This week, Hanesbrand Inc., the nationally recognized provider of clothing, has plans to open the Disney Design-A-Tee retail outlet at Disney World's Downtown Disney in Orlando, where customers will be able to design their own t-shirts on interactive touchscreen kiosks, according to a report filed by the Orlando Business Journal.
SelfService.org recently spoke with Matt Hall, vice president of external communications for Hanesbrand Inc. Hall said there will be eight t-shirt making stations at four kiosks deployed throughout the 1,100 square-foot store. Users will have the opportunity to select from various t-shirt sizes and styles and will be able to choose from a catalog of over 100 artwork images featuring a variety of Disney characters, which can be included on the shirt.
Once the user has designed the t-shirt via the touchscreen, the design will be processed and electronically communicated to the store's t-shirt printing machine. The artwork will then be printed on the shirt, which can be ready in as little as 15 minutes, though Hall said the wait may be longer if a large number of customers are using the kiosks at once.
Hall said the Design-A-Tee store is currently the only deployment to be given the green light, but if the kiosks are successful, his company might roll out more.
"We think it's a pretty big idea, so we think there will probably be an opportunity to expand within the Disney network," Hall said, adding that Hanes has a marketing partnership with the entertainment giant.
He said his company took its time developing the kiosks, as there were significant challenges to overcome.
"It's taken us two years to get the technology to work - to be able to print on multiple colored shirts," Hall said. "It's not only white shirts. You can print on dark shirts. And we're using water-based ink, so it's environmentally friendly."
A grand opening for the store will be held on Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, according to a news release from Walt Disney World Resort. The event will be accompanied by balloon decor, confetti cannons, a giant t-shirt cake and a special visit from Mickey Mouse.
