This is how your Super Bowl Champs T-shirt will be ready Monday morning
Photo | Zachary Comeau
Jeff Lavin, owner of One Off Apparel, displays the Patriots' AFC Championship shirt.
Depending on what happens Sunday, One Off Apparel may be frantically working to print 12,000 Super Bowl champion T-shirts if the New England Patriots take care of business against the Los Angeles Rams. The West Boylston company has made a name for itself as a printing partner of the Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics of late, and its banking on another championship for Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and company. Owner Jeff Lavin spoke to WBJ about gearing up for the project.
When do you guys start printing if they win?
The shirts just came in, and they’re going to sit here until about 11 p.m. on Sunday. That’s when we’ll tap into it.
Our guys will come in about 30 minutes after the game, but we’ll have a couple people here just getting everything ready, firing up the ovens and getting the presses ready to rock. We’ll need a team of 25 to 30 people.
So you can’t celebrate too hard if they win?
No, that’s definitely a downside. The guys like it because it’s a pretty well-paid night, going into overtime. It’s also fun because you get so jacked up, but that fades a little bit after three or four hours.
How long will it take?
In total, it might be upwards of 14 to 16 hours, but nobody’s doing that whole shift. We’ll pass the baton and get some fresh legs in.
Is there a design already ready to go?
There is, and I hate looking at it. I don’t know if you’d call it bad luck, but it bugs me to look at it. It’s like looking at Medusa.
You’ve been benefiting from sports championships quite a bit, being based in Massachusetts.
I’m a huge Boston sports fan, so it’s a double whammy. It’s great for business and great for me as a fan, so it’s a win-win. It’s also a lose-lose if they lose because I’m out money for setting up the presses and I’m out emotionally.
Printing for major sports has definitely helped us be as successful as we are. I feel very lucky to be in this market. This is the best market for sports you can possibly be in. We’re spoiled.
Does it feel like gambling on these games when you know the company can profit from a win?
I’m not a gambling man, and it really sucks because part of this whole gig is I’m pretty much gambling. It’s like having a big bet on the game. That’s how I know I don’t like to gamble because it kills me.
What have you done recently for Boston sports?
We did a couple designs for the AFC Championship tees. We did one of the coolest shirts this year on a black marble shirt. The shirt is usually a more basic shirt, but this is the first time I’ve seen a more fashion-forward shirt.
Outside of the Patriots, we haven’t done much lately for sports teams aside from the World Series a few months ago.
You know, that four-month dry spell was pretty rough.
Do jobs like this make or break the company?
Having them win is a real shot in the arm and it’s great for business, but our business is about 99 percent all things outside of Boston sports.
Aside from Boston sports, what else does One Off do?
I got into the business doing a lot of private label, high-end apparel. We’ve done work with Reebok, New Balance, and we just did a Nike job earlier today.
Craft beer seem to make up a good amount of business.
Breweries have been a really good spot for us. We’re the official print partner of the Massachusetts Brewers Guild and the Vermont Brewers Association. Craft beer is huge and those guys are obsessed with quality and local ingredients. To find a company like us that’s also really obsessed with high quality and local, we’re a really good fit.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Staff Writer Zachary Comeau.
WBJ Web Partners
Most Recent
Most Recent
0 Comments