While it is exciting that there are always so many innovative advancements when it comes to active wear, Mizzen+Main by Kevin Lavelle shows that another collection of apparel could use the same amount of attention. Considering how often dress shirts are worn compared to athletic ones, it is surprising that the staple hasn't been improved years ago.
Combining the technology found in active wear with the clean look of a great dress shirt, Mizzen+Main by Kevin Lavelle was born. As written on Fast Company Co, the shirts "are semi-porous to facilitate stretching, they’re moisture wicking, they can stretch in four directions, and they’re wrinkle-free." Yet there is nothing in their look to suggest this level of sophisticated performance. Instead, the shirts look like traditional dress shirts.
Athlete-Inspired Dress Shirts
Mizzen+Main by Kevin Lavelle Guards Against Pit Stains and Wrinkles
Trend Themes
1. Performance Dress Shirts - There is an opportunity to innovate and disrupt the traditional dress shirt market by incorporating active wear technology into dress shirts, creating non-wrinkle and moisture-wicking dress shirts that maintain traditional aesthetics.
2. Athletic-inspired Apparel - The potential exists for more brands to incorporate athletic wear technology into non-active wear apparel, creating more comfortable, flexible, and durable clothing.
3. Cross-industry Innovation - The success of athletic-inspired dress shirts highlights the potential for cross-industry innovation, such as incorporating technology from one industry into another to create new and improved products.
Industry Implications
1. Fashion & Apparel - Incorporating active wear technology into dress shirts presents a disruptive innovation opportunity in the fashion and apparel industry, providing consumers with more comfortable, flexible, and durable dress shirts.
2. Sportswear & Athletic Apparel - Expanding upon athletic-inspired apparel can create an opportunity for sportswear and athletic apparel brands to expand their product lines and enter new markets.
3. Textile Manufacturing - In order to create more innovative clothing, textile manufacturing may need to explore new materials, fabrics, and technologies that have historically only been used in other industries.