Buff male models and scrawny U.S. Open ball boys strolled silently around Ralph Lauren HQ on Monday, standing on platforms and lifting their arms and turning slowly when asked; they were showing off the latest wearable fitness technology, though it was hard to tell. There were no wristwatches, chest straps or pinned-on step counters in sight. The first mainstream fashion brand to make a foray into the wearable technology marketplace, Ralph Lauren revealed a form-fitting black shirt with integrated, silver-coated threading around its chest, a small, detachable Bluetooth-enabled “black box” on the left rib and, of course, Ralph Lauren’s insignia, large and yellow, on the left breast.
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The Polo Tech’s introduction marks the beginning of major fashion brands’ movement into a new realm of wearable technology — an obvious step for Ralph Lauren, which began to bolster its sports line in 2005 by sponsoring the U.S. Open; Wimbledon soon followed, along with the U.S. Olympic team. Their washable compression shirt eschews clunky monitoring devices, offering the comfort of a single compression garment while tracking heart rate, respiration rate and depth, steps, calories burned and activity intensity via a breathing sensor, gyroscope and accelerometer. These data are delivered to an accompanying app in order for wearers to better understand their workouts and compare them against their previous performances with the help of technology developed by the Canadian-based OMsignal company.
David Brewer, Director of the U.S. Open Tennis Tournament — where, in their first major public appearance this year, the shirts will be on the backs of several ball boys scrambling across courts — said that the shirt’s features will “revolutionize how players train and compete” by supplying players and their coaches with real time feedback so they may adjust their play and breathing.
Marcos Giron, a highly ranked rookie on the Grand Slam circuit, wore the shirt during his practice sessions last week to test out its capabilities. By combining biometric data with his practice data, Giron and his coach could see his biometrics of critical missteps in his performance during his session, potentially allowing them to prepare for similar shortfalls during match play. But David Lauren, son of Ralph Lauren and executive vice president of global advertising, marketing and corporate communications for the company, also views the U.S. Open premiere as the first step toward introducing his product to the general population.
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“The U.S. Open is an incredibly high-profile stage, and it’s very demanding”, Lauren said. “To see high-performance gear tested at the highest level is proof that the technology is up to the standards that a professional athlete would want, which will make it immediately interesting to customers and let them know that it’s the real deal.”
