Exercising, or any types of sport training, has become an essential part of city lifestyle. While people are spending more time in the gym, yoga classes, aerobic classes, and so on, they are also spending more money on fashionable, functional sportswear.

It is estimated that the worldwide retail sales value of casual/sportswear was US$55 billion last year, and the figure is predicted to reach US$61 billion by 2010.

The sportswear market is largely dominated by brand clothing, said Joerg Hartmann, Director of Stoll Fashion & Technology International Center, adding that famous sportswear brands have made up 75% of total retail sales, of which Nike has about 40% share, while Adidas and Reebok have about 26%.

Due to the growing demand for sportswear, many fashion retailers such as Yohji Yamamoto, Neil Barrett, H&M and Zara, are broadening their product range to include a wider variety of designs in their sportswear collections.

The designs are in a trend of crossover between traditional designer fashion and active wear. Boss Sports highlights its Gore-Tex jackets. Puma products were found in Neil Barrett's fashion shows. Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto cooperates with Adidas to form the new brand Y-3. These are examples that blur the traditional definition of outdoor wear, sportswear and casual wear.

Brand is what consumers look for when buying sportswear, said Mr Hartmann, and also authenticity and reliability in the products. According to him, the revenue growth in brand businesses has outpaced that of the garment industry.

Branding is also one of the key strategies that help European garment manufacturers survive. "European garment manufacturers are strong in branding, and this perhaps is the only way for them to earn from their investments, instead of competing with the Asian market in terms of production volume," he explained.

Apart from branding, as far as sportswear is concerned, wearing comfort is of utmost importance. Mr Hartmann highlighted two kinds of comfort that people are seeking in sportswear:

Sensorial comfort: a garment should be soft and pliable to the skin, and will not cling to the body or irritate the skin when it is damped.

Thermophysiological comfort: it entails both the regulation of body temperature and moisture management. An outfit should possess the ability to maintain the body temperature and moisture at an optimal level.

He added that consumers are also looking for products that possess the qualities of easy-care, flexibility to allow body mobility, as well as durability of color and shape against wear and wash cycles.

Mr Hartmann was speaking at a seminar held recently in Hong Kong by Chemtax (Stoll) Company.

During the event, he introduced Stoll's new generation of CMS flat knitting machines, including three new models, namely CMS 530, CMS 730S and CMS 822, which offer flexibility of knitting techniques.

The newest generation of three-system compact machine, CMS 530 in E16 gauge, can produce fully fashion intarsia pattern efficiently. Its new, patent-pending intarsia yarn carriers allow tight staggering. By sliding on the intarsia yarn carriers, the machines are ready for intarsia knitting, regardless of the working width, system number and gauge.

Samples from the new generation CMS of Stoll

The CMS 730S Knit & wear is designed for the production of complete articles. Its motor-controlled, spring-mounted closed holding-down jacks enable complicated patterns to be produced. Second stitch tension or additional pattern effects can be produced by manipulating the settings. Complete articles can be produced at a much faster speed with quick carriage reversal via Power-RCR (Rapid Carriage Return).

And for the CMS 822 Knit & Wear, it is equipped with 2x2 knitting systems, and can produce one-piece with coupled carriages, or two-pieces in tandem mode for women outerwear in smaller sizes or clothing for babies and children. The machine also sets standard working width at 1 x 84"/213cm and 2 x 42"/107cm.