ACTIVEWEAR: HAVING A FIT
Byline: Rosemary Feitelberg
NEW YORK — Fitted, functional apparel should keep the activewear market jumping as spring gets under way.
Several vendors said these fresh looks should lure buyers who have been bombarded with basics. There also is a need for versatile pieces.
Equusport, a San Diego-based maker of classic equestrian activewear, expects coordinated looks to be important.
Activewear in chocolate brown, sand and olive green are among the hot colors. Consumers want neutrals that can be worn with sportswear.
Reversible cotton corduroy shorts at $17 wholesale, with a coordinating sweatshirt at $26, and ribbed “equuslim” leggings in a blend of Supplex nylon and Lycra spandex, at $37, should be among the bestsellers in the 10-piece line, according to Laura Wahrenbrock, president.
Leggings are lined with spandex to provide extra support through the thighs and abdomen, since women want to look good when they exercise, she said. Cotton fleece coordinating outfits such as a zip-front cropped sweatshirt with matching sweatpants, each $32, and shorts at $15, should be well-received, according to Jonathan Eisenberg, T.K. MAB, a Los Angeles firm.
Many stores are looking for cropped items, which are outselling regular lengths 2-to-1, he said.
“Before, a woman would buy a jog bra for the gym and a sweatshirt for the street. Now she sees the versatility of activewear,” he said. “Fashion with function is quite essential.”
Zippers, rope ends and other embellishments give activewear a streetwear image, Eisenberg said. Black, white and gray are the key colors in the 60-piece collection, which wholesales from $11 for a cotton T-shirt to $39.75 for a cotton fleece sweatshirt.
Steven Gellis Sports Inc., the Montreal firm that manufactures licensed Body Glove fitness wear for the U.S. and Canada, will focus on fitted, coordinating looks at the upcoming WWD/MAGIC International show.
Wholesale prices for the 50-piece line range from $15 for a cotton and Lycra tank top to $22.50 for a zip-front cotton and Lycra unitard, according to Gay Taraby, merchandise manager.
“There is a really big trend with sets and coordinating looks,” she said. “We’re also using a lot of details in seaming, flat-lock stitching, piping, binding and zippers.”
Taraby, who reported sales are even with last year, said most department stores have not determined where activewear should be placed.
“Major department stores are struggling because they don’t know where to put it. They need to redefine it,” she said. “Independent retailers and sporting goods stores know how to merchandise it, but dollar for dollar, it’s not the same volume.”
There is an “incredible demand” for the category, said Taraby, adding even Nike and Reebok, which traditionally have catered to men, have updated their offerings for women.
Fitted styles are the focus in Blanc Noir’s 25-piece activewear line. Pullovers, polo shirts, coverups and hooded baseball jackets with sleek silhouettes and a Seventies flavor should be very popular, said Gayle Hagerty, vice president of the San Rafael, Calif., firm.
Blanc Noir offers some loose-fitting items such as an oversized hockey shirt, but at least 70 percent of all sales are in fitted silhouettes, she said.
An eight-piece “cyber active” nylon and Lycra group features form-fitting items with reflective tape, hologram transfers and novelty zippers.
The cyber active group is offered in black and white, and a polyester and cotton group comes in neutral colors.
Identifying trends quickly and offering new styles as frequently as every four weeks has helped propel business significantly ahead of last year. But activewear needs to be more than fashionable, she added.
“If it’s not functional, we don’t get reorders,” Hagerty said. “Our success in the past year is coming from things that look good in the gym, on the street and even in a nightclub.”
Many stores are looking for fashionable activewear, said Elena Henry, designer for the DiDi Sport label.
A cotton thermal tank top embellished with a hook-and-eye at $16.50, coordinating shorts at $14 and a cotton French terry vest with thermal trim at $19.50 should be bestsellers.
“Fabric alone is not enough unless something is outrageous. It needs to be a good style and a good price; then you have a winner,” Henry said. “It has to be special, not just basics. Otherwise, the stores don’t need you.”
Unlike some of its competitors, Hanil/Oleg Cassini, the manufacturer here that makes Oleg Cassini activewear, offers more loose-fitting styles to appeal to a broader customer base.
The 60-piece collection offers polyester microfiber, polyester satin, polyester and cotton velour, and silk. Several styles are trimmed with fake leather.
“We use embellishment to be dressy — not sporty,” said Merrill Flaum, sales manager. “Women don’t need to wear running shoes to wear our clothes.”
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