Design and Functionality
Introduction
A suit is the modern gentleman's armor. There are many intricate facets of a suit that a company has to consider while crafting such an essential garment; mainly, its functionality. Today, the designers and producers of sportswear focus not only on the attractiveness of their clothes but also on the functionality of the apparel. The demands for this type of clothes has been elevated with the customer’s sophistication, increased competition in the market, the popularity of sport and healthy lifestyle, and the desire to combine comfort and functionality. Sportswear has become a necessary attribute for the sportsmen, active sports enthusiasts, and those who participate in sports events occasionally. One of the primary reasons for the change in the attitude towards the sportswear is the increasing popularity of the professional clothes and equipment among the consumers. This specificity demands by the users to create apparel that will reflect the functionality of the professional sports clothes and remain attractive and comfortable for the everyday use.
The design of functional sports clothing has to take into consideration the human anatomy, which plays a huge role when it comes to creating the perfect suit. Muscle movements, bone structure, and comfort are all key aspects to consider as well. Not only is it essential to note the importance of human anatomy, but aerodynamics also comes into play. A truly functional suit should be able to enhance performance, reduce excessive weight and improve overall efficiency. It should essentially be “active” sportswear. For the last several decades, the boost of technologies produced a wide variety of possibilities for the apparel producers by supplying this market with new methods of sewing, innovational materials, and functionality. The design of a highly efficient, functional, and attractive sportswear requires a thorough research of new tendencies existing in the sportswear industry, current trends in this segment, as well as the experience connected to the design and manufacturing of men’s apparel. The analysis of past, present, and future of this market segment will allow the company operating in this area to gain success and competitive advantage.
The Past and Modern Trends in Menswear Fashion
It is important to mention that the menswear was developing alongside the historical, political, and social developments in the world. It is impossible to claim that menswear emerged at some point in the time, as cloths or its resemblance existed for ages. It is customary to begin the history of menswear from the 1900s because apparel of the 19th century was overwhelmed with frock coats, feathers, top hats, and pocket watches.In the Georgian period, men were wearing heels and pantyhose, which are difficult to consider a man’s suit in the traditional understanding of this meaning. At the beginning of the 1900s, the menswear was utilitarian and quite creative, as men were wearing the clothes of long and lean athletic form. It was customary for men to wear three piece suits that had sack coat, waistcoat, and contrasting trousers. Also, coats had to match, which is quite familiar to the modern men. Also, pants tended to be much shorter than those worn today with so-called “turn-ups”.
The tendencies changed at some point in the 1920s after the war. It is possible to claim that it was a breaking point for the menswear, as it became more functional and comfortable. Several classic designs were introduced after the war, including cargos and trench coats. As business managed to develop quite fast, Americans had more money to travel which affected the aesthetics of the menswear as well. It was claimed that England was the most influential destination for the fashionable menswear that further influenced the trends in this segment among the American men. Also, in the 1920s, the American college students began to add new specificities to their apparel, like button-down shirts, colorful socks, natural-shouldered jackets. During those days, the Prince of Wales had become the first style icon regarding menswear. In newspapers and magazines, Prince managed to wear fashionable and beautiful clothes that became his trademark and made the others follow his style, as people are following the style icons today. So as in the present realities, the producers and advertisers of clothes managed to use Prince’s image to sell their products.
However, in the 1930s during the great depression, American men in their majority could not afford proper clothes and fashionable accessories. It was the time when the Hollywood movies started to popularize the image of contemporary men with stylish attributes and sleek apparel. Men of 1930s admired such style icons as Clark Gabel and Cary Grant. Also, in this period, the American taste in apparel elevated competing with the European fashion. It was admitted that the 1930s were the times when men realized that they have to wear clothes that do not hide the natural lines of the body by starting to wear comfortable apparel that emphasized the masculine physique. It was a high time when men recognized that clothes have to enhance and complement body, rather than hiding it.
The next decade brought the frustration of the World War II, which decreased the importance of fashion and tailoring replacing it with mass production of clothes and increase in their functionality. It was realized that high standards and classic principles of tailoring are expensive for everyday routine. With the intensification of industrialization and technological development, working class men could not afford such clothes. This period enabled men to buy ready-to-wear apparel produced by the brands still operating today. The introduction of the mass-market had both pros and cons. Firstly, the cost for clothes decreased significantly, but the producers could not propose a variety of styles for the consumers. Also, it was the period when the producers realized that they could change fashion trends every season or year to popularize mass production of clothes. Magazine industry was used for the advertisement of new clothes and further development in marketing shifted the primary attention from the classic suit to the mass production. Additionally, the producers discovered that the manufacturing of the flattering apparel boosts the sales.
In the result, in the 1950s, the producers developed the age of conformity, where men were eager to look similar and to be “part of the club” rather than emphasizing their individuality. Ivy League’s look has become the most popular among men in this period. It is customary to think that “boxy sack suit, oxford shirt, rep tie, and loafers” were the result of the mass market advertisement that made ill-fitting clothes extremely popular among men. His main reason for this fashion trend was the eagerness of men who have just come from the field to look employable and smart. The garment and materials have to be easy to wash and wear as well as to be durable. In the result, synthetic material was used for unfitting menswear apparel, especially what concerns suits. Natural fibers are considered to be better, yet men in the 1950s could not afford such clothes due to the mass market and increase in price for the production of natural fabric. Conservative gray suits and minimum accessories were the main attributed of that epoch.
In the 1960s, there was a time of conflicts and rebellion against the government structure and the conservatism which were popular a decade ago. Fashion reflected these tendencies by introducing so-called “dandies” who diversified the clothes and made the mass production to produce more variety of clothes and accessories. It was the time when men tried to match everything with anything without any rules. It was the first time in the history of menswear when adults wanted to look younger. This tendency in fashion carried away the classic principles of tailoring popular in the 1930s.
In the early 1970s, the rebellion continued which was reflected in the fashion of menswear. The well-recognized trends of those days included tie-dye shirts, and military surplus clothing. Due to the popularity of hippie movement, the materials made of natural materials gained new popularity. Such things as necklaces, headbands, and bracelets were made of wood and leather. At some point in the 1970s, men started to wear three-piece suits again, which were made of fabrics of a wide variety of colors. Again, the fashion proposed baggy and ill-fitting clothes that reflected in flared trousers and high-rise waistcoats. In ten years, a new image emerged on the American fashion scene. Bold colors and graphic fabric represented the suit of a new business person with classic ties and suspenders.
The style of the 1990s is considered the worst of all due to its unfitting and inconsistent apparel that was neither functional nor flattering. It has to be noted that the fashion for baggy clothes that can be observed nowadays was initiated in the 1990s. The popularization of tattoos and piercings produced non-conformist groups, which reflected in fashion as well. The main trends of those days included T-shirts, oversized hoodies, and sneakers. It was the time when the trend of Business Casual emerged in fashion. In general, it meant that the style of the businesspeople became less formal causing the suite to become bigger and baggier.
Also, at the beginning of the 2000s, menswear was affected by the rise of hip-hop that increased the popularity of baggy clothes, metal chains, and baseball hats. The suits became slimmer and cut to become more flattering for men’s figures. The introduction of the internet opened the doors to all fashion enthusiasts enabling people to familiarize themselves with new trends in fashion abroad. In 2009, a first menswear blog was launched that started the popularity of such resources for men's fashion. Next year, the popularity of fashion bloggers elevated, and mass market is seeing the boost of such trend managed to use it for reviews, style guides, and ads for their merchandise. The clothes of that period can be characterized as comfortable, functional, stylish, and appealing. With the introduction of online shopping, it became easier for both the producers and the consumers to purchase new apparel and follow the latest trends in fashion. Nowadays, it is possible to access all brands and buy clothes from all over the world, which affected fashion significantly. There is a wide variety of clothes that can satisfy all tastes and needs.
It is possible to claim that today is the time when smaller indie brands increase their popularity and uniqueness has become an essential characteristic of the men’s style. In a way, the trends or even the idea of men’s fashion existing in the 1900s was rediscovered in 2010s by empowering the specificities and uniqueness of clothes. Limited edition and exclusive clothes have become particularly popular in modern men. At some point, it became fashionable to use the services of tailors or to buy exclusive suits from individual designers, which of course are affordable only by upper and upper-middle class. Also, a lot of modern designers managed to create cheaper solutions for the middle-class consumers. The most vivid examples are Versace Jeans Couture, Miu, and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
The popularity of the sportswear also has become on the rise today. While the sportswear had become popular since the 1960s, only several decades later it became customary to wear fashionable sports apparel during the hikes, running routine, and the gym. Sports activities have become popular in the 1990s, which marked the day when the clothes were designed to be more comfortable, durable, and functional. With the rise of popularity of functionality in everything to increase performance, the sportswear began to evolve with every decade.
Modern and Future Trends of Sportswear
Today, clothes and especially sportswear are required to be multifunctional, appealing, and durable. In this case, functional clothing refers to the apparel that can fulfill multiple functions, like increasing the performance of the user, consider physiological functions of humans, their muscle, and bones structure, reduce its weight, and be particularly comfortable for the consumers. One of the most significant trends in the sportswear today is the division of apparel according to the type of sport. For instance, Nike has performance, and casual clothes and its sports apparel is divided into the departments concerning the particular type of sport. The company sells apparel for running, gym, basketball, tennis, skateboarding, and daily fashion. Other companies like Under Armor, Adidas, and Reebok implement the same tendencies in their businesses’ primary strategy.
The sportswear industry is on the rise. According to sources, its net worth increased from $200 billion in 2008 to $300 in 2016 (Euromonitor). Also, it was reported that consumers tend to buy sports clothes more often comparing to the last decade. It is possible to explain this trend by the increasing popularity of active life and sports in general. Both the bigger brands like Nike and Under Armor and smaller ones, like Athleta have the ability to attract the consumers. The sportswear producers have to take into account new trends emerging together with the technological advancement, like new materials, sewing techniques, functionality of models that consider body movements during the performance and bodily functions.
One of the most popular trends in the sportswear today is compression clothes, as a growing body of research claims that it provides more benefits regarding performance and circulation of air. Notably, it was discovered that compression clothes increases the flow in 30% of the air that improves the strength, stamina, and endurance of users as well the provision of oxygen to the body. Another trend is the necessity to produce performance clothes of moisture-wicking fabric. Dry-fit and polyester shirts enable the natural moisture to move away from the body, which is comfortable for the users and decreases the chances to develop bacteria on the skin. Nowadays, the synthetic fibers are hydrophobic, which means that natural moisture does not hit the yarn. While such fabrics are not as soft as cotton, the functionality, and durability of synthetic sportswear are more significant. The latest trend that becomes popular in the sportswear is antimicrobial technology that can protect the human body from the development of dangerous bacteria. The primary goal here is to minimize the odor during the performance, which can be a problem for a lot of consumers. Also, antibacterial apparel tries to reduce the chances to get skin infections produced by active sweating during the performance.
Tendencies such as eco-friendliness of the apparel regarding the fabrics and technologies have become popular among the consumers as well. Bamboo, coconut, and wool are used today for producing “green” sportswear apparel. The popularity of natural fabrics increased, yet, today the sportswear companies tend to invest into innovational techniques that combine the synthetic fabric and their eco-friendliness. For instance, it is estimated that the fibers used for the production of sports apparel will continue to use the benefits of high-technology elastomeric fibers. It is expected that the future trends in sportswear fashion will include the utilization of memory fibers that will help the swimwear and compression sports clothes.
Also, the sportswear has to protect the body from the possible injuries during the performance. For example, the producers of running shoes increase the distance between the foot and the ground by providing the support for the heel. In the same manner, the manufacturers for professional swimwear create super-streamlined swimsuits that increase the speed of the sportsmen during the competitions. It is possible to produce the apparel with the same characteristics that will be functional and enabled the consumers to increase their performance. One of the most vivid examples of using such technology is Speedo that created its FASTSKIN Racing System that includes the swimsuit, cap, and goggles by setting up a united system that increases the hydrodynamic efficiency, comfort, and reducing the use of oxygen that provides around 16% of improvement during the performance.
As for new technologies existing in the production methods of manufacturing the sportswear, three-dimensional CAD software is utilized for designing the clothes and ultrasonic sewing technique is introduced for production of the apparel. There is a technology to assist in aerodynamic drag reduction, which was introduced by Nike in the production of Pro TurboSpeed uniforms that is made of smooth and even material that increases the performance of the athletes. Such fabrics enhance the elasticity of the clothes, incorporate flat and smooth waistband and decreases the bulkiness.
New materials used in the sportswear production have to be produced by using the innovative technologies of “multiple versus single ply cutting, color matching, needle and thread choices, stitch types, feed types, ultrasonic and high-frequency welding, bonding, heat sealing, and fusing” . Laser-cutting is one of the latest trends in designing clothes including the sports apparel. While this technique is not new, it was not used in the sportswear in that scale. The technological support for the production of sports apparel is immense due to the variety of methods available today on the market for the comfortable, innovational, and functional clothes. The companies today are forced to introduce innovations as frequently as possible, where the producers of sportswear are not exclusion from the rule. Due to the popularity and high demand for the sports apparel, even the companies that produce casual clothes introduce the sportswear lines into their brands. The examples include Gap, Forever21, Old Navy. For example, due to the popularity of activities such as yoga, there are a lot of brands specializing specifically in this business and producing leggings, tops, shirts, and accessories for this sport, as Lulu Lemon.
Conclusion
The past, present, and future trends enable my company to combine the modern trends and innovative techniques to produce highly functioning, attractive, and durable clothes that will reflect the current fashion trends. Today there is a variety of sportswear companies, both big and small, that can find its niche in the market. The primary goal of my future company is to combine the latest innovations in fabric and production techniques to create apparel that will become armor for the skin by safeguarding the body from the injuries and increase the performance of the athletes. I aim to design the sportswear for the usual users and the athletes that require durability, functionality, and protection from the garment and accessories. It is possible to combine the future trends with the classic of the experience and to create elegant, flattering apparel that will emphasize the advantages of the body and improve the appearance of the users. The primary focus of my company will remain on the comfortable clothes that will not distract the consumers from their sports routine. The company has a goal to become a competitive player in the international and local markets in the production of innovative and highly technological performance apparel that will satisfy the demands of the most sophisticated buyers and increase their performance during the routine.
Bibliography
Boyer, Bruce G. True Style: The History and Principles of Classic Menswear. Philadelphia, PA: Basic Books, 2015.
Gupta, Deepti. Functional Clothing - Definition and Classification. Indian Journal of Fiber and Textile Research, 36 no.4 (2011), 321-326.
Lewis, Hannah. 2015. "8 New Sportswear Brands You Need To Know Now." Marie Claire. http://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/549833/new-sports-brands-to-know-now.html.
Mao, Aihua, Li, Yi and Wang, Shuxiao. A CAD system for multi-style thermal functional design of clothing. Computer-Aided Design, 40 no. 9(2008), 916-930.
Textiles, Innovation. 2016. "Texprocess 2013: New Technologies For Innovative Sportswear." Innovationintextiles.Com. http://www.innovationintextiles.com/smart-textiles-nanotechnology/texprocess-2013-new-technologies-for-innovative-sportswear/.
Nike. Nike Men http://www.nike.com/us/en_us/c/men?ref=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.google.com%252F.
Shishoo, Roshan. Textiles for Sportswear. Waltham, MA: Woodhead Publishing, 2015.
