From the Field to Academia
In industries like marketing and promotions, the ability to understand your customers’ needs is vital to your success. In fact, success comes from going beyond just the basic understanding. You need to be able to predict the obstacles your customers face so your product design can preempt problems. That’s where experience comes in, and BookWear is building on 46 years of experience in the business. The birth of BookWear can’t be talked about without also discussing another company — Field Crafts.
In 1977, Jack Gyr got his start screen printing floral and nature designs on fabric and mounted in frames to sell at art fairs. The company was called Field Crafts to emphasize its focus on nature.
Their quality work quickly gained traction, and before long Field Crafts had people lined up for the T-shirts and prints. Not long after, Fields Crafts began custom printing for businesses and individuals in all corners of the country.
By 1990, Fields Crafts had 60 sales representatives around the country, with the New England region proving to be especially fruitful for the company.
However, as big box stores gained traction in the late ’90s, they choked off the market for the smaller gift stores that were so pivotal to the Field Crafts customer base.
During that same time, Jack got the idea to combine his print experience and creativity to cater to a niche market. The idea that screen-printed shirts could be compressed and packed inside a customizable “book jacket” took root, and BookWear® came to life.
In 2000, Jack went through the meticulous process of applying for and receiving a patent on the “books.” Four years later, he got a second patent for an updated design and started marketing to colleges and universities. BookWear®’s concept and designs resonated with academia and proved to be a sweet spot for BookWear® clientele.
The concept blossomed from T-shirts to a wide variety of promotional products that can be packaged in the book jacket to capture the message of each school, company, or campaign. Some of the possibilities include earbuds, laundry bags, sunglasses, head lamps, socks, bluetooth speakers, and more.
A Plan for the Future
With the continued success of BookWear® among academia and healthcare, Jack is focusing on bringing his concept to even more industries.
