Article - Sports Clothing Manufacturers South Africa

26 May 2021

Peak Performance Attire by South African Sports Clothing Manufacturers

 

It’s hardly surprising to find that there are leading sports clothing manufacturers, alive, well, and working diligently at producing high quality, relevant gear in South Africa, our country which has a population that’s mad about a multitude of sporting disciplines – either as participants or as avid supporters and die-hard fans.

 

The Great Outdoors

 

South Africa’s most popular sports are played outdoors, since our moderate to really hot climate lends itself perfectly to outdoor pursuits and events. In this particular respect, South African lovers of sport make good use of this temperate climate, so generously provided by Mother Nature.

 

 

Gym Wear Jest

 

Much as occurs anywhere else in the wide world, some South Africans, always quick off the mark with a jibe and joke, jest about a few, isolated instances in which the wearing of the latest, most fashionable sports clothing appears to dominate the intentions of participants.

 

Joking detractors make light-hearted reference to so-called “gym bunnies” - ladies, who are reputedly more interested in displaying toned bodies, attired in stunning, attention-grabbing gym gear, than actually working out in the clothing that was designed and manufactured for strenuous work-out purposes.

 

On the other hand, (as South African rugby icon and sports commentator, Naas Botha was fond of saying), why not join these well-dressed ladies, resplendent in their ranges of South African manufactured, top-quality sports clothing, specially designed to streamline all types of gym exercises?

 

Update Team Wear

 

In fact, at XCO Group, we ask this: why not update your and your team’s attire at the same time, irrespective of the sports in which you choose to participate? Your cutting-edge gear is available from XCO Group, a leading South African corporate clothing, team and workwear manufacturer, and wholesale supplier, with a significant international footprint.

 

Special Designs for Specific Activities

 

Jokes and jibes aside, there is a serious side to manufacturing, supplying, buying and wearing quality sports clothing, since each type of garment and its fabric is specially designed and produced for a specific activity and the fabrics from which garments are manufactured. The importance of top tier attire cannot be over-emphasised, especially now that many games and matches are played on a professional level.

 

Although only top athletes qualify to compete professionally, even they make use of every potential advantage that’s at their disposal. The types of swimwear in which champion compete are tight-fitting, sleek and similar to a second skin, to reduce drag through the water. Body hair is removed, for the same reason.

 

Professional cyclists shave their legs and arms for two reasons – to make the body more aerodynamic, and to make it easier to treat and heal wounds and road-rash injuries. Additionally, skin-tight cycling shorts are manufactured to include a chamois insert, which helps to prevent the cyclist from developing saddle-sores.

 

 

XCO Group’s Involvement as Manufacturer

 

Today’s XCO Group actually began its existence in 1987, as a single, independent retail store, situated in Pretoria, South Africa’s executive/administrative capital city, one of three capitals, the others being in Cape Town and Bloemfontein. The shop, Sportoria, specialised in selling sports clothing.

 

·         1990 – Sportoria started operating as a wholesaler, supplying team wear to 27 schools.

·         1994 – Trading under the same name, Sportoria established a factory to manufacture sports clothing for the associated South African market. Simultaneously, we founded an on-site screen-printing and embroidery studio, enabling us to custom-brand the attire, voiding the need to use the services of branding sub-contractors.

·         1998 – Established Cricket Direct, a retail store, specialising in cricket gear and located at one of South Africa’s premier cricket grounds, Supersport Park, in Centurion, a stone’s throw from Pretoria.

·         1999 – Opened Blue Bulls rugby shop at the iconic Loftus Versfeld rugby stadium, which also offers Blue Bulls’ merchandise.

·         2000 & 2002 – Appointment as official supplier of Team Gauteng North (GN), and Team South Africa (SA), respectively.

·         2006 – Founded a company, XCO Sport, an institutional wholesaler, the first under the XCO banner.

·         2009 – Launch of XCO Namibia, an XCO Sport dealership.

·         2014 – Established XCO Group with four divisions, by adding Corporate, Exposure and Work Wear to the Group’s Sports Clothing section.

 

Currently, our Group’s first-established sport division manufactures, brands and supplies top-quality sports clothing and allied team wear to some 5 000 South African National and Provincial athletes, across a variety of disciplines. Chances are good that you regularly see your favourite athletes attired in our gear; treat your own corporate team to the same – at XCO.