Tackling the Teamwear Market

Comfort and durability are critical factors for winning big in team sports apparel.
May 01, 2007

Youth team sports continue to be a strong market for apparel decorators, and that likely won't change any time soon. Here we are at the start of baseball season, and more than 28.7 million athletes age 7 and older are regularly participating in baseball and softball leagues. According to a recent study conducted by the National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA), team sports such as, football, tennis and volleyball all saw at least a 12% increase in 2005 participation rates over the reported results from its 2004 study.

What does this mean for you, the decorator? It means Little Leaguers, coaches, parents and grandparents all need your services. Don't sit this one out — jump into the game. To give you a head start, we present the latest trends you'll find on the sportswear roster.



NO SWEAT

Technical treatments that ensure comfort are a must in the teamwear sector. Currently, moisture management ranks as the most requested performance capability for athleticwear, according to Michael Chen, director of marketing for Tonix Corp., Fremont, Calif. "People want sweat to evaporate and to be kept dry and comfortable," explains Andy Lehrer, vice president for Teamwork Athletic Apparel, San Marcos, Calif. "And that's what moisture management does." Chad Trollinger, marketing director for Augusta Sportswear, Augusta, Ga., agrees that moisture wicking is at the top of its game. "Anything to control body temperature is very important," he adds.

Teams are outfitted from head to toe in moisture-wicking fabrics. "We even have socks that [feature] moisture-wicking capabilities," Trollinger says. Headwear designed to help fight discomfort caused by sweat also is a necessity. Maria Marsh, marketing manager for Pace Sportswear, Garden Grove, Calif., says the company's Coolmax Active caps are popular among customers. "People really gravitate [to its] breathable, moisture-wicking and lightweight [features]," she adds.

While moisture-managing qualities are the most valuable player in technical apparel treatments, sportswear manufacturers are scouting future possibilities. "Performance fabrics and characteristics have really come into their own, so much that our customers expect all athletic wear to offer multiple performance properties, not just one," says Margaret Crow, marketing director for Bolingbrook, Ill.-based S&S Activewear. "The most popular of these [in addition to moisture management] are anti-microbial characteristics and UV protection."

S&S Activewear and Teamwork Athletic Apparel both recently introduced several anti-microbial styles to their product lineups. "It really inhibits bacterial growth on the uniform, which can cause odor," Lehrer says. He adds that soil-release properties and garments that hold color longer are also becoming more standard. "We're investigating UV protection — that's not common in the marketplace, but it is on the horizon."



FUNCTIONAL FABRICS

Cotton may be the fabric of our lives, but according to Lehrer, it's not a good fit for the sportswear market. "True sports teams will avoid cottons," he says. "In reality, cotton's comfortable but not durable. [Players] don't want [fabrics] that are going to fade or fall apart like cotton does."

With cotton warming the bench, polyester and nylon are stepping up to the plate. "Our technical sportswear lines have become increasingly popular since they were introduced and feature primarily polyester or nylon blended with [Lycra] spandex," Crow says. Polyester dazzle fabric is doing well, especially in the basketball arena, notes Trollinger.

Lehrer adds that, in terms of fabrics suitable for athleticwear, several manufacturers are knitting microfiber filaments into polyester and nylon fabrics. "It tends to make the garment softer," he explains. "Some microfibers in natural form enhance moisture-wicking capabilities and people really like how [the fabric] feels."



FEMININE FIT

Latest athletic apparel trends reveal that male fits and cuts won't slide for female sports enthusiasts. "Historically, the majority of our products has either been sized for men or unisex," Chen explains. "However, with the growing interest [in] ladies-specific construction, we recently introduced our first ladies-engineered warm-up, [which is] tailored to better fit a lady's curves."

Tonix Corp. isn't the only sports apparel manufacturer catering to female athletes. Augusta Sportswear is offering fashion-forward sleeveless and cap-sleeved jerseys, as well as low-rise softball pants, designed specifically for women. "Our styles cross-function so we can sell [them] into another category," Trollinger says of many of the latest women's styles. "A lot of the [sportswear trends] are driven by [fashions in] retail and the pros," he adds.

In addition, Teamwork Athletic Apparel is offering a racer-back jersey and low-cut pants engineered specifically for softball players. "The racer-back softball jersey provides for excellent range of motion for the arms and shoulders," Lehrer says. In addition to providing contoured cuts for women, Teamwork Athletic Apparel's ladies' garments also offer high-performing capabilities. "[You] need to blend performance and style if you want to succeed."



DETAILING DYNAMICS

Look no further than professional athletes for up-and-coming sportswear trends. "I was watching the college championship game [pitting] Florida against Ohio State, and the [players'] shorts [fall] past their knees — it looks like their [inseams] are 15 inches," Trollinger says. It doesn't surprise him that lengthier basketball shorts are finding their way into mainstream teamwear, with Augusta Sportswear offering several of its shorts with a long 9-inch inseam and one extra-long style with an 11-inch inseam. "Even some of the ladies are starting to lean toward longer-length shorts," he adds.

Lengthy basketball shorts are all the rage, with larger cuts common across the board to allow for unobstructed movement, according to Chen. Other high-scoring details include contrast color stitching, Crow says. "As the line between athleticwear and casual wear continues to be less definite, [styling details] are becoming increasingly common," she explains. "We're trying to be creative with where we put color blocking," adds Trollinger of Augusta Sportswear's uniforms and jerseys.

With manufacturers looking for more ways to provide comfort to players, advances such as tagless labeling are becoming the norm. "All the new stuff we're coming out with will have heat-sealed labeling," Trollinger says.

He also points out that fashion- forward colors are steadily finding a place among staple team colors such as royal, red, navy, black and white. "The basic athletic colors are our core, [but] we do supplement them with fashion colors," Trollinger says. "Pinks are hot." Other fashion colors trending from retail into the sportswear sector include fuschia and fluorescent green, says Lehrer.



CUSTOMIZATION CENTRAL

For coaches and teams looking for personalized uniform options, Teamwork Athletic Apparel recently unleashed a new online design function called ADV, or Team Market Advance. With more options in terms of fit, function, fabric and color, this feature enables the company's customers to go online and personally design their uniforms. And with teams looking to get two to three seasons out of their jerseys and uniforms, customers are showing genuine interest in this highly customized option, Lehrer adds.

"We had more than 600 people configure garments online just in the first three weeks [since the design tool launched]," he says. "That's where things are heading — where teams can trick out their jerseys and still have top-notch cuts and performance [features], but customized [to their liking]."