# Apparel testing — wear-test it before it ships.

Apparel testing over real days of real wear — fit, feel, durability, and fabric. Catch the returns-driver before it ever reaches a cart.

## Top-box appeal

80%▲ 18 pts  
vs control  
0control 62100

### Driver scores

- Fit 91  
- Fabric feel 77  
- Durability 63

### Highlight AIFinding

Fit, not price, decides the return.  
−31%  
returns risk  
0.70  
keep corr.

## Presentation

PDF

### Purchase intent

6 concepts · 300 testers  
1 / 8

## Custom wear testing, run at retail speed

A garment reveals itself over time — after the third wash, the long commute, the workout it wasn’t built for. We put your pieces on real bodies for real days and capture what a fitting room never could.

Fit and sizing, fabric hand, durability, and value perception, with photo and video evidence throughout. Know exactly why something works before it scales.

## Why teams choose Highlight

### Turnkey, targeted, and fast

Three reasons apparel teams build testing into every cycle.

- **End to end, off your desk**  
We handle recruitment, sizing logistics, and fulfillment. You watch results land in one dashboard.
- **The right bodies and wardrobes**  
60k+ Highlighters, 90% completion, rich photo and video. Target by size, fit preference, and category habits.
- **Data in under a week**  
Catch a fit or fabric issue before the production run and cut time-to-insight by up to 50%.

## Case study · Hanes

### How Hanes built wear testing into their innovation cycle

- Nothing goes to market without a wear test first
- Solved long-standing issues around cost, speed, and flexibility
- Real-wear feedback across fit, comfort, and durability
- A repeatable testing step inside the product process

### “Testing is a formalized step in our research process now.”  
Dana French  
Director of Consumer Insights at Hanes

## Common apparel questions

**What can you test for apparel products?**
Highlight tests fit and sizing, fabric hand, durability, and value perception for apparel brands — worn over real days of real wear, with photo and video evidence throughout, including after the third wash.

**How do you test durability and fabric feel over time?**
Highlight testers wear the garment through actual routines — workouts, commutes, repeated washes — and report on fabric hand and durability as it changes, not just on day one.

**Can you target specific sizes or fit preferences?**
Yes. Highlight lets you target by size, fit preference, and category habits across the Highlighter Community, with 90%+ response rates and rich photo and video responses.

**How fast can you catch a fit or fabric issue before production?**
Most Highlight wear-test studies return results in about a week, giving you time to catch a fit or fabric issue before the production run — cutting time-to-insight by up to 50%.

**Do you handle sizing logistics for apparel wear tests?**
Yes — Highlight’s proprietary logistics operation manages recruitment, sizing logistics, and fulfillment, so results land in one dashboard without extra coordination on your side.

## Resources, events, and more

### The latest from Highlight

**Insights report**  
See how consumer preferences have evolved  
In the 2025 edition of the Highlight Sustainability Report, we look at year-over-year changes in the data from 2024 and explore how brands can create better products for people and the planet.  
[Download](/content/highlight-sustainability-consumer-report-2025/index.html)

**Case study**  
How Hanes built wear testing into their product innovation cycle  
Prior to working with Highlight, the Hanes team faced issues related to cost, speed and flexibility. Now, nothing goes to market without a wear test first.  
[Read](/content/blog/hanes-brands-highlight-case-study/index.html)

**On-demand webinar**  
How Spindrift drives high-impact innovation  
In this session from Highlight Spark, Spindrift VP Jon Silverman shares how to build a better-for-you brand people love.  
[Watch](/content/highlight-spark-spindrift-innovation/index.html)