The rise in personalised fashion has been driven by numerous factors, including influencers on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, as well as an increasing desire by consumers to give their loved ones gifts with a more human touch, particularly when they haven’t been able to be there in person. The boost in e-commerce collided with a greater desire for printed personalised clothing like t-shirts, hoodies and – inevitably – face masks, plus other accessories ranging from tote bags and tea cloths to interior decor items like cushion covers, as people were spending more time at home. Indeed, digital DTG printing proved to be one of the print industry’s most resilient sectors during the pandemic.
“At the same time, global logistics shut down and so digital commerce, combined with local manufacturing and logistics, took over,” says Phil Oakley, UK & Ireland country manager at Kornit Digital. This has been a boon for online-only fashion retailers like Asos and Boohoo, and has also proved fruitful for direct-to-garment (DTG) printing businesses, many of whom do much of their business online. This drove an increasing number of consumers online, many of whom have now been converted for good. Fashion retailers in particular have felt the effects, with their physical stores classified as non-essential and forced to close during periods of lockdown.
