In the beginning, clothing was used for covering the body.But with the span of time, it was also expected to fulfill other functional aspects.As the expectations regarding clothing underwent a transformation,manufacturers came up with innovative solutions to attract the consumers.Clothes with special functions known as performance apparels made their debutin the apparel sector. Today, performance apparel is one of the fastest growingsegments in the global clothing arena. Growth of the industry is fuelled by thetechnological advancements, and introduction of new fibers, and processes.
Growth Drivers:
Market for performance apparels is getting a consistentboost by the rapid changes in the lifestyle of the people. Increase in theamount of disposable income, more individual families, and duel income inmajority of the households have attributed to the growth of the market. As perthe current trends, people have the tendency to spend more money on leisureactivities. New fabrics are being developed for sporting activities which isalso a reason for the reason for the growth of the industry.
Performance Apparel as a Sports wear:
Market for performance apparel as a sportswear has seen aperceptible shift with a growth rate of 19.4% over the last four years. Currentmarket is estimated to be around $6.40 billion USD, and is further anticipatedpositively to grow and reach 7.6 billion USD by 2014. More and more peopleinvolve in sporting activities such as cycling, hiking, swimming,mountaineering, athletics, and aerobics etc. The aerodynamic nature of these sportingactivities requires garments with flexible nature.
Market for sportswear will experience a positive growth morefor men comparatively over women's apparels. Much of the growth will be seen inEU, East Asia, and North America. Inner wear, weather resistant, and fleeceproducts will outshine other apparel categories in this segment.
Performance Apparel as a Protective wear:
With an increasing risk in industries such as exposure tofire, pollution, and chemicals etc, performance apparel has become moreessential as a protective wear. These fabrics experienced a drastic growthduring the 90s. Innovative outputs in the field of nanotechnology and smarttextiles have aided for the growth supplemented by the trend in the demand forsuch type of fabrics. Demand for clothes with odor preventing properties, and withstain resistant and wrinkle resistant abilities indicate the consumersexpectations for a healthy life style. Fabric treatments such as lamination,coating and microporous fabrics will have a winning market. Protective wearmarket is predicted by industry experts to witness a growth rate of 6% by 2012.
Protective apparel will have an affirmative growth inwomens segment. Outerwear for women will lead the product range in womensclothing sector. East Asia, EU, and North America will be in the growthtrajectory.
Apart from symbolizing sophistication and social status,today clothing has also been considered for health, fit and performance. Performanceapparels represent one of the fastest growing segments in the clothing marketin a global perspective finding a place in the wardrobes of most of theconsumers'.
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