Epson is flexing its capabilities in the apparel market.
The electronics brand is working with the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team and triathlon sportswear brand Triflare to create four custom swimsuits that the swimmers will perform in on Sept. 24 at Times Square.
The event, called “Swimming in Ink,” is sponsored by Staples and Epson and will promote the brand’s new EcoTank Printer, which includes ink tanks that last up to two years. The event will feature a multicolored, see-through swim tank where the team will perform four differently themed routines every 20 to 30 minutes starting at 9 a.m.
Triflare designed the swimsuits and Epson used its SureColor F-Series printer to print the patterns on dye sublimation paper, which is heat-pressed onto the fabric. According to Tim Check, product manager at Professional Imaging at Epson, this process takes 35 seconds per swimsuit.
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“We are finding more people in the fashion and apparel industry that want to create more unique designs and in limited quantities,” said Check. “Our F9200 printer has the capability to produce that product fast and it’s not for just sampling.”
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Triflare was founded in 2012 by chief executive officer Andrea Robertson, a competitive triathlete and the former Mrs. America 2010. Robertson had a hard time finding feminine gear to wear during her races so she created the brand and brought on Kim Mclean as creative director and lead designer. The St. Louis-based brand is known for its performancewear made from sublimating fabric and digital prints.
In 2013, the brand secured a contract to outfit the U.S. synchronized swimming team through 2017. Robertson told WWD that Kevin Warner, the executive director of the team, was drawn to Triflare’s prints, which appear as if they are made from multiple fabrics and embellishments. Traditionally, the team’s swimsuits were made by sewing several pieces of fabric together and gluing on embellishments.
“When you use the sublimation process you don’t have to worry about things fading and peeling off,” said Mclean. “The polyester molecules in the fabric expand during the heating process and the color remains just as vivid when you go into the water.”
Triflare, which also makes swimwear for men, is currently sold on its e-commerce site as well as at various boutiques in the U.S. The line retails from $39 for men’s swim briefs to $199 for a one-piece triathlon suit.
