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SPORTS BRAS • APPAREL The Perfect Fit 5 Key Questions with Anita USA. Anita Active's Air Control DeltaPad Sports Bra and Sports Massage Leggings, both in Kalahari/ Leopard. By Mackenzie Havey W e caught up with Joy Haizen, the Managing Director for Anita USA, a company with 135-years of experience in the business. We spoke about how the sports bra industry has fared over the past year, what makes a good sports bra, how a sports bra should fit, and how Anita sees the category evolving. How has the Covid pandemic affected bra sales at specialty retail? "Throughout and prior to the pandemic, our Anita Active sports bra business has consistently grown each year as more and more women continue to get active. During the pandemic, we found that the trend is on the rise in activities such as running, outdoor workouts, and at-home virtual training, which all provide time, flexibility, and a great form of stress-relief during these unusual times. Covid-19 has re- emphasized the importance of comfort in women's everyday wardrobe and our Anita Active non-underwire sports bra styles have now also become a part of women's everyday lifestyle wardrobe. Many of the brick and mortar retailers have had to pivot and provide virtual bra fittings, curbside pickup, and direct shipping to accommodate all of their end consumers' needs." For those selling, buying or wearing sports bras, what should they know about how a sports bra should fit? "A sports bra should control breast bounce without impeding on body movement and range of motion. The band should fit snug against the body and only 1-2 fingers should be able to be placed under the band of the bra. If you can pull the bra any further away from the body, it means the band of the bra is too large and will give very little control. The cups should encapsulate the breasts, which means that the seaming and fabric used in the cup construction should envelop and support the breast and control bounce without crushing them towards the chest wall. To avoid pain and overstretching the sensitive connective tissue, it is important to wear a properly fitted sports bra during exercise. For example, when running, the breast tissue is exposed to extreme strain, moving up and down approximately 3 1/2 inches per step. Wearing a perfectly fitting sports bra reduces breast movement up to 78 percent." How is Anita's approach to fit unique? "Our Anita Active sports bra in expanded cup and band size ranges allow for a more personalized fit than general alpha sizing. Most women are wearing an incorrect bra size and once they are fit accurately in a cup and band sized sports bra, they can feel the extreme difference in comfort as well as performance. Anita Active's encapsulation technology pulls breast tissue from under the arm and with special engineering, seaming, and fabrics puts the breast into the cup and keeps it where it belongs. The patterns of the cups keep breast movement to a minimum in all of our cup and band sizes, ranging from AA-K and 30-48." Aside from fit, what other elements of Anita Active's bras insure comfort and support? "All of the Anita Active designs incorporate state of the art microfiber fabrics that have exceptional wicking capabilities. As sweat management is key to comfortable training, every Anita sports bra is able to wick the moisture away from the body, and transfer it to the outside of the fabric where it can evaporate, keeping you cool and dry." What are the latest innovations in sports bras coming from Anita Active in the coming year? "For the upcoming Fall 2021 Season we are introducing our latest sports bra 5555 PanAlp Wool which is made with high quality sustainable Merino Wool in the inner cup, back and straps, while the outer cup is made of ultralight mesh fabric. Merino Wool is a soft, breathable and temperature regulating material that is cooling in the summer and warming in the winter. This will be the first Merino Wool High Impact Sports Bra at retail that provides maximum support, function, and extreme comfortability." n May 2021 • 15 sportstylemag.com • sportstyle

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