Sportswear
Sportswear or active-wear is clothing, including footwear, worn for sport or physical exercise. Sport-specific clothing is worn for most sports and physical exercise, for practical, comfort, or safety reasons.
Sportswear is also at times worn as casual fashion clothing.
For most sports, the athletes wear various clothing items, e.g. sports shoes, pants, and shirts. In some sports, protective gear may need to be worn, such as helmets or American football body armor.
Sports fabrics are technical materials that help to keep the wearer comfortable during exercise. The type of fabric required will depend upon the intensity of the exercise and the activity.
Yoga clothing should use fabrics with the exceptional stretch ability for easy movement require the fabric to be of a knitted construction.
Apparel for long-distance running will keep the wearer in good comfort if it has excellent moisture-wicking properties to enable sweat to transfer from the inside to the outside for the garment.
Performance clothing for outdoor sports in the winter or snow sports should use breathable fabrics with very good insulating properties.
Standardized sportswear may also function as a uniform. In team sports, the opposing sides are usually identified by the colors of their clothing, while individual team members can be recognized by a back number on a shirt.
Sportswear is commonly used as a means for the promotion of sponsors of a sportsperson or team. In some sports, there are regulations limiting the size or design of sponsorship brand names and logos on items of clothing.