Team Gets Technical

Uniform design trends driving the team sports apparel market into the future

When we picture “gearheads” and teched-out apparel
geeks in the world of sports, often the first image that comes to mind is that of an outdoorsman — a climber atop Mt. Everest or a daredevil skier donning the latest and greatest cold weather gear.

But a soccer player? A baseball player? The answer in 2010 is a resounding “yes.” Big time.

“Team sport suppliers are certainly trying to keep up with the advancements that have been made by our technical outerwear and performance wear customers,” confirms Chris Parlee, marketing and communications manager at Bemis Associates, a major manufacturer of thermoplastic adhesives, tapes and specialty film products. Its Sewfree bonded apparel construction is prevalent in technical outerwear offerings, but now Bemis technology is extending into team sports and the company sees the market for its products expanding along with consumers’ technical demands.

Bemis has long worked with companies that supply emblems, patches or appliqués for team sports. Bemis’ film is used as a stabilizer during the sewing of an emblem or also to physically attach the emblem to the fabric. An advantage to bonding the emblem is that you maintain the waterproof integrity of the garment (if it is water resistant material) as well as slightly reducing the weight.

However, implementation of Bemis technology by team sports brands is now moving (quickly) beyond emblems and appliqués.

“One of the more recent uses of our films, especially by those that produce apparel for sports, has been in the use of our decorative film to provide abrasion resistance,” explains Parlee. “Our OT-100 film, famous for the Speedo LZR suit, is extremely abrasion resistant. Customers have been using more of this film in other areas besides your typical knee or elbow patch.”

Specialized Bemis formulations for select customers have been used in compression and other tight-fitting performance wear to aid in muscle retention, therefore reducing fatigue. While compression can be achieved with circular knits, some Bemis customers use the film in strategic places to achieve even more compression. Another trend Bemis is spotting is the use of film to bond foams or pads into compression base layers.

Hit ’Em Hard

Shock Doctor is a leader in the protective compression category that is growing fast in the team sports market. When it comes to fabric and design, the key consumer demands for the brand are less about price and more about tech benefits. “Athletes at all levels are demanding more from their technical apparel for increased comfort and performance,” says Jay Turkbas, senior VP-product development for Shock Doctor.

“ShockSkin, our new line of protective base layer apparel, meets these expectations. We developed ShockSkin to provide the kind of lightweight, breathable, yet strong, layer of protection that athletes are requesting.”

To explain the fabric and construction story, the brand has worked on merchandising tools to help assist in educating consumers on its new technology, features and benefits. The garments incorporate multi-density, free-floating foam in a bio-mapped design and have high frequency seams, along with moisture wicking fabric and ventilation channels for breathability.

Managers at Darlington Fabrics are well aware of athlete’s needs. “From a fabric point of view, they want it stronger and lighter in weight,” says apparel sales manager Carol Gross. “We are looking at high tenacity yarns for the strength so they won’t be weighed down. It is light yet can endure the rough and tumble needs of the athletes.”

Darlington does a strong business in team apparel with football, basketball and hockey.

You Don’t Stink

Many brands in the team realm, from Augusta Sportswear to Under Armour, are now offering some garments in their team apparel lines with antimicrobial properties.

“We are seeing a large demand for antimicrobial now,” says Gross. “That’s almost become a regular with many of our customers. It is odor control for afterwards in some ways. People throw sweaty clothes in a gym bag. To eliminate odor and bacterial growth, they have found that they want this.”

Beyond apparel, Asics is developing several new accessory products with antimicrobial properties.

In wrestling these include an ear guard that has antimicrobial properties in the EVA Ear Pad and a wrestling sleeve that also has antimicrobial properties in a closed cell neoprene for breathability. In volleyball, the new accessories include two separate knee and elbow pads with antimicrobial properties.

The Agion Company, which recently launched a marketing campaign around its Agion Active technology for activewear, is gathering feedback from consumers, many of whom have suggested that the company start targeting team sports. Agion delivers both antimicrobial and anti-odor elements. Prior to being available for apparel and textile applications, Agion was already an established presence in footwear applications. Agion has developed what it calls “an advanced solution” that couples its antimicrobial with powerful, industrial strength odor elimination elements. Designed to fit into a range of products, the benefits Agion touts are color stability, cost benefits over embedded silver technologies, it won’t impact drape or hand, it can be used in conjunction with existing finishes, it’s a treatment for shorter runs, compatible with most fabrics, and withstands high temperatures.

The World Stage

This year there’s no doubt that the global centerpiece for trend watching in team sports apparel was at the FIFA Word Cup in South Africa this summer.

Adidas used the world’s biggest international soccer tournament to launch two new uniform designs — Techfit and Formotion. Adidas’ Techfit is high-performance compression apparel featuring TPU bands designed to improve speed, power, endurance and vertical jump. The strategically placed TPU bands focus muscle energy to generate explosive acceleration and deliver maximum power output. Techfit improves body posture and core stability allowing agile, accurate movements. Techfit kits worn as a single layer are 45 percent lighter than wearing two pieces.
The second Adidas uniform option features Formotion technology and is engineered to move naturally with the athlete’s body resulting in an ideal fit and comfort while in motion. Formotion features optimized garment construction with sculpted sleeve openings to accommodate maximum freedom of movement. Both Adidas uniform options include Adidas Climacool technology, which combines moisture wicking fabric and mesh construction in the player’s highest heat zones to improve body ventilation and keep the athlete at optimum temperature. Both are also designed to partner with traditional Techfit PowerWEB compression apparel as an optional base layer.

Puma’s kit for the Italian national team is moisture wicking and form fitting with stretch properties. It was constructed using 3D motion analysis, a technique that captures and quantifies human movement and is then incorporated into the design process. The jersey uses an engineered mesh called Battle Skin that is meant to enhance breathability and comfort.

Diadora launched a soccer uniform this year with an eco story. The Terra Verde kit by Diadora is made with 100 percent P.E.T. recycled plastic bottles.

The Diadora jersey and short are available at lower cost than some of its major competitors. Cost pressure in fabrication and construction is an issue for the “next tier” brands. Bill Nuttall, president of Golden Viking Sports, which owns the license for Diadora in the U.S., says,

“Today’s athletes are expecting their uniforms to be both functional and affordable. It is our goal to exceed their expectations and provide a product that is durable, stylish and has all the performance features necessary for them to compete comfortably. We are excited to be the first company to develop a 100 percent recycled kit that has the technical features at an affordable price.”

According to Darlington Fabrics’ Gross, there is strong price pressure for suppliers serving the high school and college market. “For the professional sports, it’s a different story,” she says. “But so much of our fabric goes into team sports uniforms for high schools and colleges.

You have athletic directors and team managers who have had their budgets cut. So there is always price pressure and we try to do everything we can to keep the price down and the quality high. They still need a really good product because instead of getting a new uniform every year, these kids are going to have these uniforms for four or five years. They don’t want us to cheapen the product at all because these things have to last.”

Nike unveiled a rash of new products including performance apparel and a high-tech shoe as the Swoosh took on Adidas’ official role at the global event.

In perhaps its most interesting new product, Nike’s national team uniforms in South Africa were made from 100 percent recycled polyester. Many of the world’s leading players, including the U.S. Men’s National Team, took to the pitch in South Africa wearing an environmentally friendly and technologically advanced uniform.

The jerseys were made entirely from recycled polyester, each one produced from up to eight recycled plastic bottles.

“This summer in South Africa Nike gave footballers an edge by providing the newest and most innovative product for the game’s greatest players,” says Charlie Denson, president, Nike Brand. “We are equipping athletes with newly designed uniforms that not only look great and deliver performance benefits, but are also made with recycled materials, creating less impact on our environment.”

To make the 2010 national team kits, Nike’s fabric suppliers sourced discarded plastic bottles from Japanese and Taiwanese landfill sites and then melted them down to produce new yarn that was ultimately converted to fabric for the jerseys.

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POPULAR DESIGN TRENDS

Price will always be a factor in the team business, but new decorating technology continues to alter the playing field.

LIGHTWEIGHT … Look for lightweight and durable decorating options that maintain the garment’s moisture management properties. Heat applied products on the market include Dalco Athletic Lettering’s Dal-Plus lightweight film that resembles a lightweight screenprint, and PSA Permanent Twill script names and numbers for uniforms; Stahl’s ID Direct full color digital transfers, such as it’s CAD-Printz Digital Transfers; and Fiberlok’s Lextra heat transfers, with a sheer profile and the ability to stretch with the garment, offer rich dimension without dragging down performance.

COLOR … Lots of color is a definite trend on team apparel. Teams want computer-generated graphics with lots of texture, gradients and shading, and new fashion colors beyond the basic twill colors and patterns such as zebra, giraffe and polka dots for spirit wear. Look for new performance garments by apparel companies such as Vapor Apparel, Alleson Athletic and 3N2 Sports that provide a blank slate to be totally customized by sublimation printing.

PLACEMENT … The placement of graphics is drastically changing and there is no longer a standard placement for a logo. “Centering the design on the front of a T-shirt is old school. Teams want new and interesting ways to stand out — up the sleeve under the armpit, or vertical text designs down the length of the shirt or down the back of a pant leg,” says Sue Wilkosky, business development manager, Transfer Express, Mentor, OH. Note: There are rigid standards in NCAA and high school leagues where traditional placement is still required.

UNIQUE DESIGNS … Vintage and distressed designs are showing up more on team apparel as professional sports teams integrate vintage uniforms from years ago. Look for more alternative styles that feature edgy, grungy artwork instead of clean, crisp lines. This can be achieved using a standard script with a tail design and adding a distressed feature to it that makes the look more current, even though the idea is to make it look old. Look for the use of more elaborate, detailed team name designs and custom fonts

FOR WOMEN ONLY … Decorating products specifically designed for women’s athletics make use of fashion or novelty, pastel colors and special finish materials like glitter, metallics, flock, patterns, textures, snakeskin, flowers, and geometric patterns. Dalco’s new Sublimated Twill Appliqué with rhinestones, designed for women’s volleyball, cheerleading and dance teams spirit wear, offers full color sublimation as a twill appliqué with a second word in crystals; Sublimated Twill Appliqué without rhinestones is suitable for uniforms.

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