Industries from bars to boutiques and high schools to non-profits are finding new and creative ways to promote their business through the use of custom designed promotional t-shirts.

Today’s high school student wants something a little more stylish than a basic cotton t-shirt if you expect them to proudly display their school colors.  Body hugging athletic tees for the males and shear, clingy fashionable tees for the girls, with a choice of styles from cap sleeve to ¾ sleeves and scoop neck to the retro ringer are the t-shirts of choice for this generation.

Bars are turning to the more vintage looking pigment dyed and distressed styles to promote their establishments.   The trend is to offer creative and fun designs that the customer will want to wear around town without feeling like a walking billboard.

Boutiques in the trendy parts of town appeal to a young crowd who don’t want to buy just a plain t-shirt.  The chic little shops that specialize in “bling” lean towards rhinestone embellished tees, as well as stylish designs that they see today’s stars wearing on their MySpace and Facebook pages.

Non-profit organizations have always found great ways to raises funds and awareness though walks and running events.  In Portland, bicycle events to help charities of all kinds are more popular than ever.  With increased competitiveness, the pressure is on for each event team to be as creative as possible with the promotional apparel they proudly wear.  Designs for each team are getting more unique and artistic with each new event.

Some corporations are tying to appeal to a younger workforce by mixing in contemporary t-shirts with the standard corporate polo shirt.  Retro ringer tees and the more stylish silk touch t-shirts are very popular, but 100% organic cotton tees are making their mark with the new eco friendly industries, as well as companies becoming more environmentally conscience.

Higher demand and recent poor weather in Asia have driven up the price of cotton, an increase that will likely cause in an increase in cotton t-shirts, polos and woven shirts within three to four months. Additionally, world cotton production is now expected to fall short of demand in the current crop year, which runs through July 31. “It’s not something anyone can run from and there’s no place to hide,” says Rainer Friedrich, vice president of production at Charles River Apparel. “There won’t be a price change until there’s a leveling off and the demand evens out. That could be six to eight months from now.”  If you’re planning an event for later in the year, it may not be a bad idea though to order your screen printed t-shirts or embroidered shirts earlier than normal.

According to Friedrich, in just the last two months the price of cotton produced in Pakistan has jumped by 40%. Overall, the cost of cotton has increased roughly 15% globally. “In general, consumers will pay more at some point,” says Friedrich. “By March or April, the effect will be there. Manufacturers will try to spread out the increase, so there may not be a large difference at first.

With a larger number of apparel items, like polos, now commonly offered in synthetic fabrics, the greatest price volatility is likely to occur among suppliers that produce T-shirts. “In our industry, it probably affects the wholesalers more,” said Chris Clark, vice president of sales at Ash City. “When we use cotton, our pricing stays fairly consistent since we buy on the futures market.” Despite the surge in the cost of cotton, Friedrich believes there is a twist of good news to consider. “It means the economy is coming back,” he says. “Demand for product is going up and you have to stock the shelves.”