Neckwear, hospitality supplier emphasizes creative approach
Wearables Business

Byline: ERIC PETERSON

Martin Anthony

CEO and founder of supplier Anthony Enterprises in Valley Center, Calif., the parent company of Designs by Anthony Custom Neckwear and FlavorWear.

Martin Anthony knows the promotional product ropes pretty well. Before he started supplying custom ties to the corporate market and colorful uniforms to the restaurant industry, he started off as a promotional product salesman in the late 1960s. His advice: "Sometimes people are too focused on the same things they sell. They're in a box.

"What I was looking for was a level of confidence," he continues. "What can I put in my briefcase that I know the answers to when a client asks me? I found myself six lines and that's what I sold."

Anthony says that he sees the most successful PPDs as those who are able to think creatively, well beyond the confines of a mere six lines. "The main thing is to be proactive in your thinking," he says.

After working as the merchandising director for a sales promotion agency, Anthony went proactive in his own thinking and launched Anthony Enterprises, a promotional apparel company in 1976. He started out with embroidered T-shirts, but was soon inspired by a neighbor who hand-printed abstract designs on silk scarves and dresses for high-end retailers.