SEAMS to Celebrate 40th Anniversary

Continuing Partnerships Help Meet Challenges

        In February, 2007, the SEAMS Association will celebrate 40 years as an association. In spite of all the changes over the years, our mission has remained the same -- to work for the betterment of the sewn products industry. Our focus has always been to help our members find and keep work in our American communities. Throughout the years we have partnered with other associations and educational institutions to get our message out to the industry and the general public. We have held trade shows, seminars, and workshops to keep our members up to date on the latest happenings in the industry that affect them directly.

        Many members feel that the single most valuable benefit of membership is NETWORKING. We hold two Networking Conferences each year, in the spring and in the fall, to give our members the opportunity to meet and socialize with other members in an informal setting. Members have told us that they have never attended a meeting that did not result some work for them. They feel that face-to-face networking is still the key to continued success. Many contacts made at SEAMS meetings result in long-term friendships and business relationships.

        Recently we have utilized the advancing technologies of email and the Internet to spread the word that there is still a viable sewn products industry in the United States. Our website gives members world-wide exposure. In August, 2006 we attended the MAGIC Show in Las Vegas as part of a joint effort with The Hosiery Association and the Hosiery Technology Center. The three associations sponsored a 30’ x 30’ booth to showcase Made in the USA apparel, socks, hosiery, and seamless body wear, displayed by 16 member companies. Traffic in the booth was much more than we had anticipated, and the response and feedback was overwhelmingly positive. We are looking forward to expanded booth space of two 30’ x 30’ booths in the February 2007 MAGIC Show that will include fabrics, fibers, and yarns as well as apparel, socks, hosiery, and seamless body wear.

        SEAMS offers its member companies many benefits, starting with ways to save money on the basic expenses of running a sewing facility. Through our Benefits Providers, we offer Group Medical and Life Insurance, Permanent Life Insurance, Cancer Plans, Disability Income Plans, Cafeteria Plans, Retirement Programs, Key Man Insurance and Estate Planning. We also offer plans to save on Workers Compensation, Property & Casualty Insurance, Transportation & Logistics, Web Hosting & Design, Long Distance Costs, and Office and Facilities Supplies. Other benefits of membership include Contract Sourcing, Consultation Services, Professional Education and Training, and Exposure.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING…

        It all began in the mid 1950’s with NETWORKING, though it wasn’t called networking back then. A small group of sewing plant owners in South Carolina began to meet informally to discuss their common interests within the needle trades (garment manufacturing) industry. They shared problems and solutions, successes and failures, and the group grew as others began to attend. These informal meetings continued and grew until the official formation of the SOUTH CAROLINA NEEDLE TRADES ASSOCIATION (SCNTA) in early 1967.

Newsflash (12/20/06) 

40th Anniversary Announced…

Join your Colleagues for “40 Years Between the SEAMS”

      The SEAMS Association is delighted to announce that their 2007 Spring Networking Conference will celebrate their 40th anniversary as an association to the sewn products industry.

      The group will meet on April 13-14, 2007, at the Marriott Grande Dunes Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. This luxurious property is South Carolina’s only AAA four-diamond rated ocean-front property. Accommodations include ocean and resort-view villas as well as rooms in the main hotel building.

      Located on South Carolina’s famous Grand Strand, the Grande Dunes offers sumptuous accommodations including a European spa, state-of-the-art health club, spacious rooms with ocean views, a variety of dining options, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a waterslide, and the pristine sandy beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. Golfing, For golfers, a masterfully designed 18-hole championship course is located at the Golf Village at Grande Dunes. The 5,000 square-foot Tennis Club is also nearby for tennis enthusiasts.

      SEAMS members will gather to reminisce and celebrate with friends and colleagues. Specially invited guests will include past presidents of the association, industry professionals, and government representatives. Plans will also include a golf outing, meeting sessions, networking opportunities, and a celebratory dinner.

      Mark your calendars today and plan to join us in Myrtle Beach on April 13-14, 2007.

      The Marriott Grande Dunes has given SEAMS a special room rate of $155 per night, plus taxes, for run of house; and $175 per night, plus taxes, for ocean view rooms.

      Contact the hotel directly at 800-644-2881 to make your reservations. You may also reserve online by using the online codes SESSESA (for resort-view) or SESSESB (for ocean view) rooms.

       Join your colleagues and friends to help us celebrate “40 Years Between the SEAMS”!

Newsflash (12/05/06)

A direct mail order catalog with sales in all 50 states. Offering knit and woven team and school uniforms including jackets, overalls, pants, skirts, and socks.

Newsflash (11/27/06)

Domestic manufacturer of men's, women's, and juniors' knit apparel, including tee shirts, shorts, pocket tees, long & short sleeves, jersey & rib tops, jersey pants, and Lycra tops. We can produce the complete package.

Newsflash (11/01/06)

SEAMS Member Chardan Ltd. Recognized...

Awards Recognize Innovation, Growth, Corporate Goodwill and Excellent Management

      Apparel magazine, the leading b-to-b publication for apparel and apparel retail executives, will present its 2006 All-Star Awards to 10 outstanding apparel businesses at a ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Katie Murphy Amphitheater of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, NY. 

      Chardan Ltd., Nominated by SEAMS, the National Association of the Sewn Products Industry -- This Thomson, GA-based apparel manufacturer has withstood the test of time by adapting its excellent service and flexibility to the needs of customers ranging from the U.S. Navy and American Airlines to Talbots and L.L. Bean to small retail golf lines such as Sport Haley and Kiltee.

      The other winners are: Cutter & Buck, Danskin, Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Hirdaramani Industries, Lori Coulter, The Marena Group, Dr. Deborah Meyer-Brosdahl of Kansas State University, Spyder Active Sports and Trina Turk. One of the 10 winners will be named the 2006 Grand All-Star Award winner at the ceremony. 

      “This year’s All-Star Award winners are very diverse businesses, but they all have a common drive to innovate,” said Kathleen DesMarteau, editor in chief of Apparel. “We look forward to recognizing each of them next month in New York and to featuring their stories in our December issue’s All-Star Salute.”

    The All-Star Awards presentation ceremony will follow the day one keynote address of the 2006 Apparel Tech Conference, which will run Wednesday Nov. 8 to Thursday, Nov. 9 at FIT and will feature presentations by technology and other solutions suppliers to the apparel industry, plus tabletop displays of sponsoring firms’ solutions. The Apparel Tech Conference is produced by Apparel magazine and hosted by FIT. For more information, please visit apparelmag.com. 

Other All-Star Award Winners are:

Cutter & Buck, Nominated by Yunique Solutions
Danskin, Nominated by Sporting Goods Manufacturers  Association (SGMA) 
Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Nominated by Gerber Technology Hirdaramani Industries, Nominated by TUKAgroup 
Lori Coulter, Nominated by OptiTex 
The Marena Group, Nominated by [TC]² 
Dr. Deborah Meyer-Brosdahl, Kansas State University, Nominated by International Textile & Apparel Association (ITAA)
Spyder Active Sports, Nominated by Lectra and Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) 
Trina Turk, Nominated by California Fashion Association (CFA)  

            For more information, please visit apparelmag.com.

Newsflash (10/31/06)

In 2001 Tour Image, an award-winning design company, and Eclipse Apparel, a state-of-the-art sewing facility, joined forces to create a "full package" contractor for both the retail and private label markets. Combining Tour Image's design capabilities with Eclipse Apparel's 15 years experience as the principal contractor for golf's leading brand allows us to handle a wide range of customers and requirements. From concept through assembly, to products for distribution, our goal is to eliminate the guesswork from your apparel needs.

Newsflash (10/30/06)

Children's and adult clothing line manufactured onsite in Bellport, New York for our own, catalog, website, and trunk shows.

Newsflash (10/17/06)

Wells Hosiery & Apparel is an innovative vertically integrated hosiery & cut-and-sew operation. We specialize in cut-and-sew products, ladies' hosiery and seamless activewear. We have the capacity to accommodate orders as small as 60 pieces for specialty goods to volume accounts at our offshore location.

Newsflash (10/11/06)

Corporate Express is one of the world's largest business-to-business suppliers of essential office and computer products and services with 2005 sales of approximately $4.6 billion in North America. Corporate Express is an international business services and distribution group, and is a leading global supplier of office products and graphic systems for the  business market. Corporate Express' product offerings include office and computer supplies, imaging and computer graphics supplies, office furniture, document and print management, desktop software, promotional products, and other similar products.