CARNIVAL SCREEN PRINTING FEATURE and cannot be sold to anyone else. Movies we’ve printed include Pirates of the Caribbean, Thor (starring Chris Hemsworth), Aquaman (starring Jason Momoa and Nicole Kidman) and the Marvel series.” Carnival Clothing prints for the stars LIKE MANY APPAREL DECORATORS, CARNIVAL CLOTHING HAS MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES AMONGST ITS REGULAR CUSTOMERS. STILL, IT’S NOT EVERY DAY YOU HAVE SOMEONE WALK IN OFF THE STREET FROM THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY ASKING YOU TO PRINT T-SHIRTS FOR THE BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. THAT’S PRECISELY WHAT HAPPENED TO GOLD COAST BASED CARNIVAL CLOTHING SIX YEARS AGO, AND THEIR PRINTS HAVE GONE ON TO PLAY A STARRING ROLE IN MANY OTHER ICONIC DISNEY MOVIES. Founded twenty years ago by Christine and David Master, Carnival Clothing is a specialist apparel decorator focusing on screen printing and embroidery. “Our business is quite diverse and includes small businesses, schools and Australian and overseas sporting organisations. Over the years, we have grown by supporting smaller local businesses with lower minimum order quantities. As they grow, their order quantities grow, they are loyal to us, and we get the repeat business and many referrals. We also do work for larger production companies such as Netflix, Marvel, Amazon and DC Comics who are all producing shows on the Gold Coast. “Dealing with production companies is more complex than many customers. Firstly, we have to sign a code of 26 conduct agreement that ensures we meet certain standards in terms of human rights, labour and working conditions, responsible sourcing, environmental policies, and to ensure that they are manufactured locally,” says Christine. “A movie is made up of many different departments, such as costumes, art, construction, hair and makeup, sound and music, visual effects, production and even a stunt team, all of whom have different T-shirts for each movie. Orders have a very quick turnaround time, and proofs and samples sometimes have to go through multiple levels of approval. There is also merchandise required that is given away to the local businesses and anyone who has been involved throughout production. There are strict copyright rules. The merchandise is only for use by the production company JUNE 2022 “Historically, we’ve always screen printed by hand, but we’ve recently invested in our first automatic screen printing press. We purchased the Adelco Cyclone from Kissel and Wolf because they have technicians locally in case we needed support. David, Paul, our son, and Dale did a lot of research and selected the Cyclone for its high level of automation, ease of set-up, printing consistency and speed." "We’ve had six colour print jobs that used to take 2-3 days now being done in less than half a day as it can print more than 1000 pieces per hour." "It’s given us so much more capacity and quicker turnaround times. The increase in capacity is welcome as business is booming. We are seeing a lot more diversity in the garments we are printing, especially in activewear, leggings, bra tops, shorts and shirts. This brings with it the technical challenges of printing on stretch fabric and creating a print that’s durable and lasts." “This new investment has taken the business to the next level and presents a great opportunity for Paul to take it even further while David and I go touring around Australia in our campervan. Although I might have to stay involved with production companies until I achieve my dream of meeting Chris Hemsworth”, laughs Christine.
