For a long time, people have always thought that activewear is a type of sportswear. This concept is not entirely correct. With the popularity of activewear in recent years, it has gradually become independent of sportswear in the traditional sense. In this article, you will understand the difference between the two, and based on these differences, how should we choose high-quality and suitable activewear? We will also make some useful suggestions on where to buy activewear at wholesale price!
Common Question: Is activewear different from sportswear?
While activewear is usually created from a sustainable material and includes clothing pieces such as parkas, hoodies, pants, crew neck fleece sweaters, and more, sportswear includes any clothes, shoes, or accessories that have been created with the sole purpose of exercising or taking part in sports. When we talk about sportswear we should always ask ourselves about the function of the clothing item. Does it have any thermal properties, does it provide ultimate comfort, is it sustainable? Has the fabric been chosen specifically because of its weight to make certain movements easier?
Comparing the flexibility of both styles, activewear prevails as the clothing is usually created to fit a wider range of physical activity types. Sportswear is not as flexible as its focus is solely on comfort and functionality, as well as keeping the temperature of the body as required by the sport or physical activity.
6 Tips: How to choose the best activewear
While choosing custom sports clothing, the type of material should be one of the most important factors to consider – like the look and feel of the product can produce wildly different results.
So, what are we looking for in high-performance sports apparel? Take a look at some of the biggest considerations:
- Design – When choosing material to use for embroidery, its ability to hold the embroidered stitching is a key factor. Without that, certain designs cannot be achieved. In addition, sportswear doubles as a fashion statement, especially in this age of sports branding – so what can be achieved in looks and aesthetics with the material is a huge consideration.
- Comfort – when you’re exercising, the last thing you want is your clothing to feel uncomfortable. It distracts you and takes you out of the zone. You want something soft but also malleable and stretch resistant so you have full mobility when taking part in strenuous activity.
- Weight and Durability – functional clothing has to be hard-wearing as the material is put under significant stress during exercise and sporting activities. The weight of the clothing is also extremely important as in many sports every ounce you unnecessarily wear robs you of energy and worsens performance and results.
- Moisture Regulation – Functional sportswear must be breathable to transport moisture like sweat from the body to the outside of the material without issue. If the clothing doesn’t do this, anyone wearing it will quickly become too hot or too cold, which can cause injuries like muscle strain and cramps.
- Protection against the Elements – This has become a much more important feature as materials have become available that are waterproof and wind-resistant. In some climates, this must be close to the top of the list as the conditions are hazardous without protection.
- Price – Of course, the price of the material is always going to be paramount. If something costs much more than its rivals it has to perform much better or have a unique selling point that makes it more attractive to create sportswear with. Especially in today’s buyers economy where consumers have all the power and profits are constantly being squeezed.
How to distinguish the fabric of activewear
The most useful way to determine if a technical fabric is right for you is you request a sample. Most online retailers now offer free (or low-cost) sample swatches. It can save loads in wasted time and fabric if the sample turns out to be different from what you expected!
Beyond the usual reasons for checking color and feel, testing for shrinkage, or deciding which needles to use, you can also use samples to learn more about the technical properties of a fabric.
- Stretch your fabric and measure the stretch percent to determine if the final garment will fit.
Stretch: Many patterns will provide a stretch guide on the pattern envelope, but it’s difficult to apply this to other common garment styles, and you don’t always have the pattern with you. You can determine the stretch percentage by marking out 10cm, then seeing how far you can stretch this against a ruler. If it stretches to 15cm, then the fabric has 50% stretch in that direction.
Fiber content: The quickest way to tell if your sample is a natural or synthetic fiber is to burn a small portion of it and assess the smoke and remains. There are many great burn test guides online, which can help determine if that 100% merino jersey really is entirely wool.
- Test wicking by spraying with water and seeing how long it takes to dry.
Walkability: With wicking fabrics, it’s important to be able to tell the right side of the fabric from the wrong, so the moisture doesn’t move in the wrong direction. If you can’t tell by looking at the weave, then you can do an informal test by lightly spraying one side with water and noting how long it takes to line-dry. Repeat with the other side. The side sprayed which dries the quickest should be against the skin.
Road testing
Once I’ve sourced a pattern and some great fabrics for my next exercise project, I always buy a little extra fabric so I can sew up a quick sample to test on-the-road. Fit and comfort are particularly personal when it comes to activewear, and I often find that I need to make a few small tweaks for a new pattern or fabric to make it exactly right for me. By buying an extra yard or two to make up a wearable muslin, you can ensure that your finished version will be just as you like it — whether you’re running a marathon or just out for a country stroll.
Where to buy branded activewear at wholesale price?
In fact, most buyers never know the existence of these OEM clothing factories, they think it’s exactly the brand owners manufacture their clothing.
However, most branded clothing comes from Asia! India, Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China. Even if you have no problem finding yourself these branded clothing OEM factories, you will have problems with the language barrier or international payment. The most important:
Unfortunately, they won’t accept individual orders of low MOQ. If you really want to benefit from the wholesale price for branded clothing, try to search for them on Aliexpress or 1688.
Or you are looking for the activewear vendors and plan to order in bulk (MOQ>=500) from clothing manufacturers/suppliers, you can contact me by email at [email protected] for more details 😉
I will be happy to recommend to you a great OEM clothing manufacturer.