For the winner of this year’s NFL Superbowl celebrating with new gear on the field, there are fans around the world who bring a passion for sharing in that sense of victory. As an extension of the team, a diehard fanbase wants to celebrate the wins, and support their team in any way possible – especially through sports apparel. That’s why, practically overnight, vendors both online and brick-and-mortar stock their shelves with Superbowl merch, often at premium prices, and delivering premium revenues for teams and licensed apparel providers.

And yet, the slow mechanics involved in producing and shipping that inventory via traditional means – screen printing, dye sublimation, embroidery, vinyl transfer, and the like – has long necessitated overproduction. This is one circumstance where “be prepared” means “generate far more than you need, because you won’t know who wins until it’s too late.”

Surely an apparel industry that’s spent recent years fighting charges of waste, ecological harm, “greenwashing,” the downsides of “fast fashion,” and other byproducts of overproduction can do better than knowingly creating more piles of goods than will ever be needed and labeling one of those piles “tax write-off.” If producers aren’t moving beyond that business model for environmental reasons, then surely it’s worth considering for better profit margins, better customer experiences, and creating a proven pathway to operational growth.

The state of on-demand digital direct-to-garment (DTG) printing has long since matched the quality, durability, and brand standards of today’s major apparel retailers and sports teams, and it can fulfill demand in a fraction of the time compared to other production mechanisms. With a single step, you can have ready-to-wear apparel without limitations of color or graphic design, applied to any number of cotton, polyester, blends, or other materials in mere minutes, so you can produce only what you sell – or, in most cases, produce only the winning team’s championship gear. There’s no setup time; simply render an image on a screen, and the digital print system renders it on your garment, so costs are low and margins are robust, no matter how many pieces.

The most advanced of these systems, Kornit Atlas MAX POLY, can replicate screen, dye sublimation, vinyl transfer, embroidery, and even 3D imagery using the same efficient mechanism, so your production floor can produce more with less labor, less energy, less materials, and less time. It’s the perfect solution for streamlining operations and enabling long-term growth.

Innovative workflow technology provides transparency and accountability across the end-to-end production experience, and a consistent product across multiple production systems and production sites. Whether you’re creating on-demand sportswear and fan gear in Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Paris, Tel Aviv, or Tokyo – or all of the above – digital offers consistency and reliability. Become the go-to provider for never-before-seen sports apparel in your local market, or wherever the demand is, with the untouchable speed, agility, quality, profitability, and uncompromising imagery only digital can provide fans.

Be an Apparel All-Star

Digital on-demand fashion and apparel production empowers you to capture the moment, and capitalise on opportunities in real time. This can apply to a championship tournament such as Formula E racing, the Superbowl, or any performance worth commemorating. Put a photorealistic image from that game, complete with score and any other relevant details you like, on a t-shirt and have it for sale on your e-commerce site within hours.

Or let your customers design it themselves. Which brings me to one final point.

Be Part of the Huddle

Créations GLF (France) focuses on providing quality customised gifts and “teamwear” in all its forms, including custom sports apparel using digital DTG capabilities in particular to decorate polyester and poly-blend apparel common to the sportswear market.

“Customisation and personalisation make the most impact locally, on the personal level,” said Thibault Lechner, President / Director of Créations GLF. “When the consumer has the opportunity to actually go and choose what they want, their company doesn’t have to guess at it, and won’t sink costs by guessing sizes, designs, and excess inventory storage. Producing on demand, nearer to the customer, will create new opportunities for rewarding experiences while supporting a business model that removes waste in favor of creative possibilities.”

With digital on-demand production, you have the versatility to not only commemorate the big games, but also empower fans to put their own spin on their apparel. That can include personalisation, capturing a special moment, and more. The only limit is their imagination, and wearing it is a winning feeling, no matter who’s playing.

Visit Kornit Digital on stand 12-A10 at Sportswear Pro 2024, taking place from 19th – 22nd March 2024. Sportswear Pro will showcase the very latest technologies and solutions for on-demand and customised sportswear production. From sample design and automated digital workflows, to innovative materials and integrated wearable technologies, the exhibition and visionary trend forum will present sustainable, faster and leaner production solutions to sports and activewear brands and manufacturers. Register here and use code SWPJ410.