Intimo più mare n° 199 - Marzo 2015

ENGLISH TRANSLATION
purposes since 1956. In France today, sporty ranges represent 4%
of their sales. Anita, who has worked with sports bras for 10 years,
has seen its sports sales progress from 4% turnover to around 10%
in 2013. At Berlei, sports bra sales went from nothing to a third of
their turnover in two years (bearing in mind that the brand has only
offered sports bras for two years) but it was stuck in this area for a
long time, as Shock Absorber, before being sold, was an umbrella
brand. Berlei aims to increase its sports sales to 50% of its turnover,
by launching one or two new models per year.
Non specialist brands are recently even beginning to focus their
attention on sportswear. It is still difficult to make an assessment of
their sales, however the mere fact that they are interested largely
proves that sport has now become a way of life which is available
daily. Until now, trainers were the only item in our wardrobe which
was known for its range in fashion. Now we wear them everyday.
Other clothing items are now following this trend, such as sweatshirts
for example. Who knows, maybe tomorrow sports bras will
have their own fashion range and follow in their footsteps?
The Sport Boom
From Rosapois to Twin-Set Simona Barbieri, from Bacirubati to
Pepita 24/7: almost all the most important brands in the underwear
and lingerie sector have recently introduced lines and capsule
releases geared to satisfying the needs of customers engaging in
athletic activities. The interest on the part of the manufacturing
community demonstrates that sport is gaining importance as an influence,
developing into a full-fledged lifestyle concept. Many of the
garments, of course, may also be used for everyday occasions. Up
until now in the realm of women’s apparel the only item reflecting
an interest in sport has been shoes and utilized in an out-of-context
manner such shoes have found multiple expressions in the field
of fashion. Today leggings and sweatshirts, revamped versions of
classic workout or training apparel, shorts and tank tops, with a
clear athletic function, are being increasingly donned outside of
the gym and off the running track. One even finds them making
a smooth transition from informal occasions to more formal ones.
The collection by Alexander Wang for H&M constitutes and excellent
example of the quickly growing trend.
Among the new entries in this growing category one finds Active
Deluxe by Twin-Set Simona Barbieri and Triathlon by Cosabella.
Active Deluxe by Twin-Set Simona Barbieri represents a basic wardrobe
for fans and participants in active sports, including a series
of shorts, leggings and sweatshirts as well as tops, briefs and
French knickers for completing the Twin-Set Simona Barbieri look
and intended to be worn either in the gym or while out running.
Triathlon by Cosabella is a collection of clothing for sport and function
swimwear for working out in the gym and enjoying various
water activities. The collection is made from a two-way stretch fabric
designed to eliminate pilling in order to satisfy the needs of
those eager to engage in athletic activities wearing garment which
guarantee maximum performance and versatility, high levels of muscle
support, super-quick drying time, protection from harmful UV
radiation (SPF 50) and corrosive chlorine. This handsome collection
includes long-sleeved tops, tank tops, boxer shorts, Capris and
bras featuring three different levels of support.
Versatile or Sports-Specific, the Bra is the Key Piece
Whatever the positioning of their offer, brands are all in agreement:
the key sports item for corsetry is centred around the bra. At Freya
for example, they represent around 90% of sports sales. For all
that, the brand continues to offer lower body sports support, namely
shorts. "We want to develop sports corsetry in sets, always with
a bra and matching underwear at least", explains Evelyne Piegay
(Freya). The lower body piece is nearly always in the form of shorts
and they also offers a g-string, which is a favourite particularly for
women who do yoga.
Brands' approaches differ however according to the versatility needed
in sports bras. For Freya, "our DNA being support, we equip
our sports bras with maximum support, which enables customers
to practise any type of sport". One reason which Panache shares:
"despite everything, even less demanding sports still require a high
degree of technical ability from sports lingerie" comments Zehra
Gezer, marketing director. Others offer different styles, according
to the sport practised. In the case of Berlei, for summer 2015
they offer eight different styles of bra, each adapted for a specific
sport (horse riding, running, trekking, etc.). At Triumph, the range
is sorted into three categories, in accordance with the intensity of
the sport. The Medium range is for sports activities which are not
very intensive, such as Nordic walking and cycling; the High category
is recommended for more impactive activities (tennis and
ball sports); the Extreme line is offered for the most intense sports
activities (running and combat sports). At Anita, we can find this
same system categorising their range: Light support, Firm support
and Maximum support for increasing support. "We did so because
you can play tennis for example in many different ways!" exclaims
Clemens Friemel, marketing and sales director.
Zoom On The Technical Approach...
Everyone has their own interpretation of the key functionality factors
in a sports bra. The primary feature for non specialised brokers
is the style, even if they focus on support. Specialists will firstly pay
attention to technicality and support, even if, as we can see, style
is becoming increasingly important. Furthermore, at Berlei, the absolute
priority is support, then comfort and softness (which is why
all sports bras are displayed in a cover, made with the least amount
of elastic as possible and heat-sealed lower cups. Anita has used
its technical corset base and knowledge of deep cups to offer a
sports bra construction which "is about keeping the weight [of the
breasts] against the body and reducing movements of the weight"
explains Katrin Prillwitz, responsible for design and development.
The brand's final sports innovation, a Butterfly X-band, combines
various seamless materials without creating too much thickness to
avoid friction (a real sourcce of discomfort when practicing sport).
Panache also offers bras which prevent movement of the breasts,
which "irreversibly damages the Cooper’s ligaments", says Zehra
Gezer. "Independent testing has shown our sports bras reduce
bounce by 83%”, she adds. Likewise at Freya, specialists in deep
cups, technicality is the first characteristic of a sports bra, the second
is the price. "You cannot pass a certain threshold because the
customer does not follow. This is undoubtedly due to the power of
sports channels, which are referents in terms of price positioning",
analyses Evelyne Piegay. At Gossard it is the opposite, they focus
on style and shape, not to mention support of course, but the aim is
"to boost self confidence", for those who do not make performance
in their sport their main goal.
Athletes Also Add Their Seal of Approval…
Most of the specialist brands develop their range in collaboration
with athletes, to ensure they relate to the most technical needs.
Arena launched a collection in partnership with the swimming
champion Mark Spitz at its very beginning in 1973.
In 2013 Berlei proudly launched their new AquaTrek bra, developed
together with a champion tri-athlete with the goal of being able
to utilize it both in the water and out. Freya worked in collaboration
with an English netball player (a discipline that developed from
basketball) in order to develop and design its athletic bras. And
recently the swimming champion, Laure Manadou, introduced her
own line of swimsuits. For the autumn-winter season of 2015/16
the collaborative effort is continuing with Francesca Piccinini, the
captain of the Liu Jo Volley team of Modena and spokeswomen
for the Liu Jo Sport collection since the spring-summer season of
2014. Its capsule release is composed of a series of garments in
soft velvet flourishing details in satin (sweatshirts, pants, T-shirts
and tank tops), embellished by the indispensable number 12 and
by floral-theme embroidery work which enhances the selection.
“By this point Francesca Piccinini has been working with the style
office of the Liu Jo Sport line for three seasons, contributing to
the creation of the capsule release which bears her name”, ex-