Meet Jesper Popma: Linkedin T-Shirt Professionals Group Member

This week, meet another member of the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals Group. Watch for more member profiles as members reveal valuable secrets, share their expertise, and offer advice.

• Jesper Popma
• Co-founder/owner of Jazzy et James
• Jesper's LinkedIn Profile
• http://jazzyetjames.com/


What segment of the T-shirt industry do you work in?

"Wholesale, bulk, design, printing, promo wear"

Tell us about your company and your role in it.

"I’m a co-founder/owner at Jazzy et James. I can help you promote your brand by providing you with printed bamboo shirts that your target group will love to wear (because of its softness and fit). If you are thinking of using shirts to promote your brand, make sure you go with beautiful design. I have lots of promotional shirts in my closet witch I only use for “Dirty Jobs” (like painting my house). Because of their bad fit I don’t like to wear them in public. So where’s the promotional / commercial value of these shirts?"

What makes you/your company remarkable?

Our Perfect Fit Philosophy:
Our vision on promotional clothing - The Perfect Fit Philosophy – is based on three pillars:

1. A perfect fit for any size, in our own design.
2. Made from bamboo fabric for maximum comfort.
3. A sustainable raw material (bamboo).

Comfortable bamboo fabric:
Bamboo is a revolutionary discovery for the production of fabric: breathable, with a high absorption level (four times higher than cotton) and bacteria static and hypo-allergenic properties. Jazzy et James shirts are, by the use of silky bamboo, very comfortable to wear. That’s why we say: Joie the fibre!

Your own unique design or printing:
Order shirts from the Jazzy et James collection with or without imprint. You have a choice out of 3 lines: the Basique, the Basique en Plus and Unique.

Basique
Basique is our basic product, without imprint.

Basique and Plus
A basic shirt with your own logo, text or image as print. Give us your artwork and we take care of your Basique and Plus collection.

Unique
Your own unique shirts printed with a special design developed just for you. Based on your needs (for example, your theme or event), made by our own graphic designer.

In any color:
The Jazzy et James collection can be ordered in the color of your choice. What do you think of promotional clothing in your own corporate color?


From where do you draw your inspiration? Motivation? Ideas?

"Inspiration for prints comes from the customers briefing, marketing values, image and line of business."

What accomplishments are you most proud of?

"Development and design of our patterns, finding a good bamboo fabric/production supplier and the launch of our website."

What advice would you offer to someone new to the industry? Any tips or trade “secrets” you want to share?

"Be aware of properties of fabric you are using. All fabrics have different properties and act different during washing and wearing. Make sure you examine these properties before starting production."


Do you have an experience with the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals group you’d like to share? Have you made some valuable connections?

"So far I’ve made a couple of connections of which one is particularly valuable to me."

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Members are welcome to complete the interview and will each be featured here for one week. If you are a T-Shirt Professional looking to make new business connections, join LinkedIn and look us up for details!

Meet Ginny Albert: Linkedin T-Shirt Professionals Group Member

I'm excited to introduce the members of the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals Group. Watch for more member profiles as members reveal valuable secrets, share their expertise, and offer useful advice.


• Ginny Albert
• Artist/T-shirt designer GinnyArt Online
• http://www.cafepress.com/ginnyart

What segment of the T-shirt industry do you work in?

"Design"


Tell us about your company and your role in it:

"My company is currently a sole proprietorship. I am the artist whose designs appear on what I call "Chic Shirts" The cafepress site places the designs on various items of my choosing -- greeting cards, tote bags, figurines, mouse pads, etc. Once in a while I use a outside silkscreener, particularly when I'm involved in a trade show."

What makes you/your company remarkable?

"The fact that everything is created by me, the concept of GinnyArt, which is expanding from T-shirts into art exhibits, a novel, and a screenplay. The novel entitled "Which Man," was published in July 2007, and is available at Amazon.com, etc. "Which Man" is also required reading at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and is available on the shelves of Georgia State University (Book Store), where I am currently a film major. In December, 2008, I adapted "Which Man" to screenplay format and plan to pitch it to the film industry. My company is multi-facted -- arts and literature. On October 18, 2008 my ink drawings garnered 3rd prize at Smyrna, Georgia's Spirit Walk Art Exhibit. Such drawings will be displayed in 2 exhibits in early 2009. My writer's web site is www.ginnyalbertromanticsuspensemaven.com."


Tell us about your T-shirt expertise and areas of interest.

"I still have much to learn about the T-shirt industry. What I do know is that the T-shirt is so flexible, and will always be vogue. I immediately felt my designs were uniquely suited for display on T-shirts -- particularly the fitted tee."

How did you get your start in the T-shirt industry?

"In 2003 when I wasn't so certain I would ever have art exhibits, or indeed whether my work qualified as art. So, I felt the T-shirt would be the best place to display my designs. After taking a course in business, I launched the on-line store GinnyArt Online."


From where do you draw your inspiration? Motivation? Ideas?

"Love and nature -- mostly botanicals"


What are some challenges you currently face or have overcome in your career? Lessons learned?

"Sharing my designs is a great drawback. In fact, numerous people have informed me that they saw one of my shirts somewhere. It never is completely my design, but I have found that people can make an offshoot of an already existing design, making it different enough that it isn't close enough to your design to be a forgery. I've learned to tread carefully."



What accomplishments are you most proud of?

"My cafepress website. The fact that I have two artistic endeavors that I love well enough to make my life's work. That I published the novel, "Which Man," and that it is required reading at the University of Nebraska. That I am a senior at Georgia State University, majoring in film, and that I now have a screenplay to market. That I feel confident that I have a future in the T-shirt industry."


What advice would you offer to someone new to the industry? Any tips or trade “secrets” you want to share?

"Just be as innovative as you want, and never give up. Early on I wrote down a small list of milestones that I had already achieved, and then I wrote down milestones I wanted to achieve. So many of them have come to fruition. So move forward with your idea, no matter the doubts of naysayers."

What is something unique that you can contribute to the LinkedIn T-shirt Professionals group?

"Creative ideas. In fact, I have an idea that could be utilized by all makers of T-shirts, hoodies, jerseys, etc. It's important and has to do with child safety."

What are you looking to find in the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals group? What types of people do you want to connect with?

"I am seeking to partner with someone whose vision is like my own. I believe that there is someone who may have more business experience than I, who will happily handle that part of the business (though I will be aware of all that is going on), while I create. I want to connect with people who are innovative and not afraid to take risks. Anyone I connect with will also have a humanitarian trait, so that ultimately, we can do something that truly contributes to the wellbeing of all human beings."

Do you have an experience with the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals group you’d like to share? Have you made some valuable connections?

"So far I haven't connect with anyone. Though, I truly would welcome the opportunity to do so."

Are there any favorite online resources you’d like to share?

"Not off hand, though something may come to mind later. Oh, I also have some of my work at www.hometowngallery.com -- search under artists for Ginny Albert. It's a nice place to display your work. There is another site called www.simplylicensed.com where designs can be displayed."

Is there anything else you want the world to know about you or your company?

"I want the world to know that I am the grandmother of a 18 month old grandson, Jason Wesley. He is the light of my life. My company has a bright future."

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Members are welcome to complete the interview and will each be featured here for one week. If you are a T-Shirt Professional looking to make new business connections, join LinkedIn and look us up for details!

Meet Kevin Gudmundsen: LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals Group Member

I'm excited to introduce the members of the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals Group. Watch for more member profiles as members reveal valuable secrets, share their expertise, and offer useful advice.


• Kevin Gudmundsen
• Father/Son Team behind Proteus Apparel
• LinkedIn Profile
• http://www.proteusapparel.com

What segment of the T-shirt industry do you work in?

"Web retail - design and sales"


Tell us about your company and your role in it:

"Proteus apparel started 2 years ago as a way for my college son to try and make some money. I am the bank, he is the creative genius. We are oil and water but we somehow make it work. I throw out the ideas to my son and he messes with them to make them possible for his target age audience."

What makes you/your company remarkable?

"All the designs are done by Josh a 3rd year art student - the designs are mostly all over prints (front and back) that require a belt printer. We are building the company slowly through customer input."


Tell us about your T-shirt expertise and areas of interest.

"No expertise to be honest - just trying to figure it out as we go along. Interested in the skateboard and surf culture."


How did you get your start in the T-shirt industry?

"Started printing designs in the garage with a 4 screen press. Progressed to a professional printer."


From where do you draw your inspiration? Motivation? Ideas?

"That crazy, trend setting son of mine - he just knows what people will like, he bases it on 'would I wear this' if he never grows up we are in good shape. ;)"


What are some challenges you currently face or have overcome in your career? Lessons learned?

"Biggest challenge - awareness, web traffic, barriers to retail distribution, and the big one - money and cash flow."


What accomplishments are you most proud of?

"The designs are great - we found a very experienced and capable printing partner."


What advice would you offer to someone new to the industry? Any tips or trade “secrets” you want to share?

"Printing mass quantities of shirts before you have a buyer is not the way to go. Get better customer feedback on designs and print what sells. Estimate the amount of money you will need to get going and then double it! Prepare to be in it for the long hall, it takes a lot longer than you think it will. NETWORK, NETWORK, NETWORK."


What is something unique that you can contribute to the LinkedIn T-shirt Professionals group?

"What not to do, resources for printing and marketing."

What are you looking to find in the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals group? What types of people do you want to connect with?

"Those that have found secrets for increasing web traffic, getting into retail stores and getting publicity for their designs and website. Cross promotions and linking with other non competing web retailers."


Do you have an experience with the LinkedIn T-Shirt Professionals group you’d like to share? Have you made some valuable connections?

"Have had good advice from this group and also the group I started called simply 'T-shirts'"

Are there any favorite online resources you’d like to share?

"T-shirt forum has great ideas, links and advice."

Is there anything else you want the world to know about you or your company?

"WE ARE HERE! We are putting the finishing touches on a viral video contest with people wearing our shirts that we hope to generate traffic and interest and ultimately sales. Check out the details on our website."

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Members are welcome to complete the interview and will each be featured here for one week. If you are a T-Shirt Professional looking to make new business connections, join LinkedIn and look us up for details!