This is the second year that 4F has supplied technical T-shirts for over a dozen runs across Poland, including marathons and half-marathons in Poznan, Białystok, Rzeszów and three runs in Warsaw. Participants include experienced runners and those that are making their long-distance debut. Both groups need the comfort and convenience of sports clothing, to focus exclusively on achieving their goal. 4F is happy to meet this challenge.
Technical T-shirts for the PKO BP running programme are created by a several-dozen strong team responsible for special clothing collections for sports professionals. The team supervises numerous processes, from selecting suitable technology, through picking colours, assuring quality finish, down to preparing the final project and launching production.
“4F has long offered running items, as this is a sports discipline that is important for consumers as well as employees of OTCF, the owner of 4F brand. A large group of our staff are active runners, who know that during intense physical effort of running a half-marathon or marathon, one’s clothing needs to comply with supreme quality requirements. Making this happen requires numerous stages and involvement of experts from various areas, to assure that our T-shirt gets the thumbs up from users,” says Agnieszka Libor, Director for Marketing, Sports Marketing and Communication at OTCF.
Work on creating a functional T-shirt begins with placing the given run’s graphics on a special template to see the target layout and ensure the design works well. Simultaneously, the designer specifies material quality and production technology to ensure that quality of finish follows good form. Then the product developer selects the suitable technology to match the intensity of physical effort and intended use of T-shirt. Next, then the clothing constructor prepares templates and size charts, as well as picking seam and thread types, to ensure a suitable cut and that the user is not restricted while running. T-shirts for runs feature flat seams, designed to protect runners from chafing.
Once both the visual aspect and quality factor are considered, the first samples are produced. Next, we run lab tests to check for durability and hydrophobic parameters, to ensure that the final product is fit for runners. What is more, we have a team at 4F which tests products in practice, during workouts. These are our most demanding users and reviewers, sports enthusiasts and keen runners. Work on the final product begins only after this stage is complete, once the sample T-shirts have been accepted. There is ongoing quality control – during printing, sewing and a final inspection. Only then can 4F clothing be delivered to users, active and demanding sports enthusiasts.
The 4F brand has long been supporting professionals and amateurs of sports, including running. Despite years of experience in this field, our teams continue to track the latest in technology and trends, to ensure products work on all fronts. Running gear is an important part of our regular clothing collection, and is available at 4F stores year-round.
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