Suppliers at ASI Show Chicago, held July 9 to 11 at McCormick Place, showed off an array of fresh looks, retail-inspired gear and intriguing decorating techniques. Here are some of the most interesting trends from the show.

1. Unique, High-End Bags

KeepCool USA (left) displayed durable, vegan bags made from responsibly sourced paper. Timbuk2 (right) offers custom bags, like this colorful messenger bag.

Creativity was in the bag on the show floor. Many of the satchels, sacks and carryalls on display boasted unique materials and creative construction, moving beyond the standard grocery tote. Timbuk2 (asi/91272), a San Francisco company known for its messenger bags, displayed a wall of color-blocked, custom bags, many with cool, branding touches – like a red and black messenger bag lined with Disney’s distinctive Mickey ears.

KeepCool USA (asi/64174) offered an array of eco-friendly bags made from a vegan leather-like substance they call “Supernatural Paper.” The Out of the Woods line includes insulated lunch bags, coolers, shopping bags and backpacks, all made with responsibly sourced paper from managed forests. According to KeepCool, the cellulose bags are strong, durable and washable.

2. Crop Tops

This raw-edged long-sleeve cropped T-shirt is available from Star Tee Apparel.

Bare midriffs were cropping up all over the place in Chicago, with suppliers taking their cue from retail and adding pieces to appeal to a younger audience. US Blanks (asi/92423) had a long-sleeve crop in a cotton-poly plush velour.

Star Tee Apparel (asi/89335) had several crop tops, including a cropped raw edge T-shirt that comes in several colors and in long-sleeved and short-sleeved versions. The brand’s best-selling cropped hoodie was featured on a Beyoncé tour, according to Jane Cole of Star Tee. “We just try to bring in pieces that give you something new to offer your customers when they’re looking to imprint something and want something that’s currently fashionable that people are seeing in stores,” Cole added.

3. Sublimation on Cotton

Cotton Promo was showing off its method for sublimating on 100% cotton tees.

Cotton Promo (asi/73576) was demonstrating its patented cotton sublimation technology. Traditionally, dye sublimation was only possible on white or light-colored synthetic and synthetic blend fabrics. “We’ve developed a way to make it on 100% cotton and black T-shirts,” said Diane Joo of Cotton Promo.

It’s a two-step process, she explained. First, you screen print a base on the shirt, run it through a dryer, and it comes out with a discharged area, she said. Cotton Promo sells coated cotton tees, ready for sublimation on its website. Decorators simply place their sublimation paper on the coated area of the tee and heat press for 30 seconds. The result, according to Joo, is a vibrant print that’s soft to the touch and doesn’t crack, fade or peel.

4. Elevated Packaging

Foxy Originals includes clever packaging with its custom jewelry.

Retail-inspired flourishes abounded in Chicago. These days, it’s not enough simply to have a great product. It’s all about how that product is packaged. Nowhere was that more evident than at the Foxy Originals (asi/55228) booth. The supplier specializes in cute custom jewelry, but also excels at clever presentation. Custom lapel pins were fastened into color-blocked matchbooks. Necklaces and earrings (dubbed “Mini Moments”) were mounted to candy-hued cardboard that also included a custom spinner wheel, allowing the giver to highlight phrases like: “good things will come” and “happy moments ahead.”

Cocktail Kits 2 Go (asi/45579) packs its travel-ready mini-drink mixes (alcohol not included) in Altoids-sized tins, printed with retro-style graphics.

Other trends to watch include the continued popularity of plaid flannel and trucker hats, and a resurgence of 100% cotton tees, over heathered tri-blends. “I think that the solid look is coming back,” said Milissa Clark, of US Blanks. “The vintage heather look is fading out.”