Beyond the Gym

Performance apparel manufacturers are rolling out new options that not only keep wearers cool, clean and dry, but also are suitable for everyday use.
Nov 1, 2008

Photography by Derek Blanks Photography, Atlanta; garments and decoration provided by Vapor Apparel, Charleston, S.C.; shot on location at CrossFit Addiction, Kennesaw, Ga.

Enough was enough for Kevin Plank. In 1995, Plank, then-special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team, decided he had grown tired of repeatedly changing his soaking-wet cotton T-shirts during games.

Depending on whom you ask, what Plank did next may have literally created the product category we know today as performance apparel. He reasoned that if cycling outfits and similar apparel made with synthetic fabrics could wick away moisture, why not T-shirts?

After finding similar moisture-wicking synthetic fabric at a local store, Plank had a few shirts sewn and had teammates try them. The result was a tight-fitting football undershirt that stayed lighter and drier, even when wearers sweated. The apparel world today knows the manufacturer — and product — as Under Armour, and Plank, chairman and CEO of the Baltimore-based company, is known for bringing apparel that helps athletes achieve a higher level of performance into the mainstream.

In the years since Under Armour's retail boom, wholesale channels have certainly been influenced. However, in addition to the ability to wick away sweat and other moisture, more technical capabilities also have been added to the performancewear repertoire. Last year's buzz in performance apparel centered on properties that blocked odor-causing bacteria, sun rays and even bugs. Fabrics with inherent technologies — as opposed to spray-on treatments — as well as flattering, fashionable fits and detail-driven looks also were popular.

Moisture-wicking capabilities have become the starting point for performance apparel, according to Mark Trotzuk, president and design coordinator, Boardroom Eco Apparel, Vancouver, British Columbia. "Polyester is basically plastic," he explains. "Water molecules don't want to [bond with] polyester. It's a surface that water will bead up on, and [the moisture] is more prone to evaporation. With performance apparel, [manufacturers] are manipulating the fibers to have [the garment] wick better and evaporate moisture better than normal polyester."

As Trotzuk puts it, relying on performance properties alone to differentiate performance apparel renders the entire category as more of a marketing tool. "Then, it becomes all about what the need is for this type of garment and how the fabric will be constructed so that it serves the purpose for [wearers and manufacturers]," he says. "Does it feel good? Do you like wearing it all day?"

Today, performance apparel manufacturers are pushing the envelope to emphasize more than the function of fabrics. An emphasis on formulating fabrics made of eco-friendly and sustainable materials — particularly bamboo — and recycled plastic bottles and coconut shells is prevalent as end users gravitate toward performance apparel that not only benefits the environment, but also fits in with their casual lifestyles outside the gym.

Beyond the Gym
Performance apparel now appeals to even more wearers with diverse body types, not just gym rats with athletic builds, says Chris Bernat of Vapor Apparel, Charleston, S.C. "Performance apparel manufacturers focused only on compression garments when the category was young, but now they have [garments] for guys with beer guts," he says. "We're [also] starting to see garments that look like non-athletic apparel — such as cotton T-shirts or polo shirts — but they have performance properties."

Nicole Britt, national account executive, Alo, Los Angeles, says this reflects the trend of performance apparel and activewear blending into lifestyle apparel. "Mainstream performance lines, in wholesale and at retail, are becoming lifestyle choices for the common consumer," she says. "Wearers can go from the treadmill to Starbucks, or from a kid's football game or soccer game to an outing with friends. This is because more and more, performance apparel designs are becoming fashionable."

In fact, Britt says Alo's men's golf shirts, which include performance properties, were among the company's top sellers in 2008.

Howard Headden, vice president of sales, Ash City USA, Lenexa, Kan., says the company's 2009 Ecological Clothing Options (E.C.O.) collection also includes performance polos in various men's and women's styles that incorporate recycled polyester, which is made from plastic soda bottles, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Bamboo
Given the recent emphasis on green and sustainable apparel and processes that have pervaded most sectors of the decorated apparel industry, it should come as no surprise that performance fabrics are next in the eco-friendly pecking order. Britt says Alo is taking steps to lower its carbon footprint — in part by using natural materials like bamboo. "Alo is starting to introduce performance fabrics that will [reflect] our eco-conscious message," she says. "We're using bamboo performance fabrics because bamboo has natural moisture-wicking and antimicrobial properties."

Britt says the company also has formed an environmental committee, comprised of one employee from each of the company's departments — including upper management — to help explore ways to implement more eco-friendly initiatives. The company also recently introduced a line of short- and long-sleeve T-shirts made of 67% bamboo/29% cotton/4% Lycra spandex jersey, as well as a racerback bamboo tank — all of which Britt says fit perfectly with Alo's mission to help enhance performance when wearers encounter the elements — specifically, air, land and ocean.

Ash City's Headden says the manufacturer is using bamboo charcoal in its performance apparel because, in addition to moisture-wicking and antimicrobial properties, it also reduces static electricity and regulates thermal temperature for the life of the garment.

When bamboo is dried and heated to 800º C, it becomes a charcoal, which is further processed and made into fine nano particles. These particles are then spun with polyester or nylon fiber during polymerization using nanotechnology. The bamboo charcoal fiber is then drawn into yarn and later processed to make fabric. Bamboo charcoal yarns also can be combined with fast absorption and dry yarn, which has a special cross-section that absorbs moisture and dispenses it across the surface of the clothing for moisture management, according to Ash City USA.

Headden says the company's North End Sport line of bamboo charcoal knit tops, part of its E.C.O. collection, contains blends of bamboo charcoal and fast-absorption polyester yarns, but still is competitively priced at wholesale. "As the eco-friendly trend moves forward, more people want to go green, but they don't want to spend more 'green' to do it," he says. "We realize that [incorporating eco-friendly initiatitves] is not a fad. This is a trend that will be with all of us for the rest of our lives."

Trotzuk says Boardroom Eco Apparel, formerly known as Boardroom Custom Clothing, is building on momentum it gained from last year's introduction of Eco-Carbon fiber, which is derived from the activated carbon of recycled coconut shells, or cocona. The carbon is then blended with polyester to form a fabric that, according to Trotzuk, evaporates moisture quicker, and provides better UV protection and odor management than most brands of performance fabric. This year, Trotzuk says, the company also is exploring using bamboo charcoal in its apparel lines.

Looking Ahead
Manufacturers aren't totally abandoning the performance properties — namely moisture wicking — that got the category to where it is today. According to Chad Trollinger, director of marketing, Augusta Sportswear, Augusta, Ga., the company continues to test different fabric combinations that enable performance enhancement, while introducing even more capabilities. "We will be introducing a new polyester/Lycra spandex piece that is wicking and antimicrobial, but incorporates four-way stretch, as well as breathable mesh inserts positioned at strategic places to keep athletes cool," he says, adding that Augusta will continue to provide a head-to-toe performancewear collection, including headwear, sports bras, pants, shorts, undergarments and socks.

Vapor Apparel's Bernat says there are plenty of markets for performance apparel that have yet to be leveraged. "I'm always amazed at how few people know about performance apparel," he says. "The workwear/uniform industry is a vertical market in which you'll see performance apparel capabilities start to be applied. The national and state parks markets are another area for growth. [These untapped markets] mean performance apparel will own a higher percentage of the apparel dollar next year compared to this year."

Britt says Alo plans to stay on top of the eco-friendly trend in 2009 by introducing more lines of bamboo and recycled polyester T-shirts for men and women. She also says performance apparel with technical attributes will surface next year. "I think we'll start to see apparel that will be more iPod compatible," she says. "It's becoming very popular in wearables, and [such technical capabilities] are already featured in shoes."

Headden says performance apparel's move into the lifestyle arena will only open more doors. "We'll start to see even more corporate initiatives, as more money will be devoted to eco-friendly, Earth-friendly initiatives — especially where apparel is concerned," he says.

For more information or to comment on this article, e-mail Jamar at jlaster@impressionsmag.com.

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Beyond the Gym
Performance apparel manufacturers are rolling out new options that not only keep wearers cool, clean and dry, but also are suitable for everyday use.
Enough was enough for Kevin Plank. In 1995, Plank, then-special teams captain of the University of Maryland football team, decided he had grown tired of repeatedly changing his soaking-wet cotton T-shirts during games.
November 01, 2008