ACTIVEWEAR: DOING DOUBLE DUTY
Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg
NEW YORK — Suiting women up for the gym is no longer enough for activewear makers.
They’re getting more mileage out of their lines by offering multifunctional athletic looks. And activewear that doubles as clubwear or weekend wear is scoring with shoppers, too.
“What is fitness wear? No one knows. It goes from the gym to the street,” said John Brown, owner of J. Brown Fitnesswear, Brea, Calif. “Most women buy it for a variety of reasons.”
Even those who use activewear at the health club are wearing it for many other activities.
“People aren’t just working out in gyms. They’re hiking, walking, in-line skating and doing a lot of other things,” said Kim Speth, assistant designer of Carushka Bodywear, a Van Nuys, Calif., firm. “So we’ve geared our line more to crosstraining.”
Bike shorts wholesaling at $36, micro shorts — skimpier than traditional-cut shorts — at $34 and push-up bra tops at $36 are popular items since they are multifunctional, she said.
Surveys published by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers’ Association, Olympic coverage of women’s sports, this year’s planned introduction of a Sports Illustrated magazine for women and female professional athletes’ presence in major advertising campaigns indicate that the women’s athletic market should continue to be important, she noted.
“The active trend is not going away. I’m amazed how many women are surfing, skateboarding and snowboarding,” Speth added. “The young generation of girls playing sports now doesn’t even know their mothers liberated sports for them.”
J. Brown Fitnesswear has seen sales increase largely because of the junior market.
Brown said he watched the activewear-as-streetwear trend develop as he trained and competed in health clubs and gyms around the world as a professional bodybuilder.
Hockey-inspired looks — a popular trend in men’s activewear — is popular with teenagers, especially a fitted hockey jersey in cotton and Lycra spandex at $17. A crop top with sergeant stripes and an LAPD insignia at $27 is also a bestseller.
At the other end of the spectrum, Spirit Activewear of Santa Fe, N.M., is geared for spectators — not clubgoers or sports enthusiasts.
Such basic styles as shorts, tank tops and a zip-front coverup in cotton jersey are key items. The 25-piece line wholesales from $7.50 for a boatneck tank to $23 for a long dress.
EquuSport, a La Jolla, Calif., firm, is also seeing sales gains for its more relaxed looks in cotton and polyester velour.
A hooded jumpsuit with palazzo pants at $43, trapeze dresses at $29, stovepipe pants at $29 and a shell jacket at $19 are bestsellers in the 14-piece line, said Laura Wahrenbrock, president.
The line is designed for women between 30 and 50 with varying body types, who are heavily into an active lifestyle, she said.
“You don’t have to be very skinny to wear these clothes,” she said. “They’re for real women. It’s definitely not a junior line.”
Wish Designs, a Bushkill, Pa., firm specializing in screen-printing and embroidery for activewear, appeals to customers’ whimsical sides.
Wildlife, floral and zoo designs are bestsellers for coordinated shorts and shirts. Frequently, shops at resorts, zoos and hospitals are looking for activewear that carries the insignias of their respective state birds or flowers, said Elaine Caltabiano-Schneider, owner.
“Stores want very specialized items,” she said. “Combining media is becoming more popular.”
Spectators are the targeted consumers at Soccer Mom, a seven-year-old firm in Raleigh, N.C. Shirts printed with “Soccer Mom,” or “Baseball Mom” are bestsellers, said Joan Baumer, who founded the company when her two sons started playing soccer. Autograph shirts — designed to be scripted with players’ signatures — are also popular.
The company also offers cotton shirts that wholesale from $6.50 to $10 for mothers of hockey and softball players. There are also “soccer creature” shirts printed with frogs or iguana-like figures.
“The market is not being met,” she said. “Many activewear companies meet the needs of the players, but not the families.”
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