Luxury Tracksuits – What Makes the Difference?

Short answer: The difference between an ordinary and an expensive tracksuit set lies in the material, the finishing and the fit. A more expensive set is made from soft, long fibred materials such as bamboo viscose, has clean details and holds its shape and colour far more washes than a cheap set does.

The material is the biggest difference

Cheap sweat fabric is knitted from short fibres that roll up into pills after a few washes, often with a large share of polyester that does not breathe. A more expensive set uses long, smooth fibres. See bamboo tracksuit sets for women and feel the surface.

The inside decides the comfort

Sweat fabric has a brushed inside, and that is what the skin feels. A cheap brushing gives a loose pile that collapses after a few washes and turns hard. A dense brushing in long fibres stays soft, and the difference shows clearly after twenty washes.

The details you can see

Look at the ribbing at the neck, wrists and waist. If it is thin and without stretch, it loses its shape within a month. Look at the seams inside as well: flat, even seams mean the set was sewn as one careful piece of work rather than rushed.

Colour and how long it lasts

A cheap set in marled grey turns unevenly grey after ten washes, because the two colours in the marl fade at different rates. A set with better dye holds its tone. Test it yourself: if the water still colours after three washes, the colour will not last the season.

A fit that has been thought through

A more expensive set usually has slightly tapered trousers, a shoulder seam that sits correctly and a length that suits an adult body. A cheap set is often cut straight and wide, because it is cheaper to produce in fewer variations.

What you are not paying for

A high price is not in itself a mark of quality. You also pay for the brand name and the marketing, and a logo on the chest costs nothing to sew on. Judge the fibre, the inside and the ribbing instead. See bamboo sweatshirts for women and the whole category under sweat clothing.

The cost per wearing

A set worn three times a week for three years has been used over four hundred times. A more expensive set that lasts twice as long is therefore cheaper per wearing. The sum only holds, though, if the set actually gets worn that much.

Washing and service life

Wash the set together at 30 degrees without fabric softener, and turn the pieces inside out so the brushed inside does not rub against the drum. The tumble dryer costs the most service life, because it makes the ribbing brittle and collapses the pile inside. See also bamboo and economy.