Just now, a piece of news about “an outdoor leading company raising funds to expand production capacity” appeared in the circle of friends.
As early as November last year, eight departments including the State Sports General Administration issued the “Outdoor Sports Industry Development Plan (2022-2025)”. Under market promotion and policy guidance, the outdoor sports industry has ushered in new opportunities for development.
Affected by this, outdoor clothing sales will also benefit. After all, from the “ice and snow economy” in winter to the “camping economy” in spring, outdoor clothing can be seen everywhere.
Outdoor clothing is selling well, and related fabrics are seeing strong sales
In recent years, people’s enthusiasm for outdoor sports has increased, and the demand for sports equipment has also increased.
“If you want to do your job well, you must first sharpen your tools.” Outdoor sports require outdoor clothing that can adapt to harsh weather and complex geographical environments to ensure the personal safety of the athletes. Therefore, there are many types and styles of outdoor clothing, such as mountaineering. There are mountaineering windproof jackets and overalls, and there are also special one-piece ski shirts for skiing.
Data shows that the outdoor apparel market is estimated to be worth approximately US$34.8 billion in 2022. This number is expected to exceed $45 billion by 2027.
Data source: Statista2023
Through market research, we found that in the functional fabric sector, nylon twill four-way stretch fabric is acceptable. This fabric is composed of nylon fiber and elastic fiber. The nylon fiber gives the fabric good wear resistance, while the elastic fiber gives the fabric good elasticity and resilience. It is widely used in outdoor clothing and is often used to make mountaineering clothing and protective clothing. Clothes, jackets, etc.
A weaving company revealed that the current production varieties are mainly twill four-way stretch, and the availability rate remains above 95%. Since the beginning of this year, the total order volume has increased by about 15% year-on-year. New orders in March increased by about 10% compared with February. Order maintenance is in good condition.
Today, outdoor sportswear is no longer exclusive to adults. It has also shown explosive growth in the field of children’s clothing. According to statistics, combined with Tmall and Taobao platforms, the market size of outdoor functional children’s clothing in 2022 will be 540 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 13.6%. With the rapid growth of the outdoor clothing market, many textile companies have enjoyed the “feedback” dividends brought by the hot sales of clothing.
To seize market share, fabric research and development is urgent
Outdoor clothing needs to cope with the complex and changeable outdoor environment, so it needs to have properties such as warmth, moisture permeability, waterproof, breathable, antistatic, and UV protection. Especially in spring and summer, with the increase in consumer travel scenarios, the requirements for clothing functionality and comfort will rise to the forefront. The industry generally believes that new technologies, new materials, and new processes will bring broader development space to the outdoor sportswear market. All of the above are inseparable from R&D innovation on the fabric side.
For example, there was previously a jacket made of superimposed materials. The thickness of this jacket is less than 2 centimeters, but it can withstand temperatures as low as minus 40 degrees Celsius. Its cold protection effect is equivalent to that of everyday clothing with a thickness of 7 centimeters. According to the R&D team, the superposition material is a new nano-closed-cell “flexible” thermal insulation and thermal insulation material. There is also a light outdoor brand’s main product (sun protection clothing) that uses high heat conductivity and a special weaving structure to achieve a cold touch by changing the ratio of fabrics. Under high stretch, the fabric can still block ultraviolet rays from penetrating and maintain its sun protection function.
A company that specializes in functional fabrics said that there is an ice-like Vita fabric that is selling well. This fabric is made of nylon-coated spandex, which has its own cooling gene. It is light and silky, and its ultra-high elasticity allows it to recover efficiently after stretching. In addition, the fabric also comes with a self-developed bionic process. The moisture generated during exercise can be directly discharged from the body through the spiral channel. It is a new “breathing” fabric that can bring a comfortable experience to outdoor sports.
From this point of view, functional fabrics developed for specific scenarios are easier to seize market share and can also help companies improve quality and efficiency.
Editorial
As the participation rate of outdoor sports in my country gradually increases, the demand for outdoor clothing will greatly increase, and opportunities and challenges will also come with it. In the future, special outdoor functional clothing made of new fabrics may become the mainstream of the market. Have you made plans for this hotly-popular track?
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