The Market In Brief
ABS Athletic Introduces FIRE Wear™

June 01, 2007

ABS Athletic, a start-up performance wear business, has introduced the FIRE Wear™ brand.
The Atlanta-based firm’s line, which includes men’s and women’s pants and shirts, features a patent-in-process textile technology that incorporates a form of solar energy called far infrared energy (FIRE™).

What is FIRE? Here is how ABS Athletic explains it: Sunlight consists of both visible and invisible rays. Visible rays are those seen in the rainbow, whereas invisible rays generate energy. Unlike visible light FIRE can deeply penetrate skin and the underlying tissues. FIRE naturally and harmlessly generates energy by causing the body’s molecules to rapidly vibrate, resonating with each other, the company reports.
When these rays come in contact with proteins, fat and water molecules, they cause a thermal reaction, which elevates tissue temperatures by dilating the blood vessels. The result improves circulation and metabolism, according to ABS Athletic.

The company was founded by brothers Seth and Averel Snyder. They came up with the idea for FIRE Wear when Seth lived in New York, where Seth worked as a bond salesman and Averel as an Atlanta-based physician. Averel Snyder, who is a cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, had some exposure to materials containing FIRE through his medical work and recognized their potential for both medical and non-medical applications.

Averel Snyder and several other physicians on the firm’s advisory board have endorsed FIRE Wear and its effectiveness in channeling energy into the body to promote everything from wound healing to weight loss.

FIRE Wear is made of lightweight, wicking polyester spandex constructed of Smart Fiber™ yarns. These yarns are impregnated with a special material before being knit into fabrics. Seth Snyder says the process involves the use of a natural additive that is applied via nanotech engineering. ABS Athletic sources both the specialized material and finished garments direct from China, where the material has “been around for 80 years,” he says.

ABS Athletic is hoping to take the U.S. market by storm if it can spread the word to consumers about the benefits of FIRE technology, Snyder says, noting that the company is considering the launch of infomercials to get the word out. Right now the line is being distributed on consignment through some gyms, and the company is sending samples to many major U.S. retail chains.
ABS Athletic apparel is priced to sell at retail from $48 for women’s tops and $55 for men’s tops.
For more information: www.absathletic.com