Fun LogoSportswear Factoids

Fun LogoSportswear Factoids

Test your sportswear knowledge. We betcha you will be surprised to say "I didn't know THAT!"

Question: Why do women's shirts button on the opposite side than a men's?
Answer: Way back in Medieval times, women did not usually dress themselves. They had handmaids to help them. Therefore, the dressmakers designed the garments so the buttons were in the proper position for the dressers, the person USING the buttons. The tradition continued throughout the ages and even into today's styles.

Question: Which fabric are fashion experts calling "the new flannel?"
Answer: Polar fleece. Industry experts expect virtually everyone in the US to have at least one piece of polar fleece in their closets by the year 2003, as the fabric is being used for both outerwear, and as a layering element because of its warmth and insulation, as well as it's comfort and movement.

Question: What does "pre-shrunk" really mean?
Answer: It is NOT pre-washing the fabric. It is a process where the bolted, uncut fabric is run through rollers containing tiny nubs that press the fabric over the nubs, creating grooves which condense it. This puckered shrinking effect then allows for real shrinking when washed. Therefore, the fabric - not the shirt - is pre-shrunk before it is even cut and sewn.

Question: Where did the word "jersey" in jersey knit come from?
Answer: It is called that because it was first knitted in the Jersey and Guernsey Islands in the English Channel.

Question: What type of garments are embroidered more than any other?
Answer: Golf shirts. They comprise 53% of all garments embroidered, followed by caps at 21%.

Question: What makes MICROFIBER so much softer than other fabrics?
Answer: Most other fabrics have 70-80 tendrils of yarn per strand. Microfiber has 216 tendrils per strand. It's more finely woven, more luxurious, also windproof and waterproof.

Question: Name three colors that are popular for trade show "uniforms" today?
Answer: Any three bright colors. The brighter the color, the more booth staffers stand out as a team, so they can be found anywhere in the booth. The trade is calling them "Crayola colors."

Question: Where does the term "denim" come from?
Answer: From the French "serge de Nimes," a twill fabric made in Nimes, France from blue vegetable dyes from the indigo plant, which is why deeper hues of blue denim are called "indigo."

Question: What does the term "ounces" of fabric refer to?
Answer: The weight of the fabric based on one yard of fabric.

Question: Where does the word "khaki" come from?
Answer: From the Hindu word meaning "dusty," which applied to the light brown cotton of the Indian army uniforms. Troops in 1850's India found their white uniforms would be dusty within hours and began soaking them in mud to turn the same practical khaki color.