Branding Together: A Decorated-Apparel Industry Legend on Making a Lasting Impact
Rick Roth of Mirror Image and The Ink Kitchen reflects on his long career in the screen-printing industry and explains why, for him, business and activism go hand in hand.
In this episode of Branding Together, Co-hosts Theresa Hegel and Cassie Green of Apparelist sit down with screen-printing industry veteran Rick Roth to discuss the intersection of decorated apparel, activism and community. He shares how human rights work has shaped his career, why small acts of service matter and how curiosity and experimentation continue to drive his approach to printing.
Mentioned in this episode:
- Inside 3 Days That Moved the Industry
- ASI Promotes Matt Barnes to Chief Commercial Officer
- ColorArt Customer Alleges Millions in Postal Funds Disappeared, Files Suit Against JAL Equity & Eran Salu
- The Sourcing Group Appoints Brian Gill as Chief Revenue Officer
Key Takeaways
• Hegel and Green discuss how personal relationships help businesses differentiate themselves as AI, automation and e-commerce make transactions increasingly impersonal.
• Rick Roth explains how his human rights activism grew from his belief that parenthood created a responsibility to improve the world.
• T-shirts have been central to Roth’s activism, beginning with a successful campaign to preserve a historic college building.
• People are more likely to help when given an organized, practical opportunity that matches their skills, according to Roth.
• Small consistent acts of service can create more meaningful change than ambitious promises that are never fulfilled.
• Roth’s decorated-apparel career has been driven by experimentation, technical craftsmanship, sustainability and a constant search for what comes next.