High and Dry
March 31, 2010 The fast pace of today’s busy lifestyles require active wear with form-and-function features that deliver at the office and in the gym. While surveys say that wrinkle resistance in any apparel is in high demand among men and women, performance factors like moisture management are becoming increasingly important.
The technology used to create textiles that fortify performance apparel to stand up to the rigors of sweat-producing athletics is being incorporated on a broader scale today, says David Earley, senior director of supply chain marketing at Cotton Incorporated. “Consumers are looking for something more fashionable to wear during their workouts,” he says. “The appeal of fast-drying, moisture-wicking synthetics has led many consumers to abandon their favorite cotton t-shirt and choose synthetic products. New performance technologies for cotton are giving consumers the best of both.”
Market Share
While cotton continues to lead the pack as the most widely used fiber in overall apparel, it still has some ground to make up in its share of the athletic-wear market. According to Earley, fourth-quarter 2009 research statistics revealed that cotton took home about a 41 percent share of athletic products at retail, which indicates positive traction. Cotton is making gains in the athletic apparel category largely due to innovative technical finishes and consumers’ long-standing general preference for cotton. And the numbers back that up. “For example, the third quarter of any year always shows an increase in cotton athletic apparel at retail because of the summer season. This is typically followed by a dip in the fourth quarter,” Earley says. “Over the past year, however, we saw a 5 percent growth in cotton athletic apparel in the third quarter, an increase that was sustained into the fourth quarter.”
Cotton’s current role in the athletic and active wear marketplace continues to grow with recent developments such as TransDRY and Wicking Windows moisture management technologies. Earley says the increasing demand for moisture-management comfort is the main reason why significant research and development resources have been invested into that comfort component. Since making its debut at the Outdoor Retailer Show almost two years ago, TransDRY has hit the shelves thanks to partnerships with manufacturers like United States-based Longworth Industries, whose PolarMax Naturals brand sports the wicking component. “Longworth also has been field testing prototype garments with branches of the military,” Earley adds. “We also are working with several other athletic apparel brands to help them bring products to retail featuring the TransDRY technology.”
Overcoming Challenges
Making in-roads in the highly competitive performance apparel arena is not easy. Physically, cotton’s absorbent nature — while not an entirely bad attribute — puts it at a disadvantage when the heat is turned up. Saturated cotton can result in undesirable clothing conditions such as wetness, cling, and an extended drying time. “Once you can make cotton dry as fast as the synthetic products, this is a huge win — and we’ve accomplished that,” Earley says.
In addition to improving and mastering fast-drying performance, engineering natural fabrics with moisture-transfer features has helped cotton suppliers level the athletic apparel playing field. Teaming those modern advancements with cotton’s built-in, basic comfort factors, such as overall feel and breathability, helps give it a distinct advantage over many synthetics.
While technical hurdles can be overcome with time and much research and development, the real challenge in developing cotton active wear, according to Earley, lies in trying to change the human element. “The biggest challenge in cotton active wear has to do with perception, not development or application,” he says. “The false notion that only man-made fibers can offer high-tech performance benefits was a hurdle for us, but it’s one we are successfully jumping over with product demonstrations and testing.”
These most recent athletic apparel performance advancements in cotton have helped draw an expanded customer base. Developments further down the pipeline should keep the audience growing — and coming back for more, Earley says. “Our own data tells us that 90 percent of people who said they preferred synthetic athletic apparel said they would be willing to try and would even prefer to have (improved) cotton athletic apparel,” he says. “That is a huge opportunity.”
GET THE NEWSLETTER TODAY!
