Step It Up

New styles, fabrics and colors for sports and exercise jazz up the wearers’ options and keep your clients’ logo in the action.

Regular exercise does amazing things for our bodies and minds—and it helps us live longer. No wonder so many people are willing to sweat it out.

Statistics show that more than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club or gym spending about $19 billion a year to burn calories, tone their tummies and build their biceps.

While exercise may not ever surpass baseball as the great American pastime, it is certainly top of mind for many people—perhaps for your clients.

Encourage the trend by suggesting a promotion that includes activewear. Gone are baggy sweatpants and oversized t-shirts and in are sleek fabrics that have moisture management and antimicrobial finishes. Supplier Charles River Apparel (UPIC: CRA) has introduced color blocked wicking tees for both men and women, which feature an antimicrobial treatment that inhibits the growth of odor-causing bacteria and also uses moisture management technology that wicks away moisture, leaving the wearer feeling comfortable and dry.

Vanessa Keefe, director of marketing for Charles River Apparel, says fabrics that feel good against your skin are always popular for performance activewear. “Our Hexsport warm-up jacket and pant use a bonded poly-knit with a micro-fleece lining creating a comfortable look and feel and support a wide range of motion.” It’s a must-have for every athlete and every athlete-wannabe.

Fitting activewear is often more challenging than other kinds of apparel because activewear is more form fitting. Keefe says, “We always advise our distributors to get a sample or a size run in a style to show their client and have them try it on so they understand how it fits. A small investment in samples in the beginning can save a customer from being unhappy when they get the finished order.”

Keefe also recommends distributors find out if their clients are truly looking for hardcore athletic styles that offer wicking, anti-microbial and compression fit and will be worn on true, “in-shape” athletes. Conversely, ask if the client is looking for an athletic-inspired piece for casual wear on the weekends by a variety of body types.

“Many times a client is just looking for the athletic look but still needs a piece to fit XS-3XL—which means you, as the distributor, don’t need to look for such a hardcore athletic piece, which will broaden your choices,” she says.

1. The Playmaker Shirt, style 933, features five-ounce,100-percent Soft Cool® moisture wicking, breathable construction with tagless labeling for extra comfort. The three-button placket, ribbed collar, open cuffs and dual texture body and sleeve construction provide a quality foundation for the color block and cover-stitching design on sleeves. In black/white, black/vegas, forest/white, forest/vegas, maroon/white, navy/white, navy/vegas, purple/white, royal/white, scarlet/white in sizes S-4XL.

2. One of the cutest, new trends in ladies’ activewear is the workout skirt. It’s perfect for seated activities such as spinning, mountain biking and kayaking. This Victory V-Notch Skirt from Pizzazz Performance Wear (UPIC: pizzazz1) is crafted of 90-percent cotton and 10-percent spandex with boy-cut briefs underneath in adult sizes to 2XL and youth sizes. Choose black, red, royal, navy, athletic grey, purple, maroon, forest or hot pink.

3. Keep your cool with the adidas Ladies’ ClimaCool Classic Stripe Polo designed for extremely high performance in every terrain. Crafted of 5.6-ounce Lycra single jersey stretch knit with UPF 15+, anti-microbial finish, rib-knit collar, contrast tipping and mesh side panels and contrast adidas logo on back yoke. In sizes S-2XL in black/flint, bliss/royal, cactus/grass, coral/shell and cream/canvas.

4. The Champion® Adult Lacrosse Mesh Short, style 8655, is made of 100-percent polyester mesh with a 100-percent polyester tricot lining. These shorts have a nine-inch inseam, poly flat knit taping with a middle stripe matching the body fabric and embroidered “C” logo at left hip. Available in athletic dark green/white, athletic royal/white, black/white, maroon/white, navy/white, scarlet/white,and white/black in adult sizes S-2X.

5. The Hexsport Warm-Up Jacket and Pant, styles 9077 and 9079, are crafted of smooth-finished polyknit bonded to brushed microfleece and finished with an elasticized waist with inner drawstring. The men’s style features side pockets and zippers at the ankle for easy on/off. Available in black and navy.

6. Wear your pride on the outside with the Badger Adult BT5 Tech Fleece Hoodie. Its moisture-management fleece wicks away sweat to keep the wearer cool and comfortable, and the paneled shoulder allows for maximum movement. Finishing touches include front pouch pocket with two Velcro® closure top pockets, hood draw-cord, ribbed cuffs and waistband, and left-sleeve embroidered logo. Crafted of 100 percent polyester in sizes XS-4XL. Choose black, navy, red, royal, silver or white.

7. With a unique three-color design and stylish cut, the Tri-Color Sports Bra is just the thing to add a little flair to your workout. All Pizzazz bras feature a wick-away lining and one-inch support band for increased comfort and durable wear. Available in adult sizes S-2XL and youth sizes XS-L in black with red and white, hot pink with black and white, red with white and black and royal with white and black.

8. Devon & Jones’ Dri-Fast™ Advantage™ Polo of 100-percent polyester piqué has moisture management properties to keep the wearer cool and dry. Contrast tipping on collar and cuffs, contrast side panels and signature inside stripe collar tape make this shirt a distinctive favorite. Coordinating men’s and women’s styles in S-2XL for women and S-4XL for men. Available in a wide variety of bright and soft color combinations.

Click here to find out the top sports and excercise activies by demographic.