Sales of sports bras are steadily on the rise, and not just due to an increase in fitness participation. Athletic apparel brands are using premium performance fibers to finally give women comfortable, sexy and supportive bras that move from workout to work, without missing a beat.
The last half century has brought countless innovations to the apparel industry. Consider the synthetics that look and feel as good as the best silks, cashmeres and suedes, but that can be thrown in the washing machine. Or how about athletic apparel that cools the body, wicks away moisture, and records heart rate? And finally, keep an eye out for the coming-soon conductive jeans that will enable the wearer to touch a pocket to make a phone call. Clothing has gone beyond ultra-comfortable all the way to high-tech.
However, women could hardly be blamed if they felt left behind when it came to the one garment in which they spend most of their day – the bra. The bra hadn’t seen any major innovation since the cleavage-enhancing Wonderbra caused a stir in the early Nineties. Even then, though they liked the look it gave them, women complained that the foam-stuffed push-up style was rigid, hard to fit, and not very comfortable.
Now, almost a quarter-century later, a bra revolution is underway at last, but not in the lingerie department. Instead, it’s happening in sporting goods!
While standard bras haven’t changed much, sports bras are benefiting from research, innovation and the very best in performance fibers, and as a result, women are increasingly wearing sports bras outside the gym.
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Comfort is queen thanks to performance fibers
Keeping women uncomfortable and burdened by stiff cups and underwires hasn’t been a conspiracy, of course. Companies have tried to figure out how to give women the comfort they crave, but it wasn’t easy finding the innovation that would allow it.
Over the past decade or so, advances in textile fibers have allowed premium athletic brands to develop cutting-edge performance fabrics that cool, insulate, wick moisture and combat odor. After these fabrics found their way into sports bras, women became accustomed to the high-tech benefits, and began wearing those bras with streetwear.
Many of the best performance fabrics in the market today are made of Nylon 6.6, the premium nylon made by a relatively small number of fiber producers.
Nylon 6.6 fibers can be modified to deliver benefits based on the specific needs of a garment. Some Nylon 6.6 fibers provide cooling properties or wick away moisture, eliminating the discomfort that perspiration can create in the band and cup area.
Yellowberry is a beloved bra brand founded by a teen specifically for other teens struggling to find cute and comfortable bras they can feel good in. In addition to finding major success on its own in the marketplace, Yellowberry has locked down a high-profile collaboration with the major teen apparel brand American Eagle.
Yellowberry has already made waves in the intimate apparel industry, and is continuing to do so by touting the design specifics of its Chickadee Seamless bra. The product contains two specific NILIT Nylon 6.6 fibers – the sweat-wicking Aquarius and the cooling Breeze fibers – and describes the fit and feel provided by these performance yarns. By doing so, Yellowberry is demonstrating its confidence in the intelligent buying decisions being made by the girls and women that make up its fervent fan base.
Champion, a division of Hanesbrands, has become known for its seamless molded-cup sports bras made of NILIT® Softex combined with spandex. The garments move effortlessly with the body of the wearer, giving full support regardless of whether she’s sprinting down a trail or reaching for a coffee in the office.
Though Nylon 6.6 is lauded in the apparel industry for its performance traits, its superior tactile aesthetics are important as well, particularly in next-to-the-body garments. Nylon 6.6 gives this new generation of sports bras the soft feel of silk and the sexiness of lingerie with the machine wash, tumble dry convenience of manmade fibers. Nylon 6.6 is strong yet soft, reducing the incidence of chafing during running or other sports activities.
Sports bras with crossover appeal
Athleisure – the trend of integrating comfortable athletic garments into everyday wear – isn’t anything new. The inclusion of sports bras into this trend is helping it become not just a look, but a way of life.
According to NPD Group’s Consumer Tracking Service, sales of traditional bras have been falling while sales of sports bras are steadily on the rise. NDP reports that sports bras now make up a whopping 20% of the $6-billion-plus bra market.
It’s no wonder then that major brands including Nike, Under Armour, Jockey and Lululemon are joining Yellowberry and Champion in not only giving women the premium fit and feel they want in their bras, but in focusing on comfort and fit in their marketing as well.
Nike attributes the 20 percent increase in its women’s business last year to innovative garments like the Nike Pro Bra Collection, whose marketing campaign “Change Your Bra” helped it become the number one selling sport bra in the U.S. Not to be outdone, Under Armour features elite female athletes in its Armour Bra Collection campaign, and Jockey is offering a home measurement kit that will allow women to purchase a custom-fit bra.
In perhaps the most enthusiastic nod to the growth potential in crossover or “athleisure” bras, L Brands has reported that its Victoria’s Secret’s VSX Sport bra collection, some of whose styles have push-up features and padding, is one of the fastest-growing segments of its business.
A whole new world
Women are voting with their wallets, and the results are in: the ultra-comfy, no-compromise bras made possible by performance fibers are what women want. Though athletic apparel brands are currently ruling the bra market with their versatile sports bras, the sex appeal-focused lingerie brands have begun to take notice, and are now making the shift towards comfort.
Innovation has once again found its way to the bra.
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***sponsored by Nilit
