Compression Clothes: Hoax or Handy?

Jumping on the trend bandwagon is iffy for some retailers, but with a trend like compression clothing, the payoff could be worth the potential risk.

“I think the growth of the market clearly dictates there’s a demand for it,” says Barry Levinson, co-founder of Ski Racing Development, a race-oriented shop in Colorado. “It’s been accepted at the top, and now it’s spreading out to the rest of the market.”

That top he’s referring to is the professional athlete community-including the U.S. Ski Team.
Troy Flanagan, the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association’s high performance director, says about 75 percent of the ski and snowboard team athletes use compression clothing.

(photo courtesy Salomon)

And, as a result of the USSA’s not-yet-announced partnership with compression clothing company 2XU, every athlete will soon have a handful of compression options.

But does it work? READ MORE