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Performance Products
Dominate: Continuing to revolutionize the industry, tech
items are all the rage for 2007
By Lisa Girard, Apparel
Editor, PGA Magazine |
 Apparel
manufacturers displaying their fall collections at the
2007 PGA Merchandise Show sent out one message loud and
clear: Performance continues to revolutionize the
golf industry.
All-cotton garments, which just a few years ago
dominated the market, were tough to spot among the
hundreds of exhibitors in the Apparel Section at the
Orange County Convention Center. Instead, most
manufacturers were touting their latest and greatest
tech items, most of which now feature not only moisture
wicking, but UV protection, anti-microbial, anti-cling
and easy care properties as well.
One-hundred percent polyester fabrics continue to
dominate the market, being offered by everyone from
athletic companies such as Nike, adidas and Under Armour,
to more youth-driven companies like Fidra and Cbuk (the
new offspring of Cutter & Buck), to higher-end brands
including the Ping Collection, Dunning Golf, Nick Price
and Callaway Golf.
Nike offers three types of Nike FIT (Functional
Innovative Technology): Nike FIT Dry for moisture
control in warm weather; Nike FIT Therma to regulate
body temperature when the mercury falls; and Nike FIT
Storm for those rainy days on the golf course. “We feel
this is a good strategy. When you walk into the shop,
you’ll be able to easily identify what you want to
find,” said Doug Reed, Nike’s global director of
apparel.
Lord Daniel also made a splash at the Show with its new
Dry Point line with moisture wicking and anti-microbial
at very attractive price points, while adidas presented
an expanded ClimaCool product offering with updated
prints that Director of Global Apparel Tiss Dahan
believes sets her company apart in the industry. “We
don’t want to look like anyone else, so we create our
prints in-house,” she said. “If we all knock each other
off and look the same, we’re not doing ourselves or the
golf consumer any favors.”
For those who like the feel of cotton but want the
performance features of the latest tech pieces, there’s
the growing category of hybrids – or combination
cotton/poly – products. Ahead’s plated 55-percent
cotton/45-percent polyester hybrid is extremely popular
among buyers, featuring a mesh back for more
breathability.
Cutter & Buck’s CB DryTec collection includes SportWool,
an extra-fine merino wool that provides micro-climate
environment to draw vapor away from the skin, while
Firethorn’s cotton/poly hybrid product for men and women
provides wicking and is both breathable and is
anti-bacterial.
At the higher end of the market, Tehama’s Hang ’em Dry
category now includes pima cotton/micro-polyester items
that have the feel of cotton but also offer the
performance properties of wicking polyester. Ben Hogan
featured a 70-percent cotton/30-percent poly blend that
CEO Don Jewell said “appeals to the person looking for
tech while keeping the integrity of the line.”
Ashworth, fresh off the announcement that founder John
Ashworth has rejoined the company as a consultant,
introduced EZ Tech Pima, a combination of wicking
polyester and pima cotton. “The pima cotton gives it an
amazing hand feel,” said Sally Pearson, the company’s
vice president of design. “We’ve got it in both men’s
and women’s polos and long-sleeve pieces for fall.”
Bette & Court is also doing some combination fabrics in
its Zanzibar collection, which features an 18-inch
cotton/Spandex short and a short-sleeve cotton top and
semi sheer burn-out polo with tank top that are made of
a combination of polyester, cotton and Spandex. “Even
though performance is big, there are still people that
want the feel of cotton,” Bette & Court President Maria
Erickson said. “It’s all about giving the retailer
choices.”
In addition, some other natural performance materials
are starting to surface in golf lines. Cocona, for
example, which Cutter & Buck introduced to the market
last year, marked the beginning of a new era of bringing
environmentally friendly fabrics into the golf industry.
This technology takes the carbon from coconut shells and
turns it into a natural fiber that can be combined with
polyester to make a high-performing product.
“Cocona provides natural wicking, is easy care and
doesn’t wash out,” said Debra Miller, director of design
for Ping Collection, which is bringing Cocona into its
fall 2007 line. “It allows a garment to do all those
things, and you don’t have to add chemicals to it.”
The big news from Izod G is its new “Carbon Technology,”
another Cocona-based fabric that will be offered in 12
men’s and eight women’s styles for fall. “Carbon offers
natural UV protection, odor control, wicking and is
anti-static, and it dries faster than CoolMax,” said
Izod G CEO Nancy Haley. “It’s a very exciting new
product line for us.”
Cutter & Buck has also expanded its Cocona offering into
the CB DryTec Prestige Runner polo, Cocona CB DryTec
polished textured polo and the Coconal CB DryTec mesh
polo, among other items.
In addition to Cocona, several companies are beginning
to use bamboo in their fabrics as well. Aureus presents
BambooTech, a blend of 30-percent cotton and 70-percent
bamboo, which is an organic, recyclable, natural
solution to the market’s request for moisture wicking
performance apparel, according to VP Geoff Stiles.
Also look for bamboo in Lela, a women’s line that uses
eco-friendly and organic fabrics as a foundation for its
garments. All Lela sweaters are made from a 70 percent
bamboo/30 percent cotton blend, and there are also four
shirts made from a bamboo/cotton/Spandex blend.
The women’s side of the market also saw the entrance of
some exciting new lines, including Nancy Lopez Golf,
which was acquired by Canada-based Tournament Sports
Marketing and will be sold in the U.S. beginning this
season. The line is all about combining tech fabrics
with active but forgiving styling and a vibrant color
palette.
“I wanted to create something athletic but not
masculine, and I wanted it to be attractive,” said
Lopez. “When I felt I looked good in what I was wearing,
I played better golf.”
Oxford Golf also premiered its women’s line – whose
initial delivery will be for holiday 2007 – which is all
about details like grosgrain tape or wood buttons on
plaquets, subtle embroidery on bottoms and bra strap
holders on tops, as well as lifestyle pieces like skorts
with two-way stretch and moisture wicking lining,
convertible Capris with cuffs and reversible quilted
vest and jacket.
Verdina, celebrating its first anniversary in golf, also
concentrated on a look that works both on and off the
course – including a double collared polo, a nautical
inspired pleated skort with coolmax shorts underneath,
and a fashion plaid jacket. “We market Verdina as a
lifestyle brand that is golf-appropriate, and can also
be mixed back into the customer’s already existing
wardrobe to be worn as sportswear,” said president Dana
Coppolino. “We’ve noticed that buyers are beginning to
seek out these type of versatile pieces.”
E.P. Pro received the most buzz with its Urban Jungle
collection, which is an updated cheetah print-based
group highlighted by the Rare Persian lamb fur jacket,
Lurex sweaters and other rich textures in the tops and
bottoms throughout the collection. The company also
introduced the Tour Tech collection, a small offering of
tech bottoms and tops in bold colors of sapphire and
raspberry accented with black and white.
Lija also concentrates on lifestyle items, including
windowpane skirt, cotton/Spandex three-quarter length
sleeve top with rounded collar, all-cotton,
screen-printed shirt and windshirt sweater pullover with
color blocking.
Sport Haley’s fall line is also about versatile pieces,
including longer, more streamlined shorts, woven shirts
and cashmere/Lycra sweaters in plush shades like grape
and gray. “Last year, sales were up 12 percent, and I
attribute that to the fact that we haven’t lost our
identity to the customer but are changing as she’s
changing,” said Sport Haley Vice President Cathy Blair.
“We know she wants to modernize herself and look fresh,
but not look like her daughter.”
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