"Athleisure Wear, Differences in Sweat Absorption and Drying Speed Among Products"

Some products may cause color transfer due to friction or water exposure

Athleisure wear sold on the market showed differences in key functionalities such as drying and absorption speeds depending on the brand. Some products did not meet the recommended standards in terms of color change and usability.

The Korea Consumer Agency announced on the 29th that these findings were confirmed after testing and evaluating the tops and bottoms of athleisure wear from 10 brands.

The survey targets included nine tops: Nike (Dry Fit Legend Men's Long Sleeve Fitness Top), New Balance (MEN Accelerate Long Sleeve Tee), Dynafit (STARTER Men's Long Sleeve Tee), Descente (Tough Essential Long Sleeve T-shirt), Adidas (Workout PU Print Long Sleeve Tee), Andar (NEW Airyfit Men's Long Sleeve), Under Armour (Men's UA Tech Long Sleeve), Jeximix (Daily Ecotive Long Sleeve), and Puma (Men's Train All Day Long Sleeve T-shirt).

The bottoms tested were five products: New Balance (MEN Core Pants), Le Coq Sportif (AGA Men's Dualflex Track Pants), Adidas (3S Double Knit Track Pants), Under Armour (Men's UA Pique Track Pants), and Puma (Men's Core Knit Training Pants).

In drying speed, Dynafit tops and Le Coq Sportif bottoms performed relatively well. In absorption speed tested after one wash, six tops including Nike and two bottoms including Under Armour were rated grade 5, indicating they absorb water or sweat quickly.

Durability met the recommended quality standards for all products; however, in the wet colorfastness test that checks color change when wet, Under Armour tops fell short of the recommended criteria. In the rubbing colorfastness test, which measures the degree of color transfer due to friction, Jeximix tops did not meet the recommended standards.

Weight, thickness, and price varied by product. Among tops, New Balance products were the lightest at 145g, and among bottoms, Le Coq Sportif products were the lightest at 228g. The outer fabric thickness of tops ranged from 0.41mm for New Balance, which was relatively thin, to 0.58mm for Descente, which was the thickest. Bottoms showed differences from 0.54mm for Le Coq Sportif to 0.98mm for New Balance. In terms of price, Andar tops were the most affordable at 31,000 KRW, while Under Armour bottoms were relatively inexpensive at 59,000 KRW.

The Korea Consumer Agency plans to provide information on the quality and safety of functional clothing through 'Consumer24'.