Scoring fashion points
Performance wear designed to wick sweat off the body is leaping from the sports field to the classroom.
Youth sports venues and high school athletes have seen the buzz of Under Armour and similar brands grow over the past few years. The undershirts, made from stretchy synthetic material, are now becoming the latest fashion craze.
"Under Armour is the brand to be seen in," said Dean Lupori, assistant manager for Dick's Sporting Goods in Bloomingdale.
Product selection with the Under Armour logo is exploding beyond sports performance gear into more of a fashion statement with fleece sweatshirts, youth hoodies, hats, T-shirts and more. Most apparel with so-called performance features use wicking, compression or anti-microbial fabrics.
Hawthorn Woods mom Sabine Niedzwiecki says her 8-year-old twin sons love their Under Armour shirts, wearing them to school on a regular basis, even for school pictures.
The fad is not just for guys. Sarah Hamilton, a fourth-grader in Mundelein, wears Under Armour gear for soccer and to school. "It's comfortable. It keeps you warm and I like how it looks," the 9-year-old said.
Competitors are attempting to mirror the Under Armour empire and its domination of the amateur athlete. Even Target and Wal-Mart carry knock-off products.
But Baltimore-based Under Armour, a public company, enjoys 39 percent of market share in performance apparel. Nike is next with 30 percent market share and Adidas has 7 percent, said Matt Powell, a retail analyst with SportsOneSource in North Carolina.
The performance apparel category, which didn't exist a decade ago, was a $4.5 billion industry last year, up from $3.5 billion in 2005, Powell said. The category is showing a 15 percent growth rate this year.
Under Armour is pricey. Children's shirts average $35. Men's performance shirts designed to keep athletes warm range from $50 to $80.
What's the drive behind this expensive trend?
Targeting the youth athlete has been the slam dunk, experts say.
Performance wear was around for the elite athlete -- Nike had Dri Fit, Reebok had Hydromove. Then Under Armour entered the market about 10 years ago, capturing the amateur athlete.
"Under Armour came in and got to the grass roots end of it. They didn't go after the high-profile athlete, but the youth instead," Powell said.
"It caught fire out of nothing. It's been word of mouth," he added.
Kurt Rous, a Grant High School football and track coach, sees the popularity of Under Armour at the Fox Lake school. "It's big. I mainly see it being worn for its intended use. I don't see it in the hallway as much," he said.
Wearing it himself, he knows it keeps athletes warm and results in better performance with its skin-tight design.
The trend has picked up momentum when younger students, wanting to emulate their older siblings, started wearing the gear to school, Powell said.
It was on the football field that the concept was born. Kevin Plank, playing for the University of Maryland, grew frustrated with having to change his sweat-soaked cotton undershirt several times a game. When his playing days were done, he set out to make a prototype of a shirt that wouldn't retain moisture.
Working in the basement of his grandmother's house, Plank developed the garment and made his first team sale to Georgia Tech. Others followed in droves. It caught on at high schools and youth sports groups across the country. Deals were then passed to the NFL and nearly every other professional sports organization.
"Bottom line is they have an awesome marketing plan," said Lupori at Dick's Sporting Goods.