Chris Bernat is willing to stick his neck out for gaiters.

The chief revenue officer of Vapor Apparel (asi/93396) was unhappy with the way the national media was portraying a Duke University study that measured mask efficiency. Researchers used a laser, box and smart phone to measure how many respiratory droplets were able to pass through more than a dozen different types of face coverings. Included in the mix was a neck gaiter that scientists had lying around. The gaiter proved the least effective of the bunch.

Duke researchers were up front in noting that their study was never meant to be a comprehensive test of all face coverings, but rather a demonstration of how easy and inexpensive it would be for manufacturers to set up their own test for respiratory droplets. Still, the tidbit about neck gaiters was what made headlines, spreading quickly across the country. That had an immediate effect on suppliers in the promotional products industry.

Chris Bernat, chief revenue officer at Vapor Apparel

Bernat contacted the authors of the study, a reporter at The Washington Post and others who wrote about the viral mask study to explain that not all gaiters are the same. Just as with a mask, Bernat emphasized, much of the effectiveness of a gaiter depends on its construction: How heavy is it? How tight is the weave of the fabric? Is it long enough to be doubled up? Is a person wearing the correct size?

Vapor Apparel makes neck gaiters that come in multiple sizes.

In this episode of Promo Insiders, Theresa Hegel, executive editor of digital content at ASI, spoke with Bernat about why he decided to set the record straight, the characteristics of a high-quality gaiter, how the study and its aftermath have affected Vapor Apparel’s business, and more.

Podcast Chapters
1:04: How did Vapor Apparel find out about the Duke study?
4:50: Why Chris Bernat decided to reach out to the media
7:23: How COVID prompted sales growth in gaiters – and sun protection apparel
10:25: How the Duke study affected Vapor and why the best defense is a good offense
13:43: What factors distributors should look at to analyze the differences between gaiters
18:39: Why higher-end brands have a place in promo
20:31: We may still be wearing gaiters in public in 2022, and that’s OK
24:23: Dye sublimation has been a winner in the pandemic

Watch on YouTube