UA and Sochi

Over the weekend a friend, and fellow blogger 52makes.com , sent me a lovely little text asking me if I'd heard about the issues with the Under Armour speed skating suits in this heres Olympics. I'm still getting the hang of collecting information, trying to figure out what to read, trying to stay current, especially since I haven't been ehrm following the Winter Olympics... I appreciated the tip. Thanks Joe!

Here is a little back story: Under Armour has been sponsoring the US speed skating team since 2011 and has since worked on improving the suits' design and performance. Most recently they dressed the team at the US World Cup circuit where team America performed very well. In anticipation for the 2014 Olympics UA teamed up with defense contractor and F-16 developer Lockheed Martin Corp. to create "the world's fastest suit". Yes F-16, as in fighter jets F-16. Just wait because this gets more intense. After two years of top secret research, 300 hours of wind-tunnel testing on fiber glass mannequins, 225 different suit models, (testing the most optimal fabric placement/design variations) out comes... t h e  M a c h  3 9, (queue the fog machine, release the eagle... wave the flag).

First I want to talk about the suit itself because the idea behind it is pretty cool and should be appreciated. Then we can get to the drama bomb of this whole situation.

Picture source: http://galleries.apps.chicagotribune.com/chi-hightech-speedskating-suits-20140116/

 *Note, the Mach 39 was designed for the long track only. When I was doing research I kept coming across a similar suit, especially on the women, that didn't have the dimpled poly, the stretch cross-body zipper, or the back mesh - those are for the short track.*
There are a few key textiles and design features that were supposed to make this suit superior to what's out there right now. The first feature I noticed was the dimpled polyurethane panels at the hood, the forearms, and the lower legs which are supposed to "cut" through and divert the air flow around the body instead of pushing through it. Then you have the "slippery" silver fabric at the inner thighs and armpits which reduces friction. What is this slippery fabric you ask? Slippery fabric. I've been trying to find that out myself, I can only assume it is a coated spandex?? The zipper was also specifically developed for this suit. It is a special stretch zipper that moves with the wearer's natural movement. They have placed it across the wearer's body instead of right down the middle. This is supposed to add comfort to the suit and by keeping the zipper away from the neck it's also supposed to make sure the zipper stays closed. And then the vent... UA designed the suit with a mesh panel at the back, between the shoulder blades for a cooling effect, to allow heat to escape so the wearer doesn't get too hot. THIS is the feature that is making everyone throw some side eye. Apparently the back mesh panel was causing drag in the suits and costing the athletes' precious seconds in their race times - especially since the two Gold Medal favorites failed to place in their first races. Not to mention that some of the women speed skaters had the UA technical team remove that same back panel after their initial races, (UA sent a team over to Sochi in case of emergency alterations). It's been a few days since this has happened and in the meantime the team has been allowed to wear their alternate suits which they wore at the World Cup, also made by UA, fun-stuff not included. Apparently the team was 50-50 about switching the suits; some wanted to continue wearing the Mach 39 and the other half wanted to switch. But since the Olympic rules state that a team must all wear the same uniforms, they decided with the old suits....out with the new, in with the old eh? I have to say, they are pretty lucky that the U.S. Olympic Committee, (USOC) approved the switch, 'cause that would have really sucked.

Alternate US Speed Skating suits, also by Under Armour

 Mmm-kay, this what I think about all of thissssss. Well first, the initial speculation that the suit was costing medals doesn't really apply anymore. Since the switch was approved the US Speed Skating team still has yet to medal - there are still a few races left though. I'm just going to say it... isn't it entirely possible that the US is just being out-skated?
There are a few things that bother me though. From what I've read, UA only recently gave the suits to the team back in January. In fact, it sounds like the athletes didn't get to test out the suits prior to arriving in Sochi. Thankfully though, UA sent a technical team there to take care of any unforeseen alterations - I hope you pay your oracle well UA. I'm also curious about the testing process. It was stated that they put fiber glass mannequins under vigorous 300 hour wind tunnel testing, but the mannequins were stationary? Would it have made a difference had the mannequins actually simulated a speed skaters motions? Would they have been able to see the issue with the back mesh panel? I don't even know if that would be possible but I'm just gonna put it out there.

I don't think UA deserves all the blame and so far everyone agrees. I don't think people are that, uh, silly, to not consider everything that goes into winning an event: suits, training, conditions, competition. In one of the articles I read they pointed out that in an effort to stand out and really make space for themselves in the active performance industry, between Nike and Adidas, UA strives to challenge what we think of "performance wear". I think teaming up with Lockheed is a perfect example; taking the concept of defense, machinery, engineering and incorporating it, funneling it down to something simple like clothing. The brand image speaks to making your body preform as the best machine it can be. I get it. UA is new, Nike and Adidas are very, very seasoned. I can appreciate UAs efforts to establish themselves but with that comes risk. Do I think this is going to hurt them. Absolutely not. If anything this will, and already has, generated more awareness about the brand. They gonna be just fine. 

Accio Zipper

A few weeks ago Under Armour debuted their MagZip Jacket, (the line isn't available until 2014 so calm yo' tits ya'll) with its "revolutionary" magnetic zipper feature. I'll be honest, it's pretty cool. Right now, in the performance activewear industry, the focus has been fabrics - moisture wicking, antimicrobial... but there hasn't been a lot of "practical" innovations. Although this isn't a reinvention of the wheel I think it's a preview of what's to come. Adding or integrating technology into performance garments has been an on-going trend. Perhaps the magnetic zipper is the first example of how we can enhance the more mundane, overlooked aspects of garments.

Essentially MagZip is a strong magnet + a re-engineered zipper clasp which automatically guides the two ends of the zippers together which then allows you to zip up the jacket one handed. *MAGIC* I encourage you to read more articles on this for the comments alone, they are pretty highlarious but they also bring up interesting points; is it safe for people with pacemakers and more importantly, is UA going to share the knowledge...
Although the zipper is patented and licensed by Under Armour the idea actually came from engineer Scott Peters. Peters originally designed the zipper to help those who suffer from a lack of fine motor control and coordination dress themselves with more ease and worked through about 25 prototypes before getting it right. I hope it still gets put to its original purpose. Yes it's neat, and yes when its available for purchase it's going to sell out but I hope Under Armour shares the wealth. I don't know, it would be too bad if UA having the patent meant exclusivity to the activewear world - this could do a huge amount of good for who Peters had in mind.

Do I think this is going to be an explosive trend? No. Am I going to try it on and zip that thing up repeatedly, with one hand, like a boss? Yes.