Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Spring 2011 - (Page 10)

Spiritwear Suppliers Cite Reasons to Cheer Even in the roughest economic climate, spiritwear vendors say the market has remained resilient due to increased participation and an added emphasis on accessories and fanwear sales. By Jennifer Morrell, Contributing Writer ecorators serving the spiritwear niche have a two-fold mission: supplying the direct consumer, while also connecting that consumer’s family with their favorite team or organization. Accessories are a big deal, especially when sold as a package or bundled with a neat bow. Spiritwear consumers have numerous color and pattern choices, with hot neon hues teaming up with wild zebra stripes. Fabrics have hit a high in function and comfort thanks to technologies like moisture management. Moreover, whatever a cheerleader wears also can be supplemented and coordinated with an array of fanwear for the family, from jerseys to flannel pants. As it turns out, it’s a great time to rally the crowds, but also it’s an exciting time to be a fan. We consulted several spiritwear industry experts to learn which trends currently are guiding the twisting-and- turning path of spiritwear and fanwear, and what might be coming down the pike in the future. We sat down with Brita Bolane, product manager, Teamwork Athletic Apparel; Jessica Levine, marketing associate, Boxercraft; Raleigh Lipsky, president, JB Bloomers; Frederick Older, vice president, Pizzazz Performance Wear; and Chad Trollinger, director of marketing, Augusta Sportswear. Following is what they had to say: 10 • Spring 2011 ll Thel Zebral Printl Travell Bagl froml Pizzazzl Performancel Wearl featuresl al zebral printl designl onl polyesterl withl al heavyl vinyll backingl andl megaphone-shapedl zipperl pocket.l Itl includesl anl iPodl orl mp3l playerl pocket.l Fivel colorslarelavailable. Team & Spirit Apparel: How was the spiritwear market in 2010, compared to previous years? Frederick Older: Overall, the spiritwear market was up in 2010 and continued to show growth both in numbers of participants and profitability. So far, cheerleading appears to be a bellwether in the struggling economy. I firmly believe that no matter how tight the economy gets, parents will continue to support their children in their extracurricular endeavors. Cheerleading, like many other team sports, should survive the struggling economy with little attrition. Chad Trollinger: We have a seen a major upward trend toward fanwear/ spiritwear purchases that has provided us a lot of growth in our replica-type jerseys. As booster clubs and teams extend their reach to parents and fans of the game, the sidelines and stands are becoming a large part of the overall team buy. And, as payto-play and budgets have fallen closer to home, parents are getting more involved at all levels and becoming a large part of the team. Brita Bolane: The year 2010 was a great year for spiritwear for several reasons. In 2009, several teams were faced with economic challenges, resulting is less participation and ability to support activities and events. In 2010, teams and their fans embraced the positive turn in the

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Spring 2011

Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Spring 2011
Contents
Edgy Looks Boost Spiritwear Profits
Spiritwear Suppliers Cite Reasons to Cheer
Use Heat Printing for Stylish Team Uniform Numbers
Gear Bag

Impressions - Team & Spirit Apparel - Spring 2011