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Base level business
Times change, and the string vest, once synonymous with the British working class man, is not even stocked by Tesco and Asda any more. Today's base layer garments, certainly in the sporting arena at least, seem like rocket science in comparison to the dear old stringer.
Today, the base layer is all about compression fit, moisture movement, temperature regulation, muscle support and recovery, and even padded protection for contact sports. Once lurking in the shadows of sports retail, the base layer market has broken out into the mainstream.
"The base layer market has grown massively over the past three years," says Paul Sherrat, country manager for McDavid in the UK and Ireland. "Under Armour are big in the US, then Canterbury and Skins have come into the market, whereas McDavid has had a base layer product line for about 12 years. But now every man and his dog has a base layer range."
"The base layer market is still growing," says Mostyn Thomas, marketing director of Canterbury, whose BaseLayer range is worn by South African rugby World Cup winner Bryan Habana and former US Open golf champion, New Zealand's Michael Campbell. "There are an increasing number of sports that have never previously benefited from technical apparel, that are now discovering the competitive advantages that can be gained, especially from recovery wear. The more that professional athletes within these sports use base layer products, the more serious amateurs will look to follow. In sports that have been using the products for a couple of years, base layer is now being viewed as an essential stable of an athlete's kit bag, particularly within the kids market."
Prostar, which specialises in providing apparel to sports teams, has reportedly struggled to keep up with demand since it launched its first base layer products last year.
"Last year we doubled our initial forecast twice for base layer sales," claims Shane Bray, sales and marketing director for Prostar. "We were quite conservative when we launched and we were targeting team purchases with a price point of £15 for adults and £12 for kids. We doubled our target sales twice, and we still couldn't keep it in stock. In particular the kids sizes were very popular, so much so that this year we have introduced two new colour-ways. That is a trend that will continue: more colours will be requested because they are being used as integral parts of team kits.
"We have ordered more stock this year and even now we are receiving more demand than we forecast."
Prostar has found success with its long-sleeved GEO-T fitted top (RRP: £15) and Marino Short (RRP: £12), both with Pro-Cool technology to wick moisture away from the body and flat-lock seams for extra comfort.
Canterbury, whose BaseLayer products are worn by world-class athletes in rugby, golf, football, hockey and cricket among other sports, has recently added the Essential Cold (RRP: £28.20) to its BaseLayer collection. This is a skin-tight base layer designed to keep athletes warm in the coldest on-field conditions while allowing full flexibility, which also wicks moisture away from the body.
Under Armour has also launched a base layer specifically for winter sports, the ColdGear compression mock (RRP: £35), which comes with a brushed inner face designed to trap warmth while moving perspiration to the fabric surface.
Like Canterbury, Gilbert is a brand with a long tradition in rugby that has invested in the base layer research and development considerably. Gilbert's Xact Thermo undershirt is designed for a compression fit, with a view to reducing muscle vibration, and hence reducing fatigue, tissue damage and recovery time. Made from a two-sided OP nylon-polyester yarn, the skin-tight undershirt allows perspiration to evaporate faster.
Two more rugby brands to have entered the base layer market are Kooga and Skins. Kooga is soon to launch a new product line, while Australian brand Skins has recently introduced its CROM range, which stands for Complete Range Of Movement. Available in long sleeves (RRP: £59.99) and short (RRP: £54.99), the CROM garments have strategically-positioned ‘motion tech' panels on the upper torso, and are being worn by the players of Premiership rugby side Bath.
The Inner Muscle range from Asics is worn by England rugby players Toby Flood and Jamie Noon and England cricketer Monty Panesar, while Mizuno's Virtual Body range has been adapted for different sports by analysing the movements of computer-generated athletes, resulting in specific models for baseball and golf.
As for American brand McDavid, Sherratt believes they are a step ahead of their competitors with their HexPad technology, which came to fruition when NBA star Shaquille O'Neal was looking for protection while recovering from a rib injury.
"We were approached by O'Neill at a time when we were working with this HexPad technology," explains Sherrat. "O'Neill wore it, then the following weekend his Miami Heat played the Boston Celtics and they asked him if they could get what he was wearing. It grew from there to the point where about 80% of NBA players are now wearing HexPad, with padding on the ribs, and shorts with padding on the thighs. It is a massively innovative development."
HexPad is a system of dozens of small hexagonal foam pads, bonded together to make light and breathable pads for base layer garments.
"HexPad is the next generation of base layers and it is patented technology," adds Sherrat. "The challenge for our competitors is to come up with a protective base layer with compression fit, moisture management and temperature control, yet without inserting great big slabs of foam that would make you sweat like hell."
The science inside the base layer
Key to a quality base layer is compression fabric, as this will provide greater muscle support and protection. Compression stimulates blood flow, which will increase the flow of oxygen to the muscles. This means the build up of lactic acid will be reduced during and after exercise, which will result in muscular fatigue being delayed and recovery time will also be shorter.
If the compressive fabric is also anti-static and breathable, to take moisture away from the body and to ensure the athlete does not get too hot or cold, then it is all the better.
