Olympian Casey Patterson opts for Anti-Ball Crushing pants from Lululemon

Lululemon hasn’t shied away from any and all lingo that ties its men’s pant construction to the comfort of a man. In fact, their most popular line of pant puts the need for male-specific comfort right in the name with the Anti-Ball Crushing pant (and a clever video to match).

With such a movement toward male comfort, the Vancouver-based brand has used athletes to help sell the technology-driven focus of its fabrics. Athletes such as the NHL’s Andrew Ference and U.S. Olympic beach volleyball player Casey Patterson give us a look at the construction the brand says “gives the boys some room.”

courtesy Lululemon

As sports technology bleeds into fashion, Lululemon has built fabrics normally reserved for the field of play into style-focused designs meant to sit at the waist with the length and width of the gusset to allow for ample room and style. The ABC pant was so named because the sweat-wicking, four-way stretch Warpstreme fabric provides mobility in all directions.

courtesy Lululemon

Patterson, 36, a Rio-bound Olympian with beach partner Jake Gibb, tells SI.com, he lives in his ABC pants, specifically the Cactus Camo colorway, off the sand. “They are equal parts comfort and performance,” he says, “and look great no matter the occasion.”

courtesy Lululemon

With brands moving well beyond athletic-only apparel, the high-tech labs that produce fabrics and construction for sports now have a new design purpose. Mixed with a different design ethos, sports performance meets style performance.

Balls everywhere thank the trend.

Tim Newcomb covers sports aesthetics—stadiums to sneakers—and training for Sports Illustrated. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.