Today's Highlights

• Trion:Z focuses on ... well, focus
• Sizzling Summer Sales
• Father's Day gift list

NEWS

International organization honors Adidas Golf

Adidas Golf wins a Best of the Best Award from Red Dot for its Tour360 II golf shoe. Adidas Golf's shoe was one of 43 products out of 2,548 submissions chosen for the award.

Nike Golf turns in record fiscal year

Nike Golf announces national sales award recipients for fiscal year 2007.

Arkins joins Bobby Jones team

Bobby Jones announces that Christian Arkins has joined the company as menswear director of design.

FASHION

Trion:Z focuses on ... well, focus

By Lea Hart
GPA Fashion Correspondent

More than 200 PGA Tour pros wear them. They were named a Top 10 Product of the 2006 and 2007 PGA Merchandise Shows. And they're not just popular in golf - football, basketball and baseball players are wearing them.

They are Trion:Z bracelets and necklaces, which use the power of minus ions and therapeutic magnets to promote feelings of well-being and focus.

Trion:Z magnetic bracelets and necklaces are relatively new to the U.S. market, but the concept is nearly 10 years old. Similar magnet products began selling in Japan in 1999, where popularity has grown ever since.

So just how do these products work? The human body produces ions. High levels of positive ions are associated with common ailments that athletes and people in general face, such as fatigue, a heightened sense of pain, and others.

The magnets in the bracelets and necklaces infuse minus ions into the body to reduce the levels of positive ions and bring the body into balance. Wearers also find their level of focus and concentration increases.

Trion:Z launched its bracelets at the PGA show in 2006. Today, they're sold in most of the major golf retail stores, and while 200 pros wear them, none are paid to wear them, said Jim Uno, the company's CEO.

That leads to plenty of free advertising, Uno said. Every time a pro has his or her picture in a publication and they're wearing the bracelet or necklace.

"Throughout the last year, we've had a significant amount of public exposure," he said.

Uno has heard all sorts of stories related to him by wearers of the bracelets. Note instructor Butch Harmon, who serves as a spokesperson for the products, said the arthritis pain in his fingers decreases when he wears the Trion:Z products, for example.

"The product has been widely accepted in the athletic community," Uno said.

The Trion:Z magnet is not the only product of its kind on the market in the U.S., however, their magnets are stronger than most. While others range from 10 to 20 minus ions, Trion:Z magnets fall in the 600 to 800 minus ion range, Uno said. The necklace contains eight magnets while the bracelets contain two magnets.

The Trion:Z bracelets retail for $19.95 and the necklaces retail for $29.95. The magnets do not weaken over time, though Uno said that, like any fabric, the fabric in the bracelets will eventually wear out. They are washable and safe to wear in the pool or the ocean.

Both the bracelets and necklaces are made of a stretchy fabric material and come in 24 different color combinations so wearers can match to their outfits or perhaps select their school colors. Earlier this year, the company began offering customization of the products so that logos could be added to bracelets and necklaces.

Just recently, they produced a version of their products with the Oakmont Country Club logo on them for the U.S. Open.

The products are growing in popularity in other sports besides golf. Trion:Z recently entered the tennis and NASCAR markets. Drivers like Jimmy Johnson and Jeff Gordon can be seen wearing them. Uno said the company also has plans to pursue college licensing and will then customize the bracelets and necklaces for college teams.

Uno will admit that the concept does draw critics.

"I was one of the biggest skeptics when we first started looking into these products," he said.

After hearing hundreds of testimonials and understanding the science behind the products, Uno became a believer himself.

The Food and Drug Administration does not have a process for approving such products, though they are licensed in Japan by the Japanese equivalent of the FDA.

He equates it to the acceptance of other eastern medicines such as acupuncture, where it took a while to build credibility.

Still, Uno finds that, when he explains the concept to skeptics in scientific terms and they try the products for themselves, many come to be believers.

For information, go to http://www.trionz.com.