If you have to travel somewhere for a work conference, Florida is not a bad place. No siree.

Earlier this week, Seth, Julianne, Mallory and I had the pleasure of traveling to Orlando to meet with vendors and distributor partners and to attend the ASI trade show. We saw thousands of great items new for 2012, and over the course of the next few days, I will recap some of our favorites on the blog. 

If you want to hear about the real highlights, like Seth and Julianne's harrowing tale of survival on the Amtrak train or our recap of Harry Potter World, give us a call!

There is so much to share, and I'll do my best to keep it somewhat organized. Today, I'll focus on our favorite finds in apparel. 



Eco-friendly apparel has been around for years, but we spotted one line that has really taken it to a new level. This East Coast vendor combines recycled cotton with various recycled materials to create fashionable and wearable clothing with minimal environmental impact. Ever wonder what happens to all those X-rays that hospitals and dentist offices print? They get trashed... OR they get woven into your new favorite tee.



Americans throw away an astounding 2 million plastic bottles every 10 minutes. Every one of these recycled tees uses recycled polyester from approximately 8.5 PET bottles. They're available in three colors: beer bottle brown, soda bottle green and water cooler blue. An added bonus? These tees dry in HALF the time of a normal T-shirt.



We were also very impressed with their line of hoodies, composed of recycled cotton and textile scraps from factory floors. They're incredibly soft to boot.



Another apparel trend that caught our eye (for obvious reasons), was American Apparel's line of neon tanks, tees and raglans. I expect to see several neon-clad kickball teams on the Mall this spring. They would also be great for school spirit wear and retro graphic design.



Custom boxer shorts and pajama bottoms are traditionally big sellers for schools, universities and youth organizations. I love how this vendor has used flannel material to line sweatshirt hoods and for reverse or laser cut appliqué on the front chest. You can do this with several kinds of material; there were samples on display using seersucker and polka dot cotton as well.



I thought this example of screen printing with puff ink was worth sharing. To achieve this effect, the printer mixes an additive into the ink that puffs up when cured in a belt oven. The end result is a print that feels raised against your fingers. 



And finally, if you're looking for great tech polo, this piece uses a unique blend of yarns that provides a cooling sensation by pulling heat away from the skin. This particular manufacturer also carries a line of garments for cold weather. Each piece is rated on a temperature scale, much like you would see when shopping for a sleeping bag for camping. The rating system even distinguishes between light to moderate activity levels, so you know which garments are needed for running in -10 degree weather versus walking in 40 degree weather.

That sums up our highlights in apparel! Be sure to check back for more of our favorites in the coming days.