The holidays may have barely started, but some businesses will already be thinking about back-to-school season, given how important the time of year is. There’s a lot to prepare, and if you need to make a thousand t-shirts for the new year, you can’t leave it until the last week or two. This is a time of careful planning for schools, uniform suppliers, printers and clothing stores.
For starters, there are uniforms. Not just for school itself, but for gym class, after-school clubs, sports teams, and for staff. Many schools and colleges also sell merchandise to raise some extra funding. Some schools don’t even have a uniform, but their students still want some new clothes to wear to school in September.
If you get your stock right at this time of year, it can be a hugely profitable period. At Wordans we’re here to help, so we have some tips to help you get ready for back-to-school season.
Blank Apparel for Uniforms
Polo shirts, shirts, sweatshirts, slacks, ties, blazers. The clothing items that make up the uniforms for schools are vital to have in stock for printers and uniform suppliers, and for anyone who sources them with blank apparel. We highly recommend getting started as early as possible with this. Numbers are more or less decided quite far in advance, and uniform orders are generally the biggest. If you can get your uniforms made early, then you free up time, space, and manpower for the orders that come in a bit later.
Wordans can help, whether you need blank apparel, or prefer to customize directly through us. We offer all kinds of quality apparel, and wholesale pricing, which means your items cost less when you buy more. Perfect for school uniforms then. We also offer customization, so you can add emblems and slogans with the printing or embroidery method you prefer. For very large orders, get in touch with our sales team, who’ll make sure you get the best deal possible.
Gym Class, Clubs, and Merchandise
Some schools will have a specific uniform for gym class, and most will have football teams, athletics teams, and a whole range of other clubs. So hoodies, shorts, t-shirts, socks, jackets, tracksuits and backpacks, along with other bags, are super important for any clothes retailer at this time of year. Creating kits for sports teams is now even easier, thanks to our teams tool, which lets you add different names and numbers to the same shirt design at the touch of a button.
Hoodies, other casual clothing, and backpacks are really popular for merchandising. As well as spreading the school brand, they foster a sense of unity, and help new students feel part of the community. There will always be demand for these kinds of items in advance, but many of the orders won’t come in until after the start of the semester, so we highly recommend building up your stock before that time comes around. Printers or embroiderers should make an extra effort to clear any backlog beforehand.
The Kids with No Uniforms
Even when schools don’t have a uniform, they’re still full of students who want new clothes for when they go back for a new year. First impressions are key, and they all want to be wearing shiny new digs for their first day of school. For parents, we want to keep them happy, but without going bankrupt, and their clothes need to last.
Wordans offers apparel and accessories of all types, which means you can get everything they’ll need in one place. All our products are high-quality, and come at great prices, so you can stock up with everything both the children, and the parents want.
What to Stock
Durable, stylish, plain apparel is what you want to be stocking for this time of year. You need form for the students, and function for the parents. In addition to the basics, here are some particular items you might not think of, but will want to have in your inventory.
Raglan T-Shirts
The baseball-style, raglan t-shirt is always a popular choice. The sleeves add a little color to an outfit without breaking school rules, and the long-sleeved version is a great bridge between t-shirt and jumper, which works brilliantly in September. They also, as you’d expect, are a favorite for the school baseball team.
We have a great range of long-sleeved and short-sleeved raglan t-shirts at Wordans, for both adults and children. You can get various color combinations, so pick out your local school colors to make them extra popular. Depending on how many you order, you can get adult t-shirts for under $5, and kids versions for under $3.
Varsity Letterman Jackets
Perhaps no item of clothing represents high school in the US more than the varsity letterman jacket, a super popular jacket both inside and outside of school. They already look great without any customization, but they’re perfect for adding school insignia to. The AWDis Letterman Jacket comes in a variety of colors, so once again you can find the right one to match your school’s colors. They’re under $30, and come in sizes S up to 3XL.
These are a fantastic choice for merchandise and sports teams, some schools might even want them as part of their uniform. One thing is for sure, if you stock up on varsity jackets before the start of school, there’s plenty of money to be made.
Cropped Hoodies
Cropped hoodies are very much in fashion right now, and super popular with girls of all ages. They look great, and provide enough warmth as temperatures start to come down in fall. This one from Bella+Canvas comes in 14 colors, and is made with their signature Airlume cotton, and poly-fleece, to give maximum softness.
Once again, this is an item of clothing that already looks great, but can easily have designs added to it. Add the emblem or slogan of the school itself, or a team or club, and give all its members that extra sense of togetherness.
Get Ahead of the Game
Whatever clothes you need to stock up on before back-to-school season comes around– you’d better get planning if you need lots of them. Take a look around our website to find all the apparel and accessories you might need, and for larger orders– send us a message to see how we can help you further. Get everything right, and your company’s bank balance will look just as good as the students.
At Wordans we pride ourselves on quality, value, and variety, so check out the full range on our website, and we’re sure you’ll find what you need. For more ideas, head over to our Instagram at @wearewordans.
