Sports tech is having a moment … apparel has finally joined the party.
It may surprise some, but while broadcast, fan engagement, and performance tech have raced ahead, apparel and footwear have been dragging its heels.
Back in our first Sports Technology Annual Review in 2021, experts looked at why apparel was so far off the pace. Pandemic-disrupted collaboration, supply chain snags, ROI forecasts suggesting the returns weren’t there, and designers were still learning the ropes with new fabrics and embedded chips.
What a difference a few years make.
In the past few weeks alone, Nike dressed Faith Kipyegon for a sub-4-minute mile attempt. Adidas countered with Chasing 100, lining up 5 athletes to pursue running 100km in under 6 hours..Nike hyped its campaign heavily but fell silent when the record slipped away; adidas kept its powder dry beforehand and has been milking the aftermath ever since.
Neither challenge counted for official records and whether you deemed this marketing plays or true sports endeavours, both show how super-brands are starting to choose sports tech as their weapon of choice.
Apparel might have been late off the blocks, but its impact could prove explosive.
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