Suire and the HiToms Baseball Club announced on Monday the creation of H.T. Authentic Sportswear, a company focused on the production of a custom, moisture management apparel line that will be completely manufactured in the United States and primarily fabricated in the Thomasville/High Point area.
After seeing a drop in corporate sales last summer amidst the national recession, Suire realized that in order for his franchise to be successful, the community around him needed to get stronger financially. Suire’s hopes are that others will follow, leading to an economic recovery in Thomasville.
“The HiToms are fairly recognizable and if we do it in a small way maybe it will inspire others to do the same,” Suire said. “There’re no guarantees. This has a niche in the marketplace. This isn’t about the HiToms. This about putting people to work in our community. If we can get our own people to try our product we can put people back to work.”
A majority of the apparel fabrication will take place at Carolina Safety Sport in Thomasville and Talent Sport Inc. in High Point. Customers will have more than 15 different color options, five fabric choices and six different design styles. H.T. Authentic Sportswear also is pricing their apparel at 25 percent less than other industry leading moisture management lines.
“I’m not saying this will be a job creation overnight,” said Suire. “I do know that by hiring one person affects the lives of five to 10 people. There comes a time where you say enough is enough and what can I do to jump-start things in my community? We’re hoping someone will come in and save us. Guess what? No one is coming to save us. We have to do it ourselves. We need to empower people to use their skills to the best of their ability. Maybe this is a small step forward.”
Testing on the apparel began last summer as HiToms players wore the gear, giving feedback on what they did and didn’t like about the product. Following a few modifications, Suire got a marketing plan together and contracted an outside sales group. H.T. Authentic Sportswear’s first major order came in last week.
“It has a little to do with baseball and a lot to do with creating something in our community that we can quickly and consistently battle in the market place,” Suire said. “There are a lot of people in this area with the skill of cutting and sewing. These people are still around. All the high school athletes in the area are wearing this type of moisture management gear so why can’t they start buying it locally and we can start putting people to work instead of buying stuff made in Thailand. That’s the whole premise behind this.”
H.T. Authentic Sportswear is unveiling the new line on Wednesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. at the HiToms new clubhouse at Finch Field. The clubhouse is located at 7003 Ballpark Road behind the Community Center. On Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the public will get to view the merchandise at the clubhouse and can place orders locally.
For more information, call Suire at 847-8667.
Staff Writer Eliot Duke can be reached at 888-3578, or duke@tvilletimes.com.
The keystone to this idea is COMMUNITY SUPPORT. Without that, the venture venture will not be a success.
So before you run to the big box stores for a garment with a overpriced label, think about keeping your neighbors employed and supporting the HiToms efforts.
A reminder who is paying for the multi-million dollar promotional contracts to athletes: the people who purchase the merchandise with those trendy labels.