Innovative Ink rebrands as Innovative Outfitters

Innovative Ink, a trusted name in the screen-printing industry since 2005, is rebranding to Innovative Outfitters, marking a shift to better reflect the company’s evolution, expanded services, and holistic brand stewardship.

Founder James Causby describes the rebrand as a ‘slow and steady’ process, with “Innovative Ink” feeling restrictive or limiting. Outfitters, he said, more accurately represents the company’s mission to steward your brand and principles.

As the company celebrates its 25-year journey, Innovative Outfitters speaks to the evolution of the brand. The team calls the new concept an intense evolution that will bring the customer’s ideas to life in a more holistic and solution-based way.

“It didn’t fit anymore,” Causby said. “Sometimes God tells you you’re gonna have to build a bigger boat. We’re not simply just screen printers anymore.”

Causby addressed the rising culture of small screen-printing companies being bought out by larger brands. Causby said he has turned down several companies that have attempted to buy the business.

“I never built this to sell it to somebody,” Causby said.

COVID-19 DRIVES GROWTH, INNOVATION

While the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative effect on some businesses, the pandemic increased the need for Innovative Ink. The company’s partnership with national parks spiked the demand for shirts as many people flooded to outdoor activities like the national parks, leading to increased profit and growth in retail stores.

“Our ability to respond to the park’s increased need sets us apart from the other vendors,” Causby said.

The pandemic also gave the company a chance to refine its process.

“What we did do is adapt our business dramatically,” said Doug Auer, marketing director at the company. Prior to COVID, the company packaged products in containers, slightly folded.

COVID pushed the company to individually bag, tag, and ship products in a more precise way. In addition, the company began neck labeling due to the pandemic. Neck labeling is when a shirt has no sewn-in tag but rather the information is printed on the inside of the shirt.

“We had to evolve, and we bought the equipment to help us do that,” Auer said.

HOMAGE TO BURKE COUNTY

One of Innovative Outfitter’s first projects under the rebranding will be the launch of a Burke County line of historic T-shirts. The company will start with four designs, putting out one design every two months, beginning in April 2025.

“It’s our first brand interfacing,” Auer said, where the company is producing its own line.

Local retail markets such as Morganton General Store and CBS Sports are expected to carry the shirts. During the summer months, the company plans to be the apparel partner for local events, such as the Waldensian Festival. Products will also be available on the company’s website and social media.

“Most communities want something that’s relevant to their legacy or that historical significance, but no community really knows who to partner with to do that well. We do that well on a national level and we’re trying to start with our local community, but turn our communities back into destinations,” Causby said.

“So, the shirt will be kind of like a billboard paying homage to their legacy and give it that destination resort, just like the T-shirt you want to buy a Hilton Head, but we’re gonna try to do that in the Catawba Valley, Morganton and Valdese, where this all started.”

Josh Ledbetter, chief financial officer for Innovative Outfitters, paid homage to the rich history of Burke County as a manufacturing hub and the push to restore that concept.

“In the ’80s and ’90s, Burke County was a powerhouse for manufacturers,” Ledbetter said. “The soil is rich, but the culture has been lost.”

RECOVERY AFTER LOSS

Ledbetter also addressed the role that tourism plays in the region.

“One big thing is we’ve seen a lot of devastation, a lot of displacement from last year and to get the word out that we’re open for business, we want to put out a product that says, western North Carolina is back open for business, come back,” Ledbetter said.

Initially, Causby said the company was built to conduct business 150 miles away from Burke County to avoid competition with local screen printers. That model developed into the company becoming a contract printer, competing on the national stage.

“Now we can take those things that we’ve learned over the last 15 to 20 years and bring them back to the local community,” Causby said. “We’re going to give it our all.”

Innovative Ink’s rebrand affirms the company’s ability to adapt and evolve while finding creative ways to stand out in an ever-changing market.

“To take this where we’re going, we had to have a new identity,” Causby said.