Good suppliers work hard to become valued partners to distributors. Edwards Garment Co. (asi/51752) took the effort to the next level with a promo partnership that is bearing sales fruit for both the Kalamazoo, MI-based supplier and Top 40 distributor Boundless (asi/143717).

When Edwards, a Top 40 supplier of apparel and uniforms, introduced outerwear to its offerings this year, it teamed up with Boundless to promote the new line. The initiative centered on Edwards developing three-layer, soft-shell jackets with the Boundless logo embroidered on the upper left sleeve. At the start of 2017, nearly 200 members of Boundless’ staff received the jackets to wear during sales calls. “We put the logo on the left sleeve rather than left of the chest because it sticks out,” says Kerrie Turner, inside sales and special services coordinator at Edwards. “It’s a different spot to feature a brand and comes off as higher-end.”

Once end-buyers saw the lightweight and durable jackets on the Boundless pros, they couldn’t wait to buy them. Indeed, a bevy of sales ensued – something helped along by Edwards providing special pricing, free digitizing on embroidery and no minimum order requirement. The bottom line on the collaboration? A big-time sales increase: As of April, sales with Boundless were up nearly 800%, according to Edwards.

“The results of the promotion have exceeded our expectations,” says Taraynn Lloyd, Edwards’ marketing director. “Edwards was able to build a strong supplier partnership with Boundless sales associates and increase outerwear sales with their clients.”

The enormous success of the campaign shows that a creative, well-planned, mutually beneficial collaboration can be the best promotion of all. Given that, Lloyd says Edwards is open to working with other distributors in a similar fashion in the future.