Fitness Apparel Manufacturers: What Brands Need to Know

Fitness apparel manufacturers need to consider more than their looks because the apparel has to be functional especially as gym wear is used as people bend, stretch, train and perspire.

Similarly a T-shirt is never wrong hanging on a hanger. But fitness clothing is. It must be made of a fabric that can move with the body; stitched to withstand constant movement; and still be easy to wear after many washing washes.

With brands trying to make fitness clothes, these specific things can actually alter the finished article.

Fitness Apparel Starts With the Fabric

Fabric is one of the most important decisions when developing fitnesswear.

Many activities exert different pressures on a garment. For example, running, weight training, yoga, cycling and even general gym clothes all require different fabrics.

Stretch, weight, breathing, moisture removal, softness, durability and rebound… They can be all factors to determine the performance of a garment.

One may feel good to wear when first purchased but then lose its shape after washing and stretching it a number of times over. Another may have good stretch but one may not get the hand feel a brand requires.

So the right material will all depend on the product, its position to the market as well the usage, and also the activity of the brand.

Fit Matters When the Garment Moves

One must consider the actual situation not merely of being at rest.

We should also think about how the garments need to move when the wearer moves e.g. A pair of leggings needs to move when the wearer does a squat or stretch. A training top needs to allow free movement of the shoulders and arms. A fitted shirt needs to stay comfortable.

Very slight variations of patterns and measurements can have a significant impact.

Draft and fit dimensions waist position, sleeve length, leg opening, shoulder width, body length, ease all working together.

For more fitted products then stretch and recovery also need to be taken into account when creating the pattern.

Construction Needs to Handle Repeated Use

Clothing will be washed more frequently for fitness apparel than the traditional apparel.

This adds further strain at the seams, stitching, waistbands, cuffs, etc.

The correct construction is garment-specific.

Certain products may need more heavy reinforcement where more moveable, sit less. Meanwhile, some may need construction to eliminate, or minimize, ‘drag’ against the skin.

While they may be hard to see in a picture of a product, the details can become very apparent once the product is put into daily use.

Small Details Can Change the Experience

Good fitness apparel, a lot of times, is a result of details that may seem insignificant during the development.

It is also necessary that a pocket must stay fast while in motion.

No waistband should ever have to be tight enough, in order to stay put, that it becomes uncomfortable.

Easily manageable drawstring. It is essential, that a drawstring should function, without grow into a “nagging”.

The labels should not cause undue irritation.

Furthermore, the position of seams can also influence how a garment feels.

The most detailed is not always the most complicated. It is the detail that makes sense for the way the garment will actually be used.

Sampling Is More Important for Fitness Apparel

A test should do more than prove the garment fits the bill.

Worn and tested.

In the area of fitness apparel, brands could examine how the fabric performs under movement, stretching, and normal exercise. For fit areas, can be inspected in multiple positions, not just standing.

Testing such as washing tend to give good results.

Additionally, after a number of washings it is able to recover, shrink, change in color, pill, seam shape, overall shape.

It is much easier to find these issues during sampling then later on when producing hundreds of parts.

Printing and Branding Need to Work With the Fabric

Most fitness merchandise be it apparel, ing or even accessories will have some form of logo, graphic, label or other branding.

The way of application should be adapted to the material.

The same design, when printed on a cotton T shirt, may behave differently when printed on a very elastic material.

Each of these can have an effect: stretch, surface texture, washing and around the location of the graphic.

For the brands, then this suggests that branding should be within the fabric and construction and not last minute.

Bulk Production Is a Different Challenge

The first step of producing one pair of fitness kit correctly is just a part of the whole process.

The larger challenge is for the quality of the same production run to be consistent.

The variations of stretch fabrics can accentuate how important consistency is.

All measurements, fabric properties, colours, stitching, printing and finishing must be kept as close as possible to sample approved.

This becomes particularly relevant when a brand‘s orders are placed on sale on a repetitive basis.

The product should look exactly the same. If the end customer makes several months later, the end fit and feeling must be same.

What We Do at JiuvelWear

We are old for clothing brands working on custom apparel projects involving sport and performance clothing at JiuvelWear.

For each product, we are able to provide fabric sourcing, pattern making, sampling, fitting, adjustments, branding, packaging, bulk production, as well as quality control.

We don‘t treat each fitness product in the same manner.

Knowing what the function of a gym T-shirt is will help translate into very different conditions from a pair of compression leggings, a pair of training shorts or a hoodie designed for performance.

The manufacturing process needs to be designed with respect to the product and how the end consumer will use it.

Developing the Product Before Scaling It

Starting a new fitness clothing brand, putting together a design and then placing a large order can be very tempting.

Devoting a greater amount of time to the development process often has the effect of preventing more expensive problems occurring at a later time.

The fabric can be tested.

It can be fitted.

Failed construction details can be examined.

The ‘branding’ can be checked.

The sample is washable and wearable.

Once approved, the specifications will serve as a practical guide for large scale manufacturing.

This is particularly helpful when a company intend to develop a line and not just a singlegarment.

What to Look for in a Fitness Apparel Manufacturer

The right manufacturer should be able to grasp the product requirements as such and not reproduce a drawing.

Are these compatible with stretch fabrics?

Can they assist with the choice of material?

After sampling can they adapt the patterns?

Do you have the capability to meet your branding needs?

Have they been able to keep all measurements and built up during the bulk production?

Are they able to do re-order when the product is selling?

These questions are almost more practical than just considering the factory prices.

Building Fitness Apparel People Actually Want to Wear

A good fitness clothing should not only resemble sportswear.

The equipment should feel comfortable when moving around and should perform as expected when trained with and last beyond the force of repetition.

Which is there. There has been the right mix of fabric, fit, construction and control in production.

The ultimate goal for brands is very simple: make things that people come back to buy again.

If you are interested in creating a fitness clothing collection, JiuvelWear can produce from your specifications, design, or photo samples. Tell us about your project to begin planning for fabric, sourcing, custom branding, and production.