Keep it Tight

I've been working on two posts recently and they are taking a little longer then I thought so in the meantime I figured I'd do a little quickie post:

From left to right: Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Soccer), Jon Jones (Martial Arts), Lebron James (Basketball), Colin Kaepernick (Football), Matt Kempt (Baseball)

Nike has recently started to create buzz over their Combat Recovery HyperTight, one of their first "post-game" products. After dominating the "in-game" performance market they are starting to focus on keeping athletes fresh and ready for the next game.

Essentially the HyperTight is a post-game / post-workout compression tight worn in between down-time or travel that helps reduce the swelling that occurs in the legs allowing for a speedy muscle recovery. I first read about it on Hypebeast  then poked around Nike's website where they provided a wonderfully thorough explanation of the tights, and in true Nike fashion, they be some fancy tights. 

Designed in Nike's Sport Research Lab, (which I'd like to camp in for a week or so or forever) and in collaboration with Manchester United, the Seattle Seahawks, and other pro-athletes, they have developed the tights around this "graduated compression system" where the compression is tightest at the ankle and reduces as it moves up the leg. Now, I'm very easily impressed by a well-made video and Nike gets me every time, so I can't tell if this a genius game-changer or a basic no-brainer but howevers.... watch it.

The design of the tight is pretty straight forward, it is just a tight after-all, but I like that Nike added the stirrup at the foot to make sure the tight stays where it's supposed to and that the compression grid stays at the intended muscles. It's made of Nike's Dri-Fit fabric so you can count on the tights being comfortable and cooling.

The purpose of the tight is to help with edema, a common post-physical occurrence that happens when fluids accumulate in the system, usually at the hands and legs, mostly at the ankles. Or in layman terms, swelling. The tights help to reduce the swelling by constricting the lower leg where the fluid would usually build up thus allowing for a faster muscle recovery turnaround. I kind of imagine that it takes that fluid and kinda re-distributes it along the leg so it doesn't just collect at ones ankles, (yes, that sounds medical enough for me). What Nike has done is develop this graduated compression grid, or "power grid", which is printed onto the tights - it's that rubbery-looking stuff. The power grid design is wide and more frequent at the ankle then gets thinner and less frequent as it moves up the leg. I have to admit that I'm a little curious about how a printed grid can affect the fabric's tension enough to compress muscle - I would have assumed that the grid would have to be knitted with the fabric. But that is why Nike is Nike, they just do it.  

Many of you might not care about this next part, but this is my blog and my educational adventure and you might learn a little-something-something, so deal with it...
More technically put; the compression at the ankle starts at 15-25 mmHg, (the higher the mmHg, the tighter the fit), then reduces by about 60-80% at the calf and then an additional 30-50% reduction at the thigh. WHAT is mmHg you ask? Well it is a super fancy compression measurement known as "milimeter of mercury", (get it because Hg is mercury, science bitch!). And HOW do they measure that pressure? By an even uber-er fancy thing called the Salzmann Testing Apparatus - I kinda giggled over "apparatus", not machine, apparatus, get your facts straight. The Salzmann apparatus measures pressure created on the leg via sensors which are placed between the wearers leg and the tights. You kinda have to admit this is cool - did you know how they measured compression pressure? No? And now you have a fun party fact. (See below for impressive pictures of the said apparatus).

Where and when can you buy these? Well you'll have to wait until February 3 when they become available online at Nike.com and globally at select retail stores. *Glowing yellow not included*

Branducation: Lucas Hugh

I love Pinterest. Looovvee Pinterest. I love it for so many reasons but for the sake of relevance... I love it because it has helped me discover brands I wouldn't necessarily have come across. I did a lot of heavy pinning this weekend, behold my treasures...

Lucas Hugh, a women's luxury athletic brand based out of London is creating athletic wear for the woman who does not want to compromise on performance or style. Director Anjhe Mules started the brand in July 2010 with a background in swimwear, (which is very evident - some of my favorite pieces are her swim pieces).  Their philosophy strongly emphasizes the idea behind "art and science", marrying sports technology with sophisticated, high-fashion attitude. Often they also collaborate with artists and photographers, bringing a more runway look to each piece. Their A/W 2013 collection was inspired by the Rover Curiosity Mission; sci-fi silhouettes and ulta-modern. However there were a lot of pieces I would wear - and I tend to on the conservative/function scale of active fashion. I always get a little hesitant when I hear luxury+sci-fi silhouettes+performance wear all in the same sentence. LH does a very nice job of it! I see the inspiration but I also respect the functionality of each piece. Well done you. And for an extra fancy trivia fact: you can see Lucas Hugh in action, literally, in the most previous Hunger Games: Catching Fire movie.

LH has all the makings of a luxury performance brand. I always take the "about" descriptions with a grain of salt but so far so good LH. Producing in one of Europe's most technologically advanced factories gives them a huge advantage AND, (which I think is pretty cool) it also happens to be the research laboratory for Olympic swimwear development. Their fabrics are treated as one would expect from a performance activewear band; breathable, UV-protected, antimicrobial, moisture wicking. They mostly work with a tight-weave polyamide-lycra mix which gives each piece a mild compression fit which in turn assists with blood flow and muscle strain, okay makes sense... but apparently, "seamsealed technology" is a common feature in their design/construction. I say "apparently" because when I think of seamsealed I think of extreme weather and extreme performance garments - think winter wetsuits that need to protect the wearer from -30 degree water or snowboarding jackets, but workout leggings? I actually think its great and it makes sense. Seamsealed technology not only protects the wearer but the fabric as well and increases the longevity of the garment. For a luxury performance wear clothing line that lets me know that the clothing they are producing is supposed to last and has purpose - it's an investment. It also helps against chafing which is something I did not know but I can totally appreciate.

I have to give them credit, they are really stepping up and delivery on what their brand is about.
This was definitely a pleasant little discovery and I honestly look forward to seeing their continued success and evolution.
I encourage you to check them out! : http://www.lucashugh.com/