Athletic Apparel Manufacturers Across Performance and Activewear Categories

Sportswear is designed to move with the body, soak up sweat, and retain its shape after each wash, so athletic apparel manufacturers have more than fabric and a sewing machine to contend with. It must fit properly, stretch where needed, be expertly constructed, decorated at the right places, and thoroughly tested for qualities such as color fastness.

Why is any of this important for buyers? The production process is critical as you can have two garments that look just as good in the picture, but are worlds apart in a workout. The production process defines how your design translates onto the garment. The process links your product design through to the quality of fabric, pattern, sewing machine techniques and finishing on the production floor.

Fabric Choice Shapes the Garment

With various athletic products, the fabric requirements vary. For example, a thin running shirt might require breathability and good moisture removal, while leggings require a great deal of stretch and recovery. Training shorts may have a standard of durability and freedom of movement, while a warm up jacket may require more structure.

Polyester and its blends are used in a variety of performance apparel because of its strength and compatibility with a number of the many different moisture management finishes. Nylon can also achieve softness and provides superior abrasion resistance. Elastane or spandex introduces stretch, but is not the defining factor in a fabric‘s performance.

Weight, structure of fabrics, direction of stretch, recovery, the surface texture and finishing will alter the final outcome. The sourcing of fabric for a quality product begins with what the activity is and the design of the garment.

Fit Needs to Follow Movement

All sportswear must function when the wearer is running, stretching, lifting, bending and changing direction. Developing patterns therefore requires consideration of the movement of the garment, not simply the shape when standing.

Shoulder width,armhole depth,sleeve opening,rise,inseam,waistband height,shape of leg could all influence how comfortable they are. A running top might require a different fit than a gym T-shirt, even if the fabric is similar.

Another problem with size grading. If all measurements are simply scaled up/decreased by the same percentage it doesn‘t tend to give a balanced fit over the whole size range. Pattern makers need to change some main measurements so all sizes group to the same ratio.

Construction Affects Comfort and Durability

Sewing details are much more apparent if the garment remains stuck on the skin when exercising.

Seam placement can generate friction around the shoulders, crotch of inner thighs, underarms or waistband. Seams that are less bulky can be used in clingy clothing or, seams can be reinforced to add strength to pre-stressed areas.

Stretch fabrics need through sewing control too. Too much tension of the threads will influence the seam. If the fabric feed in inconsistency, the garment will pucker or the edges will go crooked. The production team should choose the sewing machine that suits the fabric and garment structure.

Customization Starts During Development

Custom athletic apparel is more than just slapping on a logo on an existing item. Buyers can personalize fabrics, colors, panels, measurements, pockets, waistbands, labels, trims, printing, embroidery, and packaging.

Having a comprehensive and clear tech pack will provide the factory with a good starting point. It provides measurements, construction, artwork, fabric details, colour references and labels. This allows the development team to understand the product.

Decoration has to be suitable to the fabric. Printed decoration, heat transfers, embroidery and other effects can have varying effects on stretch fabrics. Too much decoration applied to a lightweight weight fabric can cause loss of elasticity or an uncomfortable zone.

Samples Expose Problems Early

A spec sheet can describe the product but a physical sample illustrates how the product actually does play out.

During sample review, fit, proportion, stretch, waistband tension, pocket placement, seam placement and decoration can be checked by the buyers. Often, the problems found by simple movement tests cannot be seen in the measurements.

Additional information is provided by washing. After laundering there may be shrinkage, variation in color shades, pilling, damage of print, loss in shape etc.

A few sample rounds make sense if the product uses sophisticated construction or performance fabrics. Each round allows the manufacturer to refine the pattern, materials or finishing.

Quality Control Follows the Production Process

Quality control should not wait until the finished garments are placed on the inspection table.

After design selection, fabric checks for composition, weight, colour, and surface condition to be made before cutting. Cutting accuracy then determines the size and proportions of the final pieces.

At the time of sewing manufacture department can examine quality of stitch, also alignment of out gait, inner seams, oversized threads, and stress points. The decoration must examine separately because wrongly position logo, ugly print, or embroidered consistently may spoil the appearance of the garment.

An inspection process throughout the process from receiving of materials: all the way at cutting, sewing, finishing, up to final inspection.

The Unit Price Needs Context

Two factories can offer the same garments at different prices for similar items on a specification sheet. The final cost can be affected by fabric quality, workmanship, decoration and packaging, order size and development costs.

All suppliers will then be quoted on the same specifications so consumers can make a fair comparison of prices. These specifications should include fabric weight, content, width, construction, finishing, packing and inspection requirements.

Low unit price may become less favorable, either, if the production run results in too many defects or if the factory cannot produce the same product for the next order.

Repeat Orders Test Consistency

First order shows if a factory is able to manufacture the product. Repeated orders shows if it can manufacture the same product over and over again.

Athletic apparel is heavily reliant on repetition. Consumers anticipate the same fit and fabric touch from garments of the same style. Teams anticipate repeat jerseys to keep their colors and measurements consistent. Brands desire related items to keep a consistent fit throughout a collection.

Retention of the approved sample, patterns, measurements, fabric details, color reference, and artwork for future reference gives the production team a sound basis to work on new orders.

Questions Worth Asking Manufacturers

Some practical questions are going to answer us the way the factory actually works.

Can the manufacturer develop samples from a tech pack? Can it source fabrics with a certain amount of stretch, weight, recovery or finishing? How does the manufacturer perform size grading? What sewing techniques does it generally use for stretch wear?

Purchasers can also enquire as to the factory‘s quality controls for measurements in mass production, printing and embroidery, and consistency in re-orders.

This list of information is far more helpful than a generic list of sportswear items since it highlights the differences between what the manufacturer has listed and what the end product is actually made from.

Choose Around the Product

Athletic apparel contains a broad range of clothing types such as: running wear, gym wear, yoga wear, team wear, compression wear, active wear and everydaywear. Even though the raw materials may be the same, the processing can be varied.

The product will specify the manufacturing process . Buyers must evaluate the potential activity, the performance of fabrics, fit, degree of customization, order size and probable reordering with other suppliers.

JiuvelWear, the clothing manufacturing brand of Dongguan Jiuzuo Clothing Co., Ltd., which offers ODM (Original Design Manufacturer), private labeling, fabric sourcing, sample making, and production quality control, for brands and wholesalers program.

Every decision made in the process of designing and producing an apparel item for the athlete links directly back to how the garment will be worn. Fabric, supports the activity; pattern, supports motion; construction supports comfort and integrity; quality control supports a consistent end result. That links are much stronger than the product spec sheet from a supplier or a unit cost given as a quote.