January 2007 - Cover Story

The Proof's in the Performance

Golf apparel’s working double time this year, as performance fabrics are number one on consumers’ wish lists, along with style, comfort, brand names, bright color and more women’s styles.

By Rock Neelly

Today’s golf apparel better be working overtime or the corporate market just isn’t going to notice. It’s all about performance, performance, performance.

There are three levels of performance fabric this year: luxury cottons, which are Pima- or mercerized-based fabrics; performance cottons, Pima and micro poly-wicking fabrics; and the “hottest new fabrication,” which is 100% polyester-wicking technical fabric that provides moisture-management, quick-dry and antimicrobial properties, says Jeff Wright, design director for Minneapolis-based PremiumWear.

Mark Goldwater, sales and marketing manager, for Houston-based Sierra
Pacific Apparel, explains the mindset of the corporate buyer who keeps asking for better-performing fabrications: “Performance is just another edge everyone’s looking for. The end-user wants to be able to perform better and if they’re more comfortable wearing a garment that keeps them dry or makes them look neat or keeps them clean and odor free, they look and feel better, so they perform better.”
“The evolution of technology and advancements in moisture management are definitely the biggest trends in golf apparel,” says Scotland Thede, corporate sales director for Beaverton, OR-based Nike Golf.

Performance characteristics have really come into their own “so much so that the customer expects golf shirts – or all athletic wear for that matter – to offer multiple performance characteristics and UV protection,” says Margaret Crow, marketing director for Bolingbrook, IL-based S&S Activewear.

In recent years, the industry has seen better polyester fabrics, stand alone or blended. “These fabrics are the force behind a huge trend within golf apparel
primarily because they’re durable and promise moisture-wicking management and easy care,” says Dave Capano, director of sales for New York City-based Greg Norman Collection.

He also notes that even though performance fabrics currently are the trend, cotton always will be an essential fabric. Greg Norman, for example, enhances its cotton products by blending the fabric with synthetics or offering Pima cottons.

Along with performance properties, you’ll find high-tech polos that resist shrinkage, fading and wrinkles, says Gina Barreca, director of marketing for Avenel, NJ-based Vantage Apparel.

Body mapping garments, seamless engineered ventilation placed for maximum performance, are flying off the shelves, especially in Ashworth’s Green Grass division, says Kellie Claudio, national corporate sales manager for the Carlsbad, CA-based company.

“The issue with body mapping is the lead times. Having enough on hand to satisfy the demand in the corporate market is a challenge,” Claudio says. (See “Add Two Buzzwords to Your Selling Vocabulary” sidebar on p. 38 for more on body mapping.)

Lakewood co-based Tehama is incorporating more women’s silhouettes to complement its offerings for men, says Anne Ingham, vice president of design. “This is a huge area of opportunity within the corporate market,” she says.

Don’t forget comfort
While performance is king, don’t leave comfort sitting on the curb.
Tim Shields, brand manager for Bill Blass Premium, Arnold Palmer and NYNE, signals a caution to performance. “Performance is the buzz in the market nowadays, but comfort still is what people care about,” he says. Corporate customers want performance, but they also want a shirt that they can wear at work all day and still wear when they head to dinner with the family.

Like Shields, Goldwater notes that there’s always a tendency to move away from cotton, but it remains the consumer’s choice for comfort. “Even cotton has reinvented itself with the latest moisture-wicking cottons that in many cases are performing better than synthetics,” he says. “I’m prejudiced to double mercerized cotton. When done right it’s soft, silky, feels great and looks better.”

Ingham says her company always is exploring alternative natural fabrics, and has integrated some into its fashion lines. “As these grow in popularity, we may consider them for the corporate apparel line,” she says.

Go for the brand
Brand names help sell the concept of performance fabric into the corporate market.

Thede says a branded golf polo quickly can distinguish a company as one that’s trying to enhance its brand. “Golf shirts have a high perceived value and will continue to make an impression long after the event is over. That’s why it’s critical to consider branded apparel for your events,” he says. “There’s brand promise for your firm when you give branded apparel.”

Barreca agrees. “The branding impact and visibility of the item is the number one reason for a client to put golf shirts on their short list of promotional items,” she says. “Think about how many people you come in contact with on any given day who will see the company logo if it’s on something you’re wearing. Then, multiply that by the number of times you wear that shirt in a year and the number of years you’ll keep that shirt,” she says.

Crow says that S&S Activewear is carrying some new name-brand golf shirts this year, including styles from IZOD and PGA Tour that feature the latest performance properties.

“Brands are selling well, no matter the price point Crow says. For example, IZOD is a name long associated with the prep look that’s hot right now for both golf-related and non-athletic applications.” Also, those brands that offer luxury fabrications are selling well.”

There’s an affinity between an end-user’s brand and the branded apparel he or she chooses to use, and ultimately this link will influence what promotional products companies buy. “Apparel made from fine yarns and with precise detailing, for instance, will send a more positive message compared to low-quality apparel,” Capano says. “So, the trend is to buy the highest-quality product available within budget.”

Shields says of his brands, Bill Blass, Arnold Palmer and NYNE, that the end-user wants the brands he sees in retail and on the pros he sees on television.
Lee Strom, senior marketing manager for Seattle-based SanMar similarly advises, “To get a golf shirt on the list of premium or corporate giveaway items, my advice would be to appeal to brand awareness.”

And, of course, brand names raise price points. Ronnie Alschuler, national sales manager for the Blake and Hollister line distributed by Sierra Pacific, says that the demand for a quality product continues to grow.

“Quality costs money but is well worth it when you are marketing your image,” Alschuler says. “Name brands continue to grow in our market but a good distributor can sell the values of proven corporate brands.”

Lori Anderson, marketing manager for River’s End Trading Co. of Minneapolis, says that cost is nearly always a factor in the corporate decision-making process when buying apparel. “Even though the sport shirt has become a mainstay in the premium and corporate arena, cost is still the one detail that will determine the shirt’s place on that corporate short list of premium purchases,” she says. “Budgets for most companies are tight, so the short list will include price as the deciding factor.”

Color, color, color
With all of the fanfare surrounding performance, what about the hot, new colors for 2007?

“The bold, bright colors that had taken over the retail scene are now being replaced by more traditional and sophisticated color stories,” Barreca says. She points to red, black and white, although classic navy and intense shades of kelly green, grass green and fuchsia will be big.

Crow says bright colors, such as apple green, melon and yellow will be very popular, as well as the use of contrast stitching. “Stripes were big in retail last year and promise to continue to be popular in 2007, especially because customers are no longer afraid to decorate over stripes – that’s actually a hot look right now,” she says.

Women’s wear
In regards to women’s golf attire, it’s all about equality these days. “In order to be successful in the corporate market, you have to offer women’s stylings and have the same color offering as men’s,” Shields says.

River’s End has changed its merchandising during the last few years to not only offer ladies’ companion styles, but to also offer stand-alone ladies’ merchandise. “Slimming, flattering styles are still important, but color is even more important. Women want to wear what is in fashion, what colors are in style and found at
retail,” Anderson says.

She says that River’s End tries to give its ladies’ fashions a different look with a wider placket,dif­fer­­ent sleeve lengths or unique neck lines.

Ashworth’s Claudio says that women’s golf attire is sticking fast to the technicalaspect as well. Performance garments that fit and perform well are key in the women’s market.

“Slim garments still are strong, but not body hugging,” she says. “Body mapping is performing extremely well in the women’s market.”

Doree Wendling, director of marketing for Minnetonka, MN-based PremiumWear, says, “The slim look that Michelle Wie brought into the golf market has endured but for practical purposes it has evolved so that the fit will translate to the average American woman. The look has become more relaxed to fit a broader audience.”