect-T line from Hanes (asi/59528) now includes a pretreated version for DTG printers (498PT) available in four colors – black, navy, smoke gray and white.

Infinity Headwear (asi/62578) said it’s appealing to the “grossly underserved” women’s headwear category with its caps. Besides fit and visual details like floral underbrims, the caps feature slick design innovations such as a hidden ponytail hole and makeup-resistant sweatband. “Everybody’s been saying, ‘Thank you for finally doing this,’” said Ramona Watson, Infinity Headwear’s VP of product development & marketing.

I showed my wife the women's cap from Infinity Headwear and she's in love. Ramona Watson shows off what makes their caps so unique. pic.twitter.com/Bh39riaArh

— C.J. Mittica (@CJ_ASIMedia) January 11, 2023

Aus Bangla Jutex is using AWARE technology to definitively prove that garments are made with sustainable materials. AWARE recycled and organic cotton (recycled polyester and nylon is available too) features tracers mixed into the yarn. Once the final product is created, it can be scanned to detect the tracers “to validate that it’s actually recycled product instead of made with cotton from Xinjiang,” said Rezwahn Ahmed, CEO of Aus Bangla Jutex.

Ethical Missions

Sustainable and ethical production remained an ever-present theme, and in particular suppliers are becoming increasingly forward about key certifications (B Corp, woman-owned) and telling the uplifting story behind their companies and products.

To The Market was created by Jane Mosbacher Morris, a state department official who traveled the globe meeting underrepresented communities and groups (particularly women), discovering they needed access to capital and safe, dignified work. She started the company in 2016, which now supports 250 women makers in 50 countries through her business. Both a B Corp and member of the 2022 Inc. 5000, To The Market offers a suite of unique goods and full impact reporting, including QR codes that offer more information on the makers. “We want to include our makers,” said Sales Manager Caitlin Craig. “We want them to get the recognition they deserve.”

To the Market offers a variety of goods that are created by makers around the globe.

Parker Clay (also a B Corp) was started by Ian and Brittney Bentley, a couple who adopted two children from Ethiopia and lived there for a time. With their eyes fully open to the lives of young women in the African country who were exploited and lacked opportunity, the couple started a company that manufactures its lifetime-guaranteed leather bags in Addis Ababa and gives nearly 200 women safe, dignified work as well as training and mentorship through its Center of Excellence. “As a single mom,” said Sales Director Nicole Green, “our mission to help these women really resonates with me as well as our clients.”

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