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Only months out from the Olympics in Beijing China, one of the world’s leading business magazines Businessweek has been singing the praises of a small Australian Company that has developed technology hugging clothing. Called Skins the $35 million dollar Company that is based in Sydney is set to compete up against some of the biggest brands in the world including Adidas and Nike.
Businessweek claims that as the Summer Olympics approach, makers of snug-fitting sports apparel are turning up the marketing volume on new garments designed to improve muscle strength, aid circulation, and deliver other benefits. Some of the claims fall short of medical proof, but the movement is having one clear effect: putting pressure on Under Armour (UA), which pioneered the trend.
The magazine also claims that for years, doctors have prescribed compression socks for deep vein thrombosis, an ailment marked by pooling of blood in the veins. The supports, often worn on long plane trips, help push blood through the veins. Credit for bringing the idea to the mass market goes to Under Armour, which grew into a $606 million megabrand by marketing its gear as a hip answer to loose-fitting cotton T-shirts.
Skins, with an expected $35 million in sales this year, are a pipsqueak by comparison, so it must talk a good game. On its Web site, the Sydney Company lists several studies discussing muscle recovery. In addition to compression, Skins’ products are supposed to reduce the build-up of lactic acid and other toxins that induce fatigue. The clothes supposedly help the body flush the toxins from different muscle groups. “Maybe some of [the benefits] are mental,” says Jeff Keil, a Skins devotee and triathlete who placed 11th among Americans in the 2007 Ironman. “But I do believe the clothes reduce fatigue.”
Adidas and Wacoal, a Japanese supplier of women’s underwear, are promoting garments with built-in bands to add muscular support. Speedo and TYR Sport have new swimsuits designed to help Olympians zip through the water. Nike will soon show off a new line of body-hugging tights. And Australian upstart Skins will begin a U.S. marketing campaign claiming its clothes hasten muscle recovery after extreme exertion. “This is such a hot category,” says Skins CEO Jaimie Fuller. “Everybody is leaping in.”
See more at BusinessWeek
