Arabella Insights: How to Build a Winning Activewear Collection for the CrossFit Community
As the World Cup is coming to an end, another game begins. Arabella is keeping an eye on another upcoming gala for fitness enthusiasts — CrossFit, one of the hybrid training competitions that now goes viral among gym communities.
We didn't bring this topic out of the blue. Actually, it spreads so fast that it has almost overturned the activewear industry in recent years. Simultaneously, the number of our partners from various gym communities who share the idea of starting a hybrid training wear collection is increasing rapidly. Thus, Arabella Clothing team wants to dig it up a bit.
What is CrossFit?
Founded in 2007, CrossFit targets to provide a high-intensity yet inclusive workout platform for gym goers. Unlike most sports competitions requiring professional athletes, CrossFit Games are open widely for individuals as long as you are a gym enthusiast who adapts to high-intensity and enduring workouts, which attracts almost hundreds of thousands of competitors every year.
The most interesting uniqueness of CrossFit is that all events are confidential for competitors until they begin. Despite the unpredictable sequences of events, it tests competitors based on 8 aspects: strength, endurance, power, speed, flexibility, coordination, balance and accuracy. Normally, the game contains power weightlifting, squatting, long-distance running and more events combining strength, cardio as well as functional movements. There are 3 stages in this game: CrossFit Open, Semifinals and Games Finals. CrossFit Open is set for all people. Even though only a few athletes can be qualified for the Finals, there are still numerous gym goers itching to have a try.
Why CrossFit Created a New Opportunity for Activewear Brands
As one of the representative popular fitness games, CrossFit has not only successfully attracted massive people to join in fitness training, but also cultivated a new lifestyle and community-driven fitness training methods, which leads to an emerging segment market in activewear: hybrid training apparel. However, it is not easy to build a clothing line like this - given its diverse movements during fitness training, that leads to a higher requirement on building a performance clothing collection. Unlike conventional and singular ways to train, the participants in this game need to finish different movements including running, lifting, HIIT and more. So what they really need is one garment for multiple and hybrid workouts.
How to Build a CrossFit-inspired Activewear Brands
Last year, Arabella Clothing luckily took part in some projects of hybrid training wear targeting events like CrossFit. And we soon gained some compliments from our clients. After one year's experience in exploring corresponding fabrics and trims, crafts, constructions and more details on this kind of clothes, we summarized some suggestions on building a hybrid training clothing collection for all the beginners who want to start stepping into this new market. Hope it helps.
1. Choosing the right items in Your First Collection
To cater to hybrid training, most founders prefer to choose many items for their first launch - which we suggest shouldn't. Generally, it is suggested to keep your collection within 8 SKUs. Here are some of the suggested key items that wearers frequently use in games like CrossFit:
Men's Collection: Training tee, Liner Shorts, Compression Shorts
Women's Collection: Sports Bra, Leggings, Training Shorts
Unisex Collection: Casual t-shirts, Hoodie, Sweatsuits
These items we choose for you match your consumer's daily routine and habits during their competition period. They can also be divided into two essential collections based on functions: performance and recovery.
2. Design for Movement, Not Just Appearance
Squat, Burpee, lifting...these are high-frequency movements that consumers need to face whenever in training or in competitions. So first of all, a functional and high-performance fabric choice plays an extremely important role in your collection. Apart from the essential characteristics such as high-stretch, moisture and evaporation management, abrasion resistance, squat-proof and weightlessness are required when choosing fabrics for your items.
With a powerful R&D team, Arabella has expertise in sourcing the most appropriate and high-performance fabrics for your collection. For your reference, we listed out some of these representative items with recommended fabrics and design details in your CrossFit-inspired collection.
-Performance Collection:
(1) High-support Sports Bra
For female athletes, a sports bra is the most critical piece in a hybrid training outfit. When it comes to jumps, weightlifting and short-distance running, they demand strong support, stability and unrestricted mobility in the garment.
Recommended Fabric Features:
Composition: 75-80% Polyamide / 20-30% Elastane, 220-280 gsm
Characteristics: Four-way-stretch, moisture-wicking, excellent shape-retention, soft against skin
Construction Details: Racerback, Bonded Hems, Hidden Pockets, Full Coverage
(2) Performance Training Tee
As one of basics not only for training but for daily wearing, a training tee can bring your brands into versatile scenarios. The t-shirt might require a relaxed fit and weightlessness to provide a roomy and quick-cooling-down feel for trainees while demanding powerful management of moisture and drying, as well as odor-control. Besides, a high-quality logo printing technique is quite important - your wearers don't want to see it crack or pill off when they are up to the field.
Recommended Fabric Features:
Compositions: Polyester/TENCEL™/Coolmax Blend Fabrics, 5-10% Elastane, 130-180 gsm
Characteristics: Quick-drying, Odor-resistant, breathable, lightweight, sleek
Construction Details: Drop Shoulder, Minimal Seams, Roomy Fit
Logo Printing: Silk Screen Printing
(3) Training Shorts
A pair of versatile training shorts is the most frequently worn item among high-intensity trainees. A high-quality pair of training shorts can bring your athletes an excellent feel to perform better.
Recommended Fabric Features:
Composition: Polyamide/Polyester-spandex Blend Woven and Knitted Fabrics
Characteristics: Abrasion-free, quick-dry, sweat-wicking, four-way-stretch, anti-pilling
Construction Details: High-waist, extra gusset crotch or Liners, Hidden Pockets.
-Recovery Collection:
(1) Oversized Hoodies
Everybody loves hoodies. Not only because they have a basic look that matches versatile scenarios, but also they fit easily. They provide warmth, comfort and a relaxed silhouette while supporting post-workout recovery.
Recommended Fabric Features:
Compositions:
Cotton/Modal/Viscose and elastane Blend or Cotton French Terry Fabrics, 280-380 gsm
Characteristics: Soft brushed interior, Breathability, Moderate thermal insulation and weighty feel
Construction Details: Kangaroo pockets in the front, Oversized Silhouette, Drop shoulder
(2) Crewneck Sweatshirts
Compared with hoodies, crewnecks offer a cleaner and more versatile appearance. They are more suitable for both gym studios and everyday wear. What they need is similar to hoodies. But for hybrid training enthusiasts, a slight stretch and moisture-wicking management would be better.
Recommended Fabric Features:
Composition:
Cotton/Modal/Viscose and elastane Blend or Cotton French Terry Fabrics, 280-380 gsm
Characteristics: Comfortable stretch, softness and smoothness, natural drape
Construction Details: Oversized Silhouette, Drop shoulder, Relaxed Fit
Beyond CrossFit: Build your brands not only for performance, but a lifestyle
Apart from CrossFit, there are more activewear brands seeking opportunities to work with this kind of functional fitness competitions, such as Hyrox and DEKA. In fact, they are all pointing at one signal: our fitness consumers have increasingly embraced hybrid training lifestyles. They expect their outfits can provide them seamless transition between performance and everyday life. When our consumers think highly of comfort, versatility and performance equally, it is a challenge as well as a new opportunity for activewear brands.
With rich experience in assisting our clients on building clothing collections from performance to athleisure, Arabella Clothing believes that our team is ready to support you with professional expertise in fabric sourcing, product development, prototyping and manufacturing, so as to help you establish a brand that meets the future.
Learn more about Arabella Clothing through:
www.arabellaclothing.com
Post time: Jul-20-2026