Sports and Apparel
Fashion Technology for Apparel
Enhancement and authentication components for apparel and footwear.
Sports apparel has never been more valuable. Premium components add appeal and security features deter counterfeiters, but brands must balance technology and tradition.
Sustained interest in fitness is driving growth in footwear, apparel, and wearables. Athleisure is continuing to go premium as it converges with high fashion. Established players remain leaders and innovators, but challengers are demonstrating there is room for others to play. High-performance fabrics and features add functionality and value, with trim and merchandising evolving to reflect premium identities as well as sustainability concerns.
Demand for sports apparel remains insatiable with its combination of practicality, style, and performance – and successful new brands are keeping things fresh.
Ethical sourcing and sustainability, once the preserve of the pioneers, are now the norm. Apparel has embraced digital innovation, as it turns products into touchpoints for fan and consumer engagement, as well as creating new insights into preferences. Unique product identities and authentication measures enable greater control and traceability, to combat trade diversion and counterfeit, as well as creating the foundations for circularity.
As the industry innovates, brands must preserve heritage and enduring appeal.
In a world of connected products and cutting-edge design, apparel must reconcile technology and tradition, as well as retaining consistency and quality across licensees and contract manufacture. They must also contend with counterfeiting, which cost the sector over half a billion dollars in Europe alone. Suppliers to the industry must also support tough sustainability targets, while complex global supply chains demand reach and reliability.
