MEGA ACTIVE
Mega Fashion Club Says Its Mega Wrap Will Live Large
The activewear market continues to grow on a foundation of well-known styles such as leggings, sweats, racer-back tops and track jackets.
Entrepreneur Megers Frierson said that he had a fresh angle on activewear looks with his new Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., brand, The Mega Fashion Club, which produces the Mega Wrap jacket. Frierson has been pitching it as a garment that can make workouts more comfortable.
The Mega Wrap features a detachable front mesh panel, which—when unzipped and removed from the rest of the garment—leaves the wrap resembling a cape. Despite the popularity of superhero movies, Frierson said the Mega Wrap is not specifically for athletes with seemingly superhuman abilities. Rather, it’s intended to alleviate common issues that consumers experience with activewear.
Without its front panel, the Mega Wrap offers a unique style, Frierson said. It can also give the wearer a chance to avoid overheating but without having to stop a workout to remove an entire layer. When the wearer removes the front mesh panel, the jacket feels lighter.
Frierson, who has worked as a telecommunications engineer and an events producer, mulled over the idea for the Mega Wrap in 2017. He proposed the design to his son, Megers Frierson Jr., who works as a fashion designer. After the younger Frierson gave his approval and recommended factories to make samples, the entire family became involved with the project. The senior Frierson’s wife, Loretta, contributed to the brand’s designs. His niece, Katrina Diggins, made sketches and patterns, and his daughter, Megen Frierson, helped with marketing.
With a group effort, the Friersons expanded the idea for the Mega Wrap into a collection. The jackets are reversible and available in color pairings such as black and salmon and blue and lime. They also feature several pockets for keys, phone and wallet. The Mega Wrap also comes in different styles, some of which offer oversized or fitted hoods, while others feature a camouflage print.
Additional looks include bodysuits for women, which feature a silhouette similar to a one-piece bathing suit, with one style offered in a shoulder-less cut. Women’s tops are offered in sports-bra, racer-back and crop-top cuts. Leggings come in a variety of styles ranging from those bearing the brand’s logo to a floral print in fluorescent colors.
Men’s styles include compression pants, rash guards, sweatpants and hoodies as well as tank tops and T-shirts, which feature the brand’s Mega logo.
Competition for the activewear dollar is unrelenting, but there is a lot of room for brands trying something new, said Nicole Pollard Bayme, a stylist and founder of the company Lalaluxe, located in Los Angeles. Function is an important part of activewear. It is primarily made for exercise. Compression fabrics used in activewear, for example, flatter a wide range of body types, she said. “There’s no limit for styles in athleisure. It is because of the fabric. You can do anything with it,” she explained. “Designers are really experimenting with what the public will wear.”
Prominent market researchers at Port Washington, N.Y.–based The NPD Group forecast that activewear will be one of the prime areas for fashion-business growth in the next two years, said Marshal Cohen, NPD’s chief industry analyst. “The future success of the apparel industry will rely on categories that ‘act’ active but look to fashion,” he said in a statement on July 16. “Consumers are craving fashion but don’t want to sacrifice the comfort and convenience for activewear that they’ve grown accustomed to.”
The Mega Fashion Club will make its trade-show debut at Active Collective, which runs July 31–Aug. 1 in Anaheim, Calif. Retail price points for the line range from $19.99 for men’s T-shirts to $325 for the Mega Wrap. The brand has been primarily sold through its direct-to-consumer channel, www.megafashion.club.
