IN THE NEWS

GREEN MACHINE: AOSA Image specializes in developing and printing point-of-purchase signage, banners, trade show booth components and textiles.

Apparel­News.­net - March 4, 2011

by Erin Barajas, Manu­fac­tur­ing Editor

“Waste kills me. I hate it. It is so lame,” said Mike Hill, founder of Huntington Beach, Calif.–based AOSA Image, a printing company that specializes in environmentally friendly trade show booth components, point-of-purchase and point-of-sale signage, banners, and textile printing. At the moment, he is standing in his studio rubbing stain on pieces of wood destined to become store fixtures for Toms, the do-gooder shoe brand out of Santa Monica, Calif., that donates a pair of shoes to a needy child for every pair sold.

“If there is one thing I want to convey, it is that brands need to change the way they make display and promotional items,” he said. “If you are going to take the time to make something, do it smart. Choose quality materials, and instead of making 500 [displays], make 30 and use them in the right places. Make something that will last and that can be reused. Or get creative. Find cool ways to use things that could be considered waste and might end up in a landfill. Often, [reclaimed materials] make for better displays and a cooler project.”

AOSA was able to print on carpet remnants to outfit a booth for Livity, the Santa Monica–based apparel and accessories brand. For L*Space, the contemporary swimwear and coverup line from Irvine, Calif., AOSA used recycled plexiglass from a construction site as a backing for its POP signage. When the plexiglass ran out, L*Space's signage was printed on aluminum.

Cutting down on consumption is a big focus for Hill, who is always looking for unique ways to incorporate others' castoffs into AOSA projects for clients that include Hurley, Obey, Volcom, Oliver Peoples, Hippy Tree, Vans, Stance and Temple Bags. “Right now, I'm looking for leather scraps,” he said. “Don't throw them away. Send them to me.”

The company, which was founded in 2006, uses only water-soluble inks and prints chiefly on recyclable materials such as wood, aluminum, bamboo, paper, natural and poly-blend fabrics and a specialty fabric made of 100 percent recycled post-consumer plastic bottles — making it an environmentally friendly printer and a rarity.