Craft prepares for gold
Category: Global NewsAfter years of research, close collaboration with the world’s best athletes and engineers, and a lot of dedicated work, CRAFT presents a cross-country suit that is prepared for gold. The sportswear specialist has fixed its eyes on the Olympic Games in Vancouver 2010 and has come up with an outfit that utilizes body control fabrics, carbon fibres and a unique ergonomic construction featuring CRAFT’s new ‘Moving Wing Technology’. The Swedish XC national team will go on the Canadian tracks with an Olympic racing suit built on a winning formula!
The close cooperation with the world’s best athletes is the foundation of CRAFT’s legendary product innovations. Tour de Ski winner Charlotte Kalla was one of four cross-country stars working with CRAFT on the fastest cross-country gear for the Olympics Winter Games 2010. In the labs of the Swedish Winter Sports Research Centre (SWSRC) in Östersund, the team of athletes, scientists and product managers fine-tuned the Olympic XC Suit for Vancouver.
At the SWSRC the product development team worked with cameras that studied the skiers’ movements from all angles. CRAFT translated the results into a perfectly shaped garment offering fantastic ergonomics. The shaped 3D cut offers fantastic freedom of movement and comfort, despite the racing suit’s tight, aerodynamic fit. Another innovative construction detail is the unique moving wing technology, which utilizes a highly elastic insert over the upper back and around the shoulders for optimal release and pull-back.
In Östersund, the product team continuously measured the athletes’ core temperature as well as their skin temperature on key spots. Implementing the results into the garment, the suit’s material features detailed body-mapping: CRAFT uses a high tech material by Swiss knitwear specialist Eschler. Polyester fibres guarantee an effective moisture management, whereas Polyurethane provides protection from the elements.
Further, the fabric has carbon core yarns knitted into its structure. They have a bacteriostatic effect and – according to a study conducted at the independent research institute EMPA in St. Gallen/Switzerland – improve thermal regulation, a crucial factor on the race day. Where needed, CRAFT uses compression fabric for more body control thanks to the material’s reduction of muscle vibration and the support of the body’s movement.
Catrine Marchall, Head of Product & Design at CRAFT, is excited about the new high-end suit: “The objective was to provide the athletes with the best gear possible. The crucial points were optimal climate comfort, body control and 3D ergonomics. The athletes were extremely dedicated and never tired of testing. In the end, we have united the latest technologies, top-quality fabrics and a unique cross-country cut in a suit that we believe will prove the fastest in Vancouver!”