This year the design team Oliver, Izzy and Christina, attended Source Fashion, a show at The Excel centre in London to expand our knowledge, learn the emerging trends and meet new suppliers. We attended a particularly interesting panel talk on durability, and why it matters led by Dr Kate Baker and Sarah Coleman. Here is a summary of what we learnt and how we will apply it.
Golf apparel has evolved dramatically over the years, and durability is one of the most valuable qualities of a garment. It needs to withstand frequent wear, changing weather conditions, and repeated washing.
Golf clothing is exposed to a variety of conditions during a round. We spend hours walking the course, stretching through swings, and dealing with sunshine, wind, light rain, and changing temperatures. Durable clothing maintains its shape, colour, and performance despite these demands.
Physical vs. Emotional Durability
The speakers at the event made an interesting distinction between physical and emotional durability. Physical durability is something we all naturally demand and they said that in recent surveys unsurprisingly 80% of people said that it was most important to them after affordability and alongside fit. When discussing the durability of ladies' golf clothing, most people think about strong fabrics, quality stitching, and garments that withstand repeated washes.
Engineered to Last: Our Fabric Standards
The durability of ladies' golf clothes starts with the materials used. It is important that they:
- ✓ Resist fading from sunlight and retain their shape after repeated washing.
- ✓ Prevent excessive stretching or shrinking.
- ✓ Wick moisture away from the skin for lasting comfort.
- ✓ Dry quickly after rain or perspiration.
- ✓ Feature durable seams that withstand regular swinging and bending.
At Pure Golf we are very confident with our fabric choice and carry out testing on the fabrics and finished garments to ensure they will last. Attending the show reinforced our commitment to increasing and refining our testing to ensure our garment longevity is the best it can be.
📢 The panel speakers said that an important part of extending the life of a product is how it is cared for. As a person that is often guilty of throwing everything in the washing machine and not reading the instructions, that was important to be reminded of! Avoiding excessive use of fabric softeners and air dry, when possible, helps to prolong the life of a garment.
At Pure Golf the care instructions are on the garment, and we now also have them on the web listing, but we are going to work towards a dedicated care page on the website which is more detailed and look towards QR codes on the products to.
The Power of Emotional Durability
The discussion on the not so well commentated on emotional durability was very interesting. Emotional durability refers to the connection you develop with your clothes you own, how relevant it is to you and how often you wear it. Durability creates long term value which makes it more economical over time. That is in fact a core fundamental of Pure Golf in a couple of ways.
Firstly, the whole way we design Pure is to incorporate our core range into each fashion collection. So, if you have an ocean coloured skort, each year there will be new printed tops that you will be able to purchase to wear with it. The colour will not be slightly off or different forcing you into a full outfit change but instead you can get many years of wear out of a core piece whilst still freshening up your wardrobe and keeping up with what is on trend. Additionally, we also often have prints with a multitude of colours so you can pair it with many items you already have in your wardrobe – giving garments longevity and versatility.
Golf often creates lasting memories, whether it is a first tournament or competition win, a charity event, or a special day shared with friends and family. The clothing worn during these experiences can become closely associated with those positive moments. Every successful round, enjoyable competition, memorable golf trip or matching team kit can strengthen the emotional value attached to favourite garments, transforming them into more than just clothing. This often encourages us to keep garments and wear them for a longer time. We all have our favourite outfits and some even have their lucky pants to build confidence transforming it to more than just clothing!
We’d Love to Hear From You
We are always wanting to improve and grow so if you have any thoughts on durability, please do get in touch by emailing Oliver at sales@surprizeshop.co.uk and we will love to hear from you.
Christina
Owner
