Kornit Digital announced that Oxford, UK-based Shirtworks is implementing a Kornit Digital direct-to-garment (DTG) production system for sustainable, on-demand fulfillment.
Shirtworks services brands and consumers on five continents, and prides itself on being one the first European print shop accredited “Organic” by the Soil Association for both embroidery and screen printing, using “fair trade” materials, and paying all employees the Real Living Wage rather than the national minimum living wage.
The company offers a wide variety of personalized apparel and workwear, including sportswear, sweatshirts, caps, jackets, children’s wear, and other pieces.
“Shirtworks supplies decorated garments to all industries,” said Arron Harnden, the brand’s managing director. “We have a very diverse customer base, from consumers ordering one-offs to small brands and ethical-conscious B2Bs needing up to a thousand pieces or more. We are known as an ethical decorator, GOTS-approved for both screen and embroidery.”
Having supplemented its screen-printing capabilities with embroidery, Shirtworks believes Kornit will enable it to produce lower volumes of garments it would traditionally screen-print, in a manner that meets its quality standards and is profitable in all quantities.
Harnden expects the Kornit system to help reduce their wage costs while meeting the very high-quality control standards necessary to maintain strong customer service.
Kornit’s DTG technology uses a proprietary single-step print process and eco-friendly pigment inks that produce no wastewater, imprint a variety of fabrics at the push of a button, and deliver vibrant, photorealistic digital impressions with durability for wash, rub, and lightfastness.
“We turned to Kornit because it offered a one-process solution, and its inks are GOTS-approved, which is very important to us,” said Harnden. “Being able to match Pantones is also very important to us, and key to moving our screen-print clients over to DTG. We also wanted a retail-ready product that would enable us to expand into drop shipping.”