Gym clothes with a high-tech twist
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Gym shirts made of Kevlar. Underpants featuring "anti-odour technology". No-sweat briefs. Lycra made of corn. And exercise shorts designed with Cordura, a rugged material most often associated with things like car seats and luggage.
As outfits based on yoga pants have become increasingly popular as streetwear, and have even infiltrated the office in recent years, the sale of athletic apparel has exploded. Two main strategies have emerged in this competition for market share during a time of consumer caution. Some retailers employ the simplest angle, vying to offer the lowest possible price for leggings or gym socks. Others have started an arms race to offer the newest, most high-tech garments as often as possible.
"Every season now, or at least two or three times a year, they're looking for some new story," said Bob Kirkwood, executive vice-president for technology and marketing for Invista Apparel, a company that creates and tests high-tech fabrics in partnership with many major brands. "Whether it's the way they've constructed the fabric or a new fibre, or it's a new treatment on the fabric, that's the expectation they've set."
But how many pairs of sweatpants does one person need? That is where Kevlar fits in. "Do you really need more toothpaste if you already have some?" asked Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group, a market research company. "But if I can convince you that with this toothpaste, you're not going to get any cavities and that your teeth will last 150 years, you'll buy it." Beginning in 2015, Reebok will offer tops, bottoms and footwear with Kevlar - most commonly known for its use in flak jackets, which are not usually worn while doing squats. Cordura, which you might find on the seat of a car, was released this month.
Chris Froio, vice president for training at the company, said the new garment fabrics were geared toward activities like cross-fit training. "Lighter and stronger is what we're looking at," said Froio, explaining that after spending real money on a shirt you plan to sweat in, you shouldn't have to worry about wearing it out on weights or in the wash.
Lululemon has been using a technology it calls Silverescent for several years, which executives enthusiastically describe as "anti-stink". While it does not promise to keep you smelling like peaches while running a marathon, the company claims that materials in the thread kill odour-causing bacteria in the garment itself.
But anti-odour is no longer particularly unique. To lure customers back for the next, latest thing, retailers are speeding up the rate at which new fabrics appear and old ones are enhanced. For example, beginning this season, Lululemon's men's line will introduce something new in its fabrics every season, del Toro said. And Nancy Green, the general manager of Athleta, an arm of Gap, said that the company introduced some new or updated material every season. "We're constantly introducing new fabrics," she said. "Our pace is picking up."
In many cases, these fancy fabrics are protected by patents, owned by companies that develop them, like Invista, which holds a patent on a chlorine-resistant additive aimed at making swimsuits last longer. High-tech threads are not confined to athletic wear. The Duluth Trading Company also sells Armachillo work shirts and cargo shorts, which help keep the wearer cool by pulling moisture away from the body. Betabrand sells a hoodie that transmits music from headphones through the sweatshirt's material, without any attendant muffling.
And then there is Anke Domaske, of Hanover, Germany, who founded Qmilk, which makes thread out of sour milk, using the milk protein casein. Qmilk fibres are resistant to bacteria and fire, Domaske said, and because the process relies essentially on just milk and water, the result is compostable. She says the strands feel like silk. And you can eat it. "I've been eating it with strawberries," she said.
Many high-flying technologies in athletic apparel have fallen splat on the pavement in recent years after making all sorts of big promises. In 2007, The New York Times discovered through laboratory tests that a Lululemon fabric called Vitasea, which claimed to have been made from seaweed, in fact, contained no evidence of the substance. And in 2012, the shoe company Skechers was ordered to pay $40 million to settle complaints that it had deceived customers by claiming that its curved-sole sneakers would tone legs and backsides.
© 2014 The New York Times
As outfits based on yoga pants have become increasingly popular as streetwear, and have even infiltrated the office in recent years, the sale of athletic apparel has exploded. Two main strategies have emerged in this competition for market share during a time of consumer caution. Some retailers employ the simplest angle, vying to offer the lowest possible price for leggings or gym socks. Others have started an arms race to offer the newest, most high-tech garments as often as possible.
"Every season now, or at least two or three times a year, they're looking for some new story," said Bob Kirkwood, executive vice-president for technology and marketing for Invista Apparel, a company that creates and tests high-tech fabrics in partnership with many major brands. "Whether it's the way they've constructed the fabric or a new fibre, or it's a new treatment on the fabric, that's the expectation they've set."
But how many pairs of sweatpants does one person need? That is where Kevlar fits in. "Do you really need more toothpaste if you already have some?" asked Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst at NPD Group, a market research company. "But if I can convince you that with this toothpaste, you're not going to get any cavities and that your teeth will last 150 years, you'll buy it." Beginning in 2015, Reebok will offer tops, bottoms and footwear with Kevlar - most commonly known for its use in flak jackets, which are not usually worn while doing squats. Cordura, which you might find on the seat of a car, was released this month.
Chris Froio, vice president for training at the company, said the new garment fabrics were geared toward activities like cross-fit training. "Lighter and stronger is what we're looking at," said Froio, explaining that after spending real money on a shirt you plan to sweat in, you shouldn't have to worry about wearing it out on weights or in the wash.
Lululemon has been using a technology it calls Silverescent for several years, which executives enthusiastically describe as "anti-stink". While it does not promise to keep you smelling like peaches while running a marathon, the company claims that materials in the thread kill odour-causing bacteria in the garment itself.
But anti-odour is no longer particularly unique. To lure customers back for the next, latest thing, retailers are speeding up the rate at which new fabrics appear and old ones are enhanced. For example, beginning this season, Lululemon's men's line will introduce something new in its fabrics every season, del Toro said. And Nancy Green, the general manager of Athleta, an arm of Gap, said that the company introduced some new or updated material every season. "We're constantly introducing new fabrics," she said. "Our pace is picking up."
In many cases, these fancy fabrics are protected by patents, owned by companies that develop them, like Invista, which holds a patent on a chlorine-resistant additive aimed at making swimsuits last longer. High-tech threads are not confined to athletic wear. The Duluth Trading Company also sells Armachillo work shirts and cargo shorts, which help keep the wearer cool by pulling moisture away from the body. Betabrand sells a hoodie that transmits music from headphones through the sweatshirt's material, without any attendant muffling.
And then there is Anke Domaske, of Hanover, Germany, who founded Qmilk, which makes thread out of sour milk, using the milk protein casein. Qmilk fibres are resistant to bacteria and fire, Domaske said, and because the process relies essentially on just milk and water, the result is compostable. She says the strands feel like silk. And you can eat it. "I've been eating it with strawberries," she said.
Many high-flying technologies in athletic apparel have fallen splat on the pavement in recent years after making all sorts of big promises. In 2007, The New York Times discovered through laboratory tests that a Lululemon fabric called Vitasea, which claimed to have been made from seaweed, in fact, contained no evidence of the substance. And in 2012, the shoe company Skechers was ordered to pay $40 million to settle complaints that it had deceived customers by claiming that its curved-sole sneakers would tone legs and backsides.
© 2014 The New York Times
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First Published: Aug 02 2014 | 12:15 AM IST