Jacket Sales Stay Warm 

Styles and price points may change, but thankfully, jacket sales won’t cool off anytime soon.
Sept 1, 2009

By Terry Murphy, Senior Editor

When the going gets tough, the tough keep going — and they keep wearing jackets. That’s the positive message from numerous industry suppliers, who say that even as the economy continues to sag, sales for jackets remain robust — albeit often at lower price points and in different styles. 

“There’s a lot of tightening of the belts, and some parents are telling their children, ‘I can’t afford a $300 varsity jacket,’ ” says Les Tandler, executive vice president, Game Sportswear, Yorktown Heights, N.Y. “But while there has been no growth in some areas for two years, numbers have been escalating in the workwear area. Workwear is the biggest growth market for jackets.”

Tandler credits much of the growth to federal stimulus money, some of which is aimed at jump-starting various construction projects, as well as other types of work. “Because of President [Barack] Obama, there has been a major shift toward the work market, so that’s where we’re putting a lot of our emphasis,” he says. “We’ve added two new high-visibility vests for people doing work on roads, who are mandated to wear this clothing.”

Meanwhile, some athletic customers are opting for less-expensive jackets, according to some suppliers. “Varsity teams usually want Reebok, adidas and Nike, but with budget constraints, athletic directors are buying fewer branded items,” Tandler says.

Kevin Schardt, vice president, business development, Hartwell Industries, Hartwell, Ga., agrees. “We’ve seen people who would traditionally buy a heavyweight jacket drop down to a lighter weight,” he says. “All budgets have been reduced due to the economy.”

David Arakelian, director of sales and marketing, Sportsmaster Apparel by Standard Mfg., Troy, N.Y., says, “The volume of orders also has come down.” His company has responded to the economic challenges by relying more on importing. “This allows us to offer things that we couldn’t afford to make in the U.S.,” he says.

Not all vendors are experiencing these changes. Danny Tsai, vice president of merchandising, Tri-Mountain, Irwindale, Calif., says he hasn’t seen customers moving away from the higher end of the pricing spectrum. “The natural assumption is that there would be a trend toward lower priced jackets, but that has not been the case,” Tsai says. “Customers may choose to buy a shirt instead of a jacket, but if they have enough of a budget to purchase jackets, they still usually end up getting the jackets they want.”

Bill McIver, vice president of sales and marketing, Holloway Sportswear, Sidney, Ohio, also says the team sports market has remained strong for jacket sales. “We’re finding that the consumer will cut spending on other things first and continue to purchase for their children’s teams,” he says. “The varsity letter jacket is one of the most emotional purchases in the sporting goods business, and we do not anticipate much, if any, drop off in this category.”

Game Sportswear has seen wool jackets performing well overall, with stadium- style jackets also selling briskly. “We call it the Vermont Parka,” Tandler says. “Promotional products distributors sell it to municipalities.”

For Hartwell, the ever-popular coaches jacket remains a huge seller. “It’s extremely versatile, so it’s a classic,” Schardt says. “It sells to fraternities, sororities, ballet companies, security firms, truck drivers and so on.”

Details, Details
According to Schardt, the challenging economy actually means that suppliers should focus more on fashion, not less. “If you’re bringing anything new into the industry, it’s got to be fashion-sensitive and price-sensitive,” he says. “It can’t be beautiful but priced so that no one can afford it.”

With that in mind, suppliers are offering simple, yet stylish fashion details such as pockets to hold portable devices like the popular iPod or iPhone. “The media pocket continues to be a popular feature,” McIver says.

The Joe Workwear jacket (style 0431) is one of the Sportsmaster Apparel by Standard Mfg.’s newest items. It comes lined or unlined, and has adjustable waist tabs and cuffs, and pockets for a cell phone and pencils. The jacket is available in black, charcoal, forest green and navy. “It’s unisex and industrial friendly; it can be washed up to 52 times without fading,” Arakelian says.

Another trend to keep an eye on is the sonic-welded pocket — a no-sew pocket. For instance, Tri-Mountain added welded pockets to its Precision jackets, while Dri Duck may offer the feature next year. “This method uses a machine to heat seal the fabric in place without creating a seam,” explains Nicole Parker, corporate sales manager, Dri Duck, Overland Park, Kan. “We’re looking at incorporating this styling into a jacket for 2010.”

The unconstructed look is big this year, Arakelian says, with suppliers offering jackets with an open bottom and no lining, as well as jackets with zip-out liners. “The unconstructed look had gone away, but it’s coming back,” he says. “Everything comes around — just give it 20 years, it comes back.”

Suppliers also are offering more jackets with easy access for decorators. “You see small zippers where embroiderers can get to the back or the left chest, so that the back of the embroidery doesn’t show on the inside lining of the jacket,” Schardt says. “All of our lined jackets have a left-chest hidden zipper.”

Sportsmaster Apparel by Standard Mfg.’s most popular jacket is its Three Season jacket, which the company developed with input from Lands’ End. It has a durable shell and 18-inch hidden zipper across the bottom of the jacket to provide easy access for embroiderers.

Fabrics and Treatments
Another jacket trend remaining strong in the face of the sagging economy is the use of technical fabrics. They are extremely popular and still growing, according to Parker. Most of Dri Duck’s new jacket styles were added to its Dri Duck Extreme Line, which features technical fabrics and finishes to protect the wearer from outdoor elements.

“New styles also include the Baseline for men and Precision for women, which are lightweight, all-season, and water- and wind-resistant,” Parker says.

The challenge for suppliers is to add new performance qualities to jackets without making them too heavy, she adds. “There is always a new way to improve waterproofing or wind-blocking technology, but the key is to make jackets warm, yet lightweight.”

Holloway added a knee-length, wind- and water-resistant stadium coat (style 9162) with a microfleece and quilted nylon lining. “It’s a great jacket to wear at football games and other outdoor events,” McIver says. “It’s also popular with swimming and diving teams.”

Tsai says he’s seen a shift toward soft shell bonded jackets, which prompted Tri- Mountain to introduce four additions to its soft-shell lineup. “They offer the same qualities as hard-shell jackets, such as wind and water-resistance, without all the extra bulk,” he explains.

“Bonded fleece gives you the texture of a moisture-resistant outer shell, yet it’s soft to the touch,” Schardt says. “The inner lining is fleece and it has moisture-management properties.” As a substitute for the ubiquitous award jacket, Hartwell introduced a bomber jacket, which also features a moisture- management lining.

Tri-Mountain bolstered its jacket lineup with 11 new styles, including a synthetic microfiber quilted jacket, and two lightweight microfiber jackets with contrast paneling.

The company also unveiled the Vista, made from 80% recycled polyester and 20% virgin polyester. “It’s an eco-friendly jacket,” Tsai says.

Tried-and-True Colors
Don’t look for too many wild and crazy colors in jackets, suppliers say, as they often perform poorly compared to traditional tones. For instance, Sportsmaster Apparel by Standard Mfg. had introduced yellow to its Traveler line, as well as pink to its windshirt lineup, but neither was a big seller. “New colors don’t sell well in outerwear,” Arkelian says. “We stick with the basics: black, navy, royal and red.”

Safety apparel is an exception. Game Sportswear added two jacket styles with fluorescent colors and black reflective stripes on the bottoms — and both are selling well in the booming emergency response market. “The government has mandated these high visibility standards,” Tandler explains. “But in our No. 1 seller, the Three Seasons jacket, the fire department buys navy and the police buy black.”

Hartwell added a color block jacket made from polyester-bonded fleece and 5% Lycra spandex. “Color block is new for us in outerwear,” Schardt says. “It’s become more popular due to companies like The North Face, which introduced it several years ago.”

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

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Jacket Sales Stay Warm 
Styles and price points may change, but thankfully, jacket sales won’t cool off anytime soon.
When the going gets tough, the tough keep going — and they keep wearing jackets. That’s the positive message from numerous industry suppliers, who say that even as the economy continues to sag, sales for jackets remain robust — albeit often at lower price points and in different styles.
September 01, 2009