Walk into any sports shop and every garment claims to be “performance.” Here is what the terms on the label actually mean — and which ones matter for your sport.
Moisture-wicking is a structural property of the fabric, not a coating. Fabrics with a capillary structure — very fine, tightly-packed polyester filaments — draw sweat away from the skin through surface tension and spread it across a larger area to evaporate faster.
This is not the same as breathability. A fabric can wick moisture well and still feel warm. The combination of wicking and mesh ventilation panels is what genuinely keeps an athlete cool.
Compression garments apply graduated pressure — tighter at the extremities, looser toward the core. This is designed to improve venous return (blood flowing back to the heart), reduce muscle oscillation during impact, and support proprioception (body awareness).
The evidence for performance improvement during exercise is mixed. The stronger evidence is for recovery — wearing compression after training reduces delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) in the 24–48 hours post-exercise.
UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is rarely mentioned in kit specs but matters significantly for outdoor summer sports. A standard white polyester jersey has a UPF of around 10–20. A purpose-built UV-protection fabric can reach UPF 50+, blocking 98% of UV radiation.
Golfers, cricketers, and cyclists spend more time in UV exposure than almost any other athletes. Their kit should reflect that.Dr. Priya Kapoor, Textile Technologist