Black Country tees are tops
A well-loved Dudley business has scooped a top national award, despite usual trade being turned upside down by the covid pandemic.
Black Country T-shirts, of Castle Street in Dudley town centre, picked up the T-shirt Printers of the Year award from the magazine and website Corporate Livewire.
Culture
The company was set up in 2007, originally based in Cradley Heath, and specialises in custom garment printing and the promotion of Black Country culture through its products – a simple principle that is still at the heart of the business today:
Run by Steve Pitts, a familiar face to anyone who drops into the shop, the company’s stated aim has always been to make local people proud of themselves. As well as the physical store in Dudley, they have an online shop that sells their extensive range of printed t-shirts, jackets, socks, bags, hoodies, special occasion gifts and canvases.
There is everything Black Country you can think of, including, each winter, our very own Bugle Annual, which shifted 300 copies from Steve’s shop alone this time around.
Steve told the Bugle of his delight at being crowned T-shirt Printers of the Year:
“We were very fortunate to win a similar regional award a couple of years ago. So to then go on and receive national recognition for what we do is really reaffirming for what we hope to achieve as a business. That goal is to create a model of how we can grow a business that nurtures and promotes community whilst remaining an independent commercial business.
“The main reason we won this award is because of our community impact.
Quality
“So when people buy from us, whilst knowing that they will get high quality, they also know that the impact of their purchase will go much further into the community.
“My hope is that if people continue to use us and we continue to be a success, it will inspire others to adopt a more social approach to the way they do business.”
A spokesperson for Corporate Livewire Awards said:
Unique
“In order to promote a sense of pride in their customers, employees and anyone they meet along the way, Black Country T-shirts began by addressing their own local culture.
“The Black Country region is unique for several reasons, namely the population’s distinctive dialect and overwhelming desire to remain independent from nearby Birmingham. While those who have grown up in the Black Country have often been looked down on by others, Black Country T-shirts looks to celebrate its roots and does so principally through the retailing of Black Country gifts.
“These are now being sold to customers in more than ten countries and often feature the region’s black, white and red flag. The business has further been able to educate others on the Black Country through its blog and series of online videos, such as their Black Country alphabet video, which is taught in a number of schools as an example of colloquialisms specific to areas across the UK.
Methods
“The business uses three key methods of printing. Vinyl is their preferred technique, considered the best in terms of quality, durability and versatility. Embroidery is best suited to workwear.
Screen printing is perfect for high volume orders as its special formula produces super soft prints by bleaching before inking.”
The judging panel praised Black Country T Shirts for being excellent ambassadors for their local area, and noted that the company has a clear purpose and has developed a central ethos that serves the needs of the business and its clients.
You can find Black Country T-shirts just down from Dudley Market at 257 Castle Street, or online at blackcoun trytshirts.com