The big topics in sports and teamwear are next-generation mechanical stretch, full dull yarns, and a growing acceptance that unbranded doesn’t mean inferior quality, reports Tim Roberts, sales director at Chadwick Teamwear
Tim Roberts
What are the key trends in sports and teamwear for 2025?
There is definitely a trend towards next-generation mechanical stretch for woven yarns – influenced by high-profile sports brands/teamwear. By that, we mean woven fabrics that give the impression they contain spandex/elastane but are in fact only mechanical stretch, keeping the garment more affordable. There is also a trend towards laser-cut panels within garments, offering ventilation and interesting contrast texture, as well as bonded hems instead of stitch for a cleaner, more sophisticated finish.
Are there any specific design features that your sports and teamwear customers are asking for, or are especially popular at the moment?
Not in particular. We find it is usually down to us to track what innovative trims, fabrics and design concepts are on the horizon and react quickly. We anticipate what will work for our B2B customers and put ‘our money where our mouth is’, committing to stocking new styles and ranges. Then it’s down to us to create the demand. The market is ultimately driven by the major brands. Sometimes we are ‘ahead of the curve’ on product development as the trickledown effect is sometimes quite slow at grass roots level.
What innovations can readers expect to see in the sports and teamwear sector throughout this year and next?
There’s a lot of development of jacquard knits for teamwear, particularly textured jacquard panels contrasting with flat knit panelling. There is also a general movement and appetite towards lighter weight technical knit fabrics.
And what about fabric choice, what has proved popular in sports and teamwear this year?
Fabric with full dull yarns are becoming very popular. Typical polyester yarns can look very shiny and can appear cheap. We opt for ‘full dull’ polyester yarns as standard across our full stock range. Additionally, mélange fabrics combined with flat knit for contrast are still very popular. A mélange effect (also known as cationic) is created when different types of polyester yarn absorb varying levels of dyestuff, resulting in a ‘marl’ effect. This can look particularly striking as a panel in a garment.
This T-shirt from Chadwick’s Kinetic range has cationic mélange-effect shoulder panels
How popular are sportswear and teamwear as brandable products?
There is a growing acceptance that unbranded doesn’t mean inferior quality. More sports brands, teamwear companies and especially school retailers are putting their trust in quality unbranded products they can put their brand on or sell on with just a club or school crest. One area to watch this year and next is the education sector. With The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill coming into play and the proposal to cap the number of ‘branded’ items for most schools to three across daywear and PE, high-priced brands will be challenged. Our position as providing brand-quality products without the brand is therefore becoming more appealing than ever to our growing number of school retailers.
What was the bestselling style from Chadwick last year? Do you expect this to continue or is there another style that is shaping up to be a bestseller in 2025?
Year on year, midlayers in all ranges – both plain colours and colour combinations – outperform other categories and we would expect this to continue into 2026.
How do you see sports and teamwear product development progressing over the next few years?
Whilst we aim to keep all our styles in stock for 10+ yrs, technology moves on and our customers rely on us to stay ahead of the game. Increased customer awareness of technical aspects, influenced by the growing athleisure market, will impact our development of more technical garments at better value prices. We also think there will be an increase in recycled garments as standard, as recycled yarn prices decrease.
What’s the single best piece of marketing and sales advice you can give to Images readers to help them sell more sports and teamwear?
Knowledge is power. We’d encourage all our retailers to constantly learn as much about the products they’re buying as possible. With advanced technical know-how comes an understanding that buying unbranded doesn’t mean you’re buying cheap quality. Quite the opposite in the case of the garments we offer at Chadwick Teamwear, where we truly offer ‘brand quality without the brand’.
