Anvil Knitwear Launches iPhone App to Bring the First 'Smart T-shirts' to Brands and Consumers

NEW YORK, Dec. 22, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Anvil Knitwear, a leading manufacturer of socially and environmentally responsible apparel and accessories, today launched Shirt Scan™, an iPhone application that allows retailers, brands and consumers to deliver multimedia content via apparel to their target audiences. Through the use of QR (Quick Response) codes applied directly on the shirt, label or hang tag, Shirt Scan™ can be customized based on brand, customer, retailer or campaign, delivering a unique consumer experience in the form of articles, photos, and videos.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100520/NY07835LOGO )

"Through Shirt Scan™, we're enhancing the way consumers interact with their products and services, creating a digital platform for apparel and thus improving their experience with the clothing they wear, " said Anthony Corsano, President & CEO of Anvil Knitwear.  "Shirt Scan™ also offers brands and retailers a unique and customizable digital marketing opportunity, using apparel as a storytelling tool for content specific to any company or campaign."

The Shirt Scan™ application can be downloaded for free from Apple's iPhone App Store or shirtscan.com. A user can then scan a t-shirt with his/her Shirt Scan™ QR Code and unlock the content behind that shirt, creating a virtual closet of products.

For Anvil products, Shirt Scan™ will allow consumers to trace the origins of their products with mobile technology, creating an abbreviated version of TrackMyT.com, which Anvil developed for youth ages two to twelve that chronicles the life cycle of a t-shirt from seed to store.

The web platform and technology used for Shirt Scan™ iPhone App was created by AgencyNet, an award-winning digital creative agency that specializes in consumer insight, brand strategy and digital technology.

"Shirt Scan unlocks new opportunities for consumer engagement. When we approached this project, we saw the t-shirt as not just a product, but also an identifier.  It signifies a brand's biggest fan.  With Shirt Scan, brands can speak directly to those individuals using the power of digital." says Adam Lauer, Account Manager at AgencyNet.

Anvil Knitwear is a leading manufacturer of innovative, high-quality, eco-friendly apparel and accessories and the largest consumer of U.S. organic cotton.  With a proven record in engaging in responsible business practices, Anvil has recently partnered with nonprofit organizations such as the Jane Goodall Institute, TED, Earth Day Network and the Coalition for Rainforest Nations. Other milestones include Anvil's recent launch at the 25th anniversary of Farm Aid of the video short A Message From Earth: Organic Matters, which is part of Anvil's larger commitment to doubling the production of organic cotton in the U.S.

Shirt Scan for iPhone is being released first with applications for other mobile devices to be rolled out in early 2011.   For more information, please visit www.anvilknitwear.com, www.anvilcsr.com, www.shirtscan.com and  www.trackmyt.com.

About Anvil Knitwear

Anvil Knitwear, Inc., a socially and environmentally responsible manufacturer of sportswear and accessories, is a leader in the sustainable apparel industry with its AnvilOrganic®, AnvilRecycled™ and AnvilSustainable™ brands. Anvil was recently ranked the world's sixth-largest organic program and the largest domestic purchaser of U.S.-grown certified organic cotton. Anvil offers 17 affordable eco styles made from a variety of fibers such as certified organic cotton, transitional cotton, recycled cotton, and recycled PET bottles and blends in addition to its over 70 traditional styles.  For more information, please visit www.anvilknitwear.com, www.anvilcsr.com, www.shirtscan.com and  www.trackmyt.com.

About AgencyNet

AgencyNet is an award-winning digital creative agency that specializes in consumer insight, brand strategy, and digital technology. Born-digital in 1994, AgencyNet has been hailed by "Advertising Age" as one of the "Hottest Digital Agencies Around," for its dynamic digital experiences across web, mobile and social platforms for notable clients such as Bacardi, Nickelodeon, Allure Magazine, Ruby Tuesday, Grey Goose, Anvil Knitwear and The Clinton Foundation. See how AgencyNet embraces the game-changing power of digital at www.agencynet.com. Follow us on twitter at www.twitter.com/agencynet

SOURCE Anvil Knitwear