Some sports have specific style requirements, for example the keikogi used in karate. On the other hand, sportswear should be loose enough so as not to restrict movement. The best athletic wear for some forms of exercise, for example cycling, should not create drag or be too bulky. Sportswear is typically designed to be lightweight so as not to encumber the wearer. While generally female players of indoor volleyball wear T-shirt and shorts, in this image taken during 2004 Athens Olympics, the Greek team is wearing leotards. Sports uniform may not always be standardized. Elastic material used in the fabrics of a summer cycling attire comprising a jersey, bib shorts and gloves. This has led to an almost bewildering array of product offerings, especially where the collision between all these variables is most intense, in particular footwear (most especially runners and court shoes), with seasonal issues, tweaks, and respins from all the major brands, elevated to the level of iconic symbols in some cultural subgroups.įunctional considerations Male football players of opposite teams wearing different colour outfits, while the referee is in white T-shirt.

At lower levels of competition and participation, there are many possible trade-offs between form, function, aesthetics (fashion), performance style, durability and cost.

At the very highest levels of performance, the durability requirement of a costly and technically advanced item of sportswear can be as short as a single competitive event. In wealthy and rising economies, sportswear is a major consumption category in the personal health, luxury goods and leisure space, associated with aggressive media presence and marketing strategies of global scope, often centered around endorsements from celebrity athletes. Performance clothing for outdoor sports in the winter or snow sports should use breathable fabrics with very good insulating properties. Apparel for long-distance running will keep the wearer in good comfort if it has excellent moisture wicking properties to enable sweat to transfer from the inside to the outside for the garment. Yoga clothing should use fabrics with exceptional stretch ability for easy movement which will likely require the fabric to be of a knitted construction. The type of fabric required will depend upon the intensity of the exercise and the activity. Sports fabrics are technical materials which help to keep the wearer comfortable during exercise. Some protective or supportive orthotics resemble and function as undergarments (especially flexible harnesses and braces) though intended to be worn for sports, these are not generally conceived of as sportswear per se. Other undergarments, such as the sports bra, furnish a mixture of protection and comfort. Especially in team sports which involved blocking, intercepting, or pursuing small, hard projectiles such as cricket, baseball, and hockey (where balls or pucks are struck to speeds in excess of 100 MPH (45 m/s)) jockstraps (or jillstraps) are standard equipment at higher levels of play. In some sports, protective gear may need to be worn, such as helmets or American football body armour.

Sportswear is also at times worn as casual fashion clothing.įor most sports the athletes wear a combination of different items of clothing, e.g. Sportswear also includes bikini and some crop tops. Sports footwear include trainers, football boots, riding boots, and ice skates. Specialized garments include swimsuits (for swimming), wet suits (for diving or surfing), ski suits (for skiing) and leotards (for gymnastics). Typical sport-specific garments include tracksuits, shorts, T-shirts and polo shirts. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort or safety reasons. Sportswear or activewear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise.

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