Moisture-wicking fabric wins the performance-wear popularity contest.
APERSON ONLY has to consider the steadiness of antiperspirant and umbrella sales in this country to know that, from a comfort standpoint, an overabundance of moisture just isn’t OK for the average human. Maybe it’s simple biology. Orangutans—primates with whom we share around
95 percent of our genetic makeup—are known to craft rain hats out of leaves. But regardless of how clever these friendly apes might be, they’ve yet to come up with any solutions for the sweating thing. Such know-how can only be a byproduct of that last 5 percent of uniquely Homo sapien DNA. Behold: moisture-wicking fabric, miracle of evolutionary science.
STYLE THAT WORKS (OUT)
Though the technology behind performance apparel has grown to NASA-esque proportions, moisture-wicking fabrics are the constant in most promotional athletic garments. “It used to be a badge of honor to have sopping wet clothing after a good, old-fashioned, hard workout, but the fact is that performance was substantially impeded by it,” affirmed Les Tandler, executive vice president of Yorktown Heights, New York-based Game Sportswear.
To help athletes and mere mortals alike reach their optimum level of comfort, moisture-wicking fabrics contribute to a continuous cycle of wetness management. Lori Anderson, marketing manager at River’s End Trading, Hopkins, Minn., described the technology as it is used in one
of the company’s top products. “Dri-FIT by Nike … is a high-performance microfiber polyester fabric that pulls sweat away from the body and transports it to the fabric surface where it evaporates and leaves the skin cool and dry,” she said. As opposed to ordinary T-shirts, fabrics such as Dri-FIT do not absorb moisture.
Specialized athletic garments have been a boon for the ad specialty industry for the past few years now. “Performance features are that one extra detail that will help our customers earn business and create ew business,” said Anderson. She pointed to River’s End Trading’s wide variety of styles as proof. “Nearly every piece of athletic apparel we have offers some type of moisture-wicking properties,” Anderson
added. And she’s not alone. Tandler counts Game Sportswear’s Starter Wicking Polo as the company’s best seller, and the sentiment also was echoed by Mike Chen, marketing director at Fremont, California-based Tonix. “Our most popular athletic wear [items are] moisture-management shirts,” Chen added.
THE CORPORATE PLAYING FIELD
As an offshoot of the demand for these items in the athletic arena, office-appropriate apparel has sprung forth with many of the same performance characteristics. Business and sports aren’t necessarily strange bedfellows, and thanks to the one place where they historically meet—the golf course—there’s more crossover now than ever before.
The Solar Shield line at River’s End Trading is successful for this exact reason. “Because the golf market has been so strong for many years and because the golf shirt can be worn in the office and on the golf course, you will find supplier catalogs full of dozens, if not hundreds, of golf shirts,” Anderson said. And the dual function of polos and other such items means moisturewicking fabrics are working on the job, as well as on the links.
“A good wicking shirt makes just as much sense for a trade-show exhibitor and a health-care or restaurant worker—all of whom want to look fresh, professional and comfortable—as it does for a coach,” Tandler said.
- Companies:
- Game Sportswear
- Tonix
- Places:
- Fremont, California
- New York