Selling a different kind of imprintable athletic and performance apparel

By Michael Cornnell

MARKETING:

INSIDE AND OUT

Marketing a seemingly small niche of athletic apparel might seem slightly difficult, but there are actually plenty of end-buyers out there looking for this type of clothing. Mark Smalley, marketing for American Apparel, Los Angeles, mentioned dance studios and teams as a market that American Apparel is seeing a lot of success with. Kirwei Lo, marketing communications specialist for BroderBros., Trevose, Pa., named cheer teams as well as foot or bike races as other options. She noted too that venues outside the exercise floor, such as colleges or sororities, are steadily becoming stronger possibilities as well.

A lot of yoga apparel is also being worn out of the yoga studio or gymand has become appropriate weekend/street wear, she said. Lo mentioned that even in retail, stores like Old Navy were designing yoga-like apparel meant to be worn both on and off the mat, reinforcing her idea that such apparel was not necessarily confined to gym-frequenting buyers only.

The value of such hybrid workout clothing goes two ways. It not only opens up more end-buyers, but has an affect on advertising value as well. If a distributor is looking to sell yoga apparelbe sure to emphasize to the end-user that the value is much greater now as its more likely going to be worn outside, Lo said.

Stretchy fun clothes. Flexi-nice anti-gross apparel. Yoga-dance pilata-cheer stuff. Okay, so the blanket term for this style of athletic apparel might still need some work, but whatever you want to call it, the kind of clothing meant for yoga classes, dance practices, or cheerleading and gymnastics teams is definitely a niche that needs attention.

After all, not every woman works out in the same way, slogging away on a treadmill or stair machine at the gym. There are a host of exercise options, like aerobics classes, pilates DVDs or even low-impact tai chi, popular among women and requiring a whole different kind of athletic performance apparel. A kind of clothing that offers more than just moisture wicking, that features more stylistically than just some color-blocked vented panels. It needs to be flexible while form-fitting, high performance yet comfortable and stylish enough to be worn whether on the yoga mat or out running errands.

START FROM THE TOP

For the right kind of top, look for items that blend athletic and nonathletic style and have a healthy amount of performance features. "The ideal athletic top will be moisture-wicking, engineered for freedom of movement and vented appropriately," said Kirwei Lo, marketing communications specialist for BroderBros., Trevose, Pa. "You often see tanks with built-in support, as well as fitted T-shirts in yoga."

Stylistically, these kind of athletic tops tend to lean toward the designs of their nonperformance peers. Mark Smalley, marketing for American Apparel, Los Angeles, noted that bright, retro colors, as well as designs that have an "80s throwback vibe" to them are popular in this type of athletic apparel just as they are in retail in general right now. Lo added that in some markets, like those related to dance teams or classes, the tops can be quite fashion-forward. "One interesting thing I've seen is that dancers are now wearing clothes that look like simple fashion T-shirts," she said. "I think there is a end-user market there as well."

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Don't Forget to Stretch