Sportswear fails quality tests

Sportswear from some leading brands was found to have poor breathability in tests conducted by the city's consumer council, it said on Monday.

It tested 40 sportswear products from 30 brands — 25 sports bras and 15 sports vests and T-shirts for men — purchased from flagship stores, sports product shops and online platforms at prices ranging from 39 yuan (US$5.66) to 595 yuan.

Breathability is the material's ability to allow moisture vapor to pass through it.

Sportswear with poor breathability will leave consumers feeling uncomfortable during sports, said Tang Jiansheng, the council’s deputy secretary-general.

Twelve items for women were found with poor breathability, and these included the H&M, Puma, Particle Fever, Reebok, Under Armour, Forever 21, Nike, Hotwind and Gujin brands, according to the council.

The council's tests found five items for men had moisture absorption and quick drying properties that fail to match the claims of brands that included Asics, Decathlon and Vaude.

In addition, the prints on a New Balance item for men faded after washing.

The council also revealed some substandard sleeping mats.

It tested 70 samples bought online and offline and found eight samples with different a fiber content to that marked on their labels.

A sleeping mat branded K.S babe for infants sold on yhd.com was marked as 100 percent fiberflax, but tests found it did not have any of that content.

Sleeping mats sold on vip.com and Suning Yigou, the online shopping arm of home appliance retailer Suning, were found to have the same problem, according to the council.

Four mats sold on Suning Yigou, Tmall and vip.com failed for pH index which could cause skin allergies, leading to itching or discomfort, officials said.