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Save Our Souls Clothing has installed a Kornit Storm HD6 Lite system in order to provide just-in-time production of its ‘alternative’ custom apparel.
Southend-based Save Our Souls offers print services to a community of artists ‘driven by a love of tattoos, music, art, and life.’ The Storm system has replaced the company’s fleet of smaller, low-capacity direct-to-garment (DTG) machines and Save Our Souls says the machine has enabled it to scale up its business with ‘minimal time and labour needs.’
The Kornit technology has also allowed the business to launch its new ‘Buy That Merch’ platform for artists, broadcasters, and musicians to produce and sell their own merchandise directly, without the fees associated with existing online marketplaces.
‘With the Kornit, you can print pretty much anything, so when we work with artists, they can just do what they love, and we can print it,’ explained finance director Marc Carter. ‘It changed everything. We could market more, bring more business on, and we didn’t need as much staff as we needed prior to that, so it’s actually more cost-effective. Our monthly cost has actually dropped, and maintenance is next to nothing.’
Stacey Donaghue, the owner of Save Our Souls, stressed that the Storm technology has enabled her firm to pack, and ship most orders in a single day. ‘We can’t really stress enough how instrumental the Kornit has been in our growing as a business,’ she said. ‘To anyone who’s considering upgrading to a Kornit machine, it’s the best decision you’ll ever make. It costs quite a bit of money, but you’ll make that back really quickly through the amount of business you can take on, and the speed in which you can actually get orders out, which just allows you to do other things and concentrate on growing your business.’
Chris Govier, Kornit’s EMEA president, commented on the installation. ‘On-demand print service providers like Save Our Souls are a perfect example of how digital, eco-conscious production is unleashing creativity wherever it may be found,’ he said. ‘They understand their market, they want to provide a quality garment quickly and consistently, and they’re investing in the capabilities that will engender loyalty in their buyers, and growth opportunities for the long term. That’s the power of digital fulfilment, and a production strategy that swaps inventory waste for profitability.’