Sportswear Innovations for Functional Improvement and Specialized Performance

FAIRFIELD, NJ, March 13, 2011 (Press-News.org) Smart But Casual Is Functional

For sportswear manufacturers, looking 'smart but casual' while 'wearing functional' is where it's at. Retailers are constantly evaluating marketing strategies with a view to both market penetration and development. Mainstream fashions now increasingly incorporate an element of the outdoors; camouflage patterns, for example, are worn in casualwear by both men and women. A combination of the fashionable with the functional introduces the great outdoors to mainstream clothing; the idea is for sportswear to become both leisure wear and to retain its functional element.

Marketing strategy takes functional performance of a garment very seriously. This is amply illustrated by the example of Columbia Sportswear, a company that has launched its 'Omni Heat' range, inspired by space technology. A heat reflective coating is applied to the inner lining of the innermost fabric of the garment, reflecting heat back to the wearer's body.

Similarly, antibacterial deodorizing socks and t-shirts are now common at middle range outlets. As a consequence, reflective prints and piping are now found in Reebok jackets, as another example of the gimmicks involved in combining fashion with function (http://www.softlines.sgs.com/functional-clothing.htm). Price, however, usually indicates the durability and performance quality of the garment.

Sportswear can have other functional quirks, with antibacterial, UV protection, quick dry/moisture management, anti-mosquito, anti-static, windproof, waterproof, breathable, stain resistant properties now de rigeur. A quick drying moisture management fabric, for example, removes moisture from the surface of the skin to the inner side of the fabric and then onto the outer side. This helps reduce heat stress and enables the wearer to feel dry. Fibre structure, composition, construction and chemical finishing all contribute to this miracle of clothing technology.

Functional Fabric That Lasts

The manufacturers of specialized fabrics put much effort into research and development (http://www.softlines.sgs.com/general.htm). Textile technology is advancing hand in hand with nanotechnology and a massive improvement in functional fabrics' durability and performance has resulted. Commercialized production technologies enable the innovation of fabrics with antibacterial deodorizing, moisture management and stain resistance performance for over 30 household machine washes. High resolution microscopy is utilized by companies to analyze the coating of a fabric surface after repeat laundering.

SGS (http://www.softlines.sgs.com/laboratory-testing.htm) can help test fabrics innovated by sportswear manufacturers. With its global network of laboratories and the breadth of its knowledge, integrating successful innovative clothing solutions in outdoor and sportswear fabrics has never been more exciting.

For further details please contact:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
Karen E. Kyllo, Ph.D.
Deputy Vice President, Global Softlines, SGS North America Inc.
291 Fairfield Avenue, Fairfield, NJ 07004, United States.

t: +1 973 461 7934
E-mail: karen.kyllo@sgs.com
Website: http://www.softlines.sgs.com

SGS is the world's leading inspection, verification, testing and certification company. SGS is recognised as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With 64'000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1'250 offices and laboratories around the world.

SGS Consumer Testing Services ensures the quality and safety of every kind of consumer products, from textiles, electronics and furniture to food and automotive. Our customers in these distinct manufacturing industries rely on our inspection and testing capabilities and laboratories to help them comply with the regulatory requirements governing their products, as well as to ensure the integrity of the inputs received from their suppliers.

For more information, please visit: http://www.sgs.com/cts