Gear for Sports to offer new '08 women's styles
Gear for Sports will introduce two new women's styles in its innovative Stretch Tech fabrics for 2008.
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Thursday, December 13, 2007
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NEWSSTYLEWATCHPerformance fabrics -- what's next?
GPA Correspondent What's next for sports apparel manufacturers? After the current trend of using fabrics that are moisture wicking, anti-wrinkle, anti-microbial, sun protective and possibly made from coconut or other environmentally friendly fibers what could possible be left? We have smart cards and smart cars, so could smart clothes be the next big breakthrough in performance apparel? The folks at Canterbury of New Zealand think so with the launch of IonX Recovery Gear in North America. The company has a 103-year heritage as a leading sports apparel brand -- most notably for rugby team wear -- in Europe, New Zealand and Australia, helping athletes improve their on and off field performance. They also popularized the rugby shirt lifestyle fashion craze of the 1970s. Canterbury's introduction of the breakthrough Ionized Energy Fabric is an entirely new level of innovation in high-performance clothing. They worked with Kentucky Technical Textiles to develop the wearable technology.
The fabric is engineered to contain a finish saturated with negative ions that have been converted from airborne to liquid form. By cross-linking the finish to the fabric using a patented process, an electromagnetic field is built into the molecular structure of IonX products for the life of the garment. One analogy used is that the experience is similar to being near a waterfall. The negative ions from the water are attracted to the positive ions in your body, thus creating a feeling of increased energy and well-being. "It's electrical current," Klopp adds, "and the positive ions that you have in your blood as surplus are attracted by the negative ions in the fabric." By harnessing the power of negative ions, IonX naturally replenishes energy, restores balance and enhances every stage of an athlete's workout. It creates a near-perfect environment for the body, helping stimulate, sustain and recover from exercise.
In addition to numerous world-class athletes from several sports, pros Jim Furyk and Michael Campbell are wearing IonX gear. Furyk credits the long sleeve base layer to helping his sore back during the British Open this year. Naturally something of this acclaim doesn't come without its share of skepticism. The same can be heard about the energy boosting magnetic and ionized bracelets -- some in the medical community calling it pseudo science. But whether its placebo or science, athletes seem willing to try products like IonX if it will give them more energy -- via a natural process. The technology is expected to go beyond athletic wear - uses of the product are being studied to see if patients with osteoarthritis benefit from wearing fabric treated with IonX to help relieve joint pain. Sheets, pillowcases and other bedding treated with IonX are coming to market, and racehorses might soon be wearing leg wraps and blankets with the same ionized energy benefits. Current products comes in a variety of straps and bands for particular body parts, and also in compression base layer apparel, as well as loose fitting pieces because wearing them after exercise helps to expedite recovery. For information on IonX Recovery Gear, go to www.canterburynzusa.com. |
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