Think it Looks the Same? Look Again

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A F RUSSELL ATHLETIC MOISTURE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY RUSSELL ATHLETIC MOISTURE MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGY Russell Athletic's Dri-Power(R) Fleece moisture management technology keeps its wearers more comfortable by lifting moisture away from skin and ...

    ATLANTA, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- The sweatshirt has lost its sweat.
 However, it is better than ever before and maintains its position as the
 icon of American style.
     (Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060711/CLTU069 )
     Russell Athletic, the company that invented the sweatshirt 80 years ago
 and has led in sweatshirt sales ever since, is introducing the most
 significant technology breakthrough in the history of America's most
 classic clothing icon. The new technology, which manages moisture and
 transfers sweat away from the skin, will debut this week in Russell
 Athletic sweatshirts under the brand name of Dri-Power(R) Fleece.
     "This is the most important technology breakthrough in the history of
 the sweatshirt," said Russell Athletic Vice President of Marketing Alex
 Hodges. "It is easy to underestimate the place of the sweatshirt in
 American culture, much less to think of it in terms of innovation. However,
 a recent research study showed us that 90 percent of Americans own more
 than one sweatshirt, and that most people have purchased a new sweatshirt
 in the last 12 months. Dri- Power(R) Fleece will make life more comfortable
 for all of us."
     Ultimate in comfort, Russell Athletic's Dri-Power(R) technology is a
 dual moisture management system that first pulls sweat away from the body
 and then transfers it to the top layer of fabric, keeping the wearer's body
 drier and cooler than with untreated fabric.
     "Until now, the sweatshirt would soak up the sweat -- hence the name
 'sweatshirt.' We aren't changing the name," Hodges said. "It looks the
 same, but now the sweatshirt pulls sweat away from your skin and baselayer
 and keeps it on the top of the fabric where it evaporates more quickly. It
 keeps you drier and more comfortable longer."
     "Russell Athletic is committed to giving elite and everyday athletes
 the chance to workout and become healthier. Products like our Dri-Power(R)
 Fleece sweatshirt can be used every day at every level of activity and
 promise its wearers performance, durability and value," added Hodges.
     Russell Athletic's Dri-Power(R) Fleece hits stores nationwide this
 week, at a time when adults are focused on increasing their physical
 activity. The number of health clubs has increased steadily over the past
 decade, and fitness participation is climbing, according to the Sporting
 Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA).
     "Intense aerobic activity increases a body's sweat production, and
 evaporation of that sweat is the body's natural way of cooling core
 temperature," said Dr. Larry Kenney, Russell Athletic sweatxpert and
 professor of physiology at Penn State University. "Clothing worn during
 workouts should maximize sweat's evaporative efficiency." That is what
 Dri-Power(R) Fleece does.
     Russell Athletic is a division of sporting goods manufacturer Russell
 Corporation, which also owns brands like Spalding(R), BIKE(R), Brooks(R)
 and Mossy Oak(R). The sweatshirt has been the main staple of Russell
 Athletic for 80 years when it was first used as a replacement for the then
 wool football
     jersey. The sweatshirt worn by that first football team still resembles
 the ones worn today on every street in America and around the world.
     More than 65 million athletes now wear sweatshirts as part of their
 workout attire. Most often used as a transition piece from gym to home, or
 used as a layering piece before or after a workout, now the sweatshirt is
 equipped to work as hard as any other performance gear.
     Dri-Power(R) technology was introduced four years ago by Russell
 Athletic in its baselayer and everyday performance pieces and more recently
 in its team uniforms. However the technology for fleece is revolutionary.
 Dri-Power(R) Fleece is another way Russell Athletic provides top-quality
 products for athletes at every level and strengthens its reputation as the
 everyday performance brand.
     The basic gray sweatshirt may look pretty much the same as it always
 did, but Russell Athletic sweatshirts now come in more than 20 colors and
 four different styles.
     "As the saying goes, things change but some things stay the same,"
 concluded Hodges. "The sweatshirt as a basic item in everyone's wardrobe is
 a constant. However, the sweatshirt has had its biggest change ever this
 year, a perfect way to celebrate its 80th birthday. Dri-Power(R) Fleece is
 a big breakthrough."
     ABOUT RUSSELL ATHLETIC
     Russell Athletic serves as the main operating division and flagship
 brand of Russell Corporation. Russell Athletic is dually headquartered in
 Alexander City, Alabama, and Atlanta, Georgia, and employs 1,800 people
 worldwide. For more than 100 years, Russell Athletic has supplied America's
 athletes and teams with the latest innovations to help them perform at
 their best. This year Russell Athletic will outfit more than 500 Division I
 teams and offer more than 200 pieces in its fall 2006 retail line alone.
 www.russellathletic.com
     ABOUT RUSSELL ATHLETIC SWEATXPERT DR. LARRY KENNEY
     W. Larry Kenney is professor of physiology and kinesiology at Penn
 State University where he teaches and conducts research at Noll Laboratory.
 His research interests include the cardiovascular and thermoregulatory
 responses to heat stress and dehydration, control of human skin blood flow
 and the biophysics of heat exchange between human beings and the
 environment. NIH- funded work focuses on the effects of aging on the
 ability to tolerate and adapt to environmental challenges. Dr. Kenney is a
 fellow and past president of the American College of Sports Medicine. He
 also chairs the Gatorade Sports Science Institute's Science Advisory Board.
     ABOUT RUSSELL CORPORATION
     Russell Corporation is a leading branded athletic and sporting goods
 company marketing athletic apparel, uniforms, footwear and equipment for a
 variety of sports, outdoor and fitness activities. The company's major
 brands include Russell Athletic(R), JERZEES(R), Spalding(R), Brooks(R),
 Huffy Sports(R), BIKE(R), Moving Comfort(R), AAI(R) and Mossy Oak(R).
 Russell Corporation is dually headquartered in Alexander City, Alabama, and
 Atlanta, Georgia, and employs 15,000 people worldwide. The company's common
 stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol RML and its
 Web site address is http://www.russellcorp.com.
 
 

SOURCE Russell Athletic