Champion® Athleticwear Draws Inspiration From American Flag to Outfit U.S. Women's National Lacrosse Team

WINSTON–SALEM, N.C., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- For the first time, the U.S. women's national senior lacrosse team will sport custom Champion® Athleticwear uniforms on the lacrosse field at this year's Champion Challenge, scheduled for this weekend, Jan. 29-30, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Working directly with the coaches and players over the past six months, Champion designed uniforms specially for the women's team, taking into account what's important to the players, most notably on-the-field play and performance pieces that deliver on comfort and style.  From one-on-one consultations with the players and coaches to field-testing during practice, the collaborative collection leverages the brand's on-trend design team with the performance technology that has defined Champion since 1919.

"Designing the uniforms for the women's lacrosse team is an exciting step for Champion, merging the brand's iconic heritage with the fastest-growing sport in the U.S.," said Kevin Hall, Champion executive vice president and general manager.  "We're proud to exclusively outfit these dynamic athletes and look forward to further fostering our partnership with the women's lacrosse community."

"We're thrilled to have partnered with Champion to provide apparel for the U.S. women's national teams," said US Lacrosse Director of National Teams Nathaniel Badder.  "Doing so allows us to provide our players with best-in-class apparel from top to bottom.  From the start, Champion has been a great partner, inviting our staff and players into the design process, soliciting feedback after training events, and working diligently to develop a look and feel which will allow our athletes to perform their best.  The new uniforms are, put simply, very, very cool and we look forward to many more great things to come from this relationship in the years ahead."

From the start, the athletes pointed to the American flag as a source and symbol of pride when they step onto the field. Drawing inspiration from this national symbol, the Champion jerseys feature a sleek, curved stripe designed to evoke the image of the flag's stripes waving in the wind.  And like the flag, the uniforms were developed with longevity in mind thanks to a sublimation process that prevents jersey numbers and lettering from fading, washing out or bleeding.  The uniforms also address the players' request for a clean look with a patriotic tonal star pattern set against blue and white color blocking.  

From a performance perspective, the collection brings to life Champion's innovation as well its understanding of the needs of the everyday athlete.  The uniform skirts feature a gripper for a stay-put fit to prevent the skirt from twisting and turning during play, a common complaint among players.  The Champion uniforms are made from a lightweight, high-performance blend of recycled polyester and spandex.  Ventilation areas, wicking material and stretch ensure the players are focusing on the game and not on their uniforms during play.  

"As the apparel provider for the U.S. women's national team, Champion is dedicated to bringing fresh, fast and innovative products to the everyday athlete.  By outfitting Team USA's women's lacrosse teams, we are staying on the cusp of what's happening in the marketplace," said Champion Chief Design Officer Ned Munroe.

The final touch? An inspirational quote found at the bottom of the jerseys: It Takes a Little More to Make a Champion.

The sixth annual Champion Challenge, a US Lacrosse event sponsored by Champion Athleticwear, will feature the U.S. men's national lacrosse team, the U.S. women's national Senior and U19 teams, the Notre Dame University men's lacrosse team, the Maryland University women's lacrosse team, the University of Virginia women's lacrosse team, the University of Jacksonville (Fla.) women's lacrosse team and Rollins (Fla.) College women's lacrosse team.

For more information visit www.ChampionUSA.com or the events page on www.Facebook.com/Champion.

About Champion®

Since 1919 Champion athleticwear has offered a full line of innovative athletic apparel for men and women including sports bras, activewear, team uniforms, sweats and accessories.  Champion athleticwear can be purchased at most sporting goods and department stores.  For more information please contact us at 1-800-999-2249, visit www.championusa.com or at www.facebook.com/champion or follow us on Twitter @Championusa.  Champion is a brand of Hanesbrands Inc. (NYSE: HBI)

About US Lacrosse

US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body for men's and women's lacrosse. US Lacrosse is the parent organization of the U.S. men's and women's national teams. US Lacrosse has more than 300,000 members in 63 regional chapters around the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse strives to provide programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the game. To learn more about US Lacrosse, please visit www.uslacrosse.org.

SOURCE Champion