Impressions - April 2018 - 21

ach year, a strong trend or two dominate the athletic wear and team
uniform categories. Last year saw a
significant fashion influence, along with customization. In 2018, customization will remain in strong demand, but performance also
will take a front seat.
"Garments are being designed to outperform previous versions and allow for more
creativity in their construction," says Mark
Mertens, owner, A4, adding that the ultimate
expression of the customization trend is engineered knitting and personalized fitting.
"This includes giving the customer the ability
to choose how the garment is built. Do you
want raglan sleeves with that? Maybe add
some birdseye mesh to the sides?"
The still-in-demand customized look can be
achieved via sublimation, a decoration method that continues to grow as prices drop and
lead times shorten, says Maria Brockhaus,
general manager, sport uniforms, Augusta
Sportswear. This month, the company kicked
off a standard 15-day lead time for orders
generated using its online builder and a 20day lead time for custom art orders.
"Some of the growth in sublimation is
coming from expansion into new sports,"
Brockhaus says. "For example, baseball was
historically a more traditional sport. Now,
customers are gravitating toward sublimation as they recognize the benefits of more
durable decoration and lightweight performance fabrics."

Vintage and Varsity styles,
as well as comfort, are
expected to be notable trends
for athletic wear in 2018.

Eye on Fashion
Fashion's influence can't be denied, and, in
2018, style and comfort have greatly impacted team sports.
"Vintage retro and varsity [styles] are influencing everything in the market," says
Marcus Davis, product development manager, Champion. "If it's from the '80s, it's a
driving influence on apparel trends right now."
Just as fashion heavily influences sports, the
reverse can be true, Mertens says. "It's really
been a two-way street for a while now," he
says. "Sports have had a tremendous influence on fashion, as evidenced by the growth
in the athleisure market. People didn't used to
wear performance gear to the grocery store."
More creativity and apparel choices have
worked well for Millennials, a demographic
that seems to value unique style, whether
working or playing. And women continue
to prefer garments constructed and cut for
their body types instead of simply wearing
a smaller men's garment.
Youth sports continue to be driven by what
collegiate and professional athletes wear. The
influencers, says Mertens, are found among
groups of elite players.

"Steph Curry wears leggings, and they have
taken off in youth basketball," he says. "Some
programs, like Oregon and Maryland, continue to experiment and push the envelope
with design. So their more aggressive designs,
beyond solids or simple color blocking, gain
in popularity.
"The Olympics, with its great variety of
colors and designs, places even more emphasis
on being unique and standing out," he adds.
"Combine this emphasis on creativity with the
declining cost and increasing availability of
sublimation, and you've got yourself a trend."
Davis nods to retail trends, which include bold styles and colors. But team colors, he says, still matter, and texture is key, as
opposed to flat colors.

Stock Still Standing
The future of stock uniforms in a customized
world remains bright.
"Stock uniforms are like vanilla ice cream,"
Mertens says. "They may not be the sexiest,

but they are still the most popular by a mile."
He says the reasons for this are simple. Costs
are lower, which still is a primary driver for
many teams, schools and leagues. Also, major sports leagues have rules about uniforms
that keep most of them fairly mainstream in
appearance. Some popular programs (think
Duke and Kentucky in college basketball,
and Alabama, Michigan and USC in football) have longstanding uniform traditions
with minimal changes to style.
Plus, when decorating a stock garment,
you still can get a unique and attractive look.

Fabrics & Costs
Technically speaking, fabric is an important
element of athletic wear, as it must hold ink
well - which is of prime importance to decorators - and wick away moisture - which
is of prime importance to the athlete. Other
features tend to be sport specific, Mertens says.
Extra fabric around the knees of a baseball
uniform can offer protection during sliding,
APRIL 2018

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Impressions - April 2018

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