A4

What A4 does

A4 is a US-based manufacturer and marketer of performance sports and athletic apparel, headquartered in Vernon, California, and operating as a privately held entity founded in 1973. The company operates under a multi-brand portfolio architecture comprising four proprietary sub-brands — 5-Star (4oz Micro Poly Interlock with UPF 44+ and moisture management), Sprint (3.5oz lightweight performance polyester), Softek (comfort-focused performance fabric), and Airflex (stretch technology) — alongside partner brands AWDis and WoodBrook. Product lines span ten sport categories including baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, soccer, softball, teamwear, track/running, and volleyball, with gender-segregated (men, women, youth) jerseys, shorts, tees, polos, compression wear, hoodies, fleece, jackets, pants, socks, and outerwear.

The company's underlying technology stack centers on proprietary performance fabrics featuring documented functional attributes: moisture wicking, stain release, odor resistance, fade and snag resistance, UV protection (UPF 30–44+), 4-way stretch, and flatlock stitching. Decoration capabilities include Direct-To-Film (DTF) printing and sublimation, exposed via the online A4 Custom Builder tool that allows teams and leagues to design, roster, mockup, and order customized apparel. A4 also offers a sustainable recycled polyester apparel line at zero price premium and operates compression gear engineered with 80% Polyester / 20% Spandex blends.

A4's business model is dual-channel: B2B wholesale through a dealer/distributor network that purchases in bulk for team resellers, coaches, and league organizers, paired with direct-to-consumer e-commerce through a4.com. The wholesale channel operates on credit-approved dealer accounts with tiered pricing, while DTC offers individual unit pricing largely in the $5–$60 range. Fulfillment is supported by three distribution centers — Vernon/Los Angeles CA, Kansas City MO, and Kingstree SC — enabling nationwide ground shipping coverage. Primary customer segments are youth and adult recreational sports teams, high school and collegiate athletic programs, team equipment dealers and managers, and individual athletes seeking performance wear; the dealer and team-dealer channels are flagged as the primary commercial targets, with individual consumers as a secondary segment. The company operates with 51–100 employees and runs multi-channel digital marketing across Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and a branded youth-sports blog ('Stuff Team Is Made Of').

Name

A4

Legal name

A4

Website

https://a4.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1973

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

A4 is a US manufacturer and marketer of performance sports apparel for men, women, and youth, selling jerseys, shorts, uniforms, and activewear through a B2B dealer/wholesale network and direct-to-consumer e-commerce at a4.com.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Apparel Manufacturing

NAICS

Apparel Manufacturing (315), Sporting and Athletic Goods Manufacturing (33992)

SIC

Apparel & Other Finishd Prods Of Fabrics & Similar Matl (2300), Sporting & Athletic Goods, Nec (3949)

akta.pro primary industry

Athletic / Performance & Activewear Brands (CRAAAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Team Sports & On-Field Performance Apparel (CRAAAEAE), Athletic Footwear & Sport Apparel Retail (CRAMABAC)

Keywords

• Sports apparel manufacturing
• Team uniforms wholesale
• Athletic performance wear
• Custom team apparel
• Performance fabric technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. B2B Wholesale - Team Apparel: Bulk sales to team dealers, coaches, and league organizers through a dealer network. Products include jerseys, shorts, pants, and uniforms for various sports teams.
2. Direct-to-Consumer E-commerce: Retail sales through a4.com website to individual consumers, schools, and smaller teams for custom and stock apparel purchases.
3. Custom Design Services: Revenue from custom uniform design services including DTF printing and sublimation decoration through the A4 Custom Builder tool.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

A4 manufactures and sells performance athletic apparel — including jerseys, shorts, pants, tees, polos, compression gear, hoodies, fleece, jackets, socks and outerwear — for men, women and youths across ten sport categories. Sales are delivered through a B2B dealer/wholesale network and the a4.com direct-to-consumer e-commerce site, with integrated customization via the A4 Custom Builder tool supporting Direct-To-Film printing and sublimation decoration.

Product overview

A4 is a sports apparel company specializing in team sports uniforms and activewear. The company operates under a multi-brand portfolio architecture comprising four proprietary sub-brands (5-Star, Airflex, Softek, and Sprint) and two partner brands (AWDis and Woodbrook). Products span ten sports categories including Baseball, Basketball, Football, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Teamwear, Track/Running, and Volleyball. Core product categories include jerseys, shorts, tees, polos, compression gear, hoodies, fleece, jackets, pants, socks, and outerwear. A4 differentiates through proprietary fabric technologies (5-Star Micro Poly, Airflex stretch, Softek comfort, Sprint lightweight), sustainable recycled materials, and customization services including Direct-To-Film (DTF) printing and sublimation via the A4 Custom Builder online tool.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 5-Star: A4 brand offering tees, jerseys, pullovers, and shorts
• Airflex
• Softek
• Sprint
• AWDis
• Woodbrook

Products and services

• 5-Star Apparel Line Premium performance fabric apparel line offering tees, jerseys, pullovers and shorts built on A4's 4oz Micro Poly Interlock with moisture wicking, stain release, odor resistance and 44+ UPF. Targeted at teams, leagues, schools and individual athletes.
• Sprint Apparel Line Lightweight, breathable polyester performance line (3.5oz) featuring moisture management, odor resistance, stain release, reinforced seams and tear-away tags, including jerseys, shorts, pants and activewear for teams and individual athletes.
• Softek Apparel Line Comfort-oriented performance fabric line including tees, hoodies and pullovers with moisture management properties. Targeted at teams, schools and individuals seeking all-day comfort with athletic-grade performance.
• Airflex Apparel Line Stretch-focused performance fabric line offering shorts, hoodies and activewear built on Airflex stretch technology for active wear. Targeted at teams and individuals needing range-of-motion athletic apparel.
• AWDis Partner Brand Line Partner brand apparel distributed through A4's platform offering hoodies, fleece, tees, shorts and pants including sustainable options; shipped from the Kingstree, SC warehouse.
• WoodBrook Partner Brand Line Partner brand apparel distributed through A4's platform offering polos and other activewear styles; shipped from the Kingstree, SC warehouse.
• A4 Custom Builder Online design tool that lets teams, leagues, schools and organizations customize apparel with custom designs, add rosters, save and share projects, and create mockups for ordering.
• Direct-To-Film (DTF) Decoration Service Custom Direct-To-Film printing service that decorates apparel with full-color designs, available across multiple product categories for teams, leagues and schools.
• Sublimated Styles Service Custom sublimation printing service for team uniforms and apparel, enabling team colors and modern full-coverage designs on performance fabrics.
• Compression Gear Line Performance compression apparel line including muscle tees, crews, shorts, tights and long sleeve styles built on 4-way stretch 80/20 poly-spandex with flatlock stitching, rash guard protection, moisture wicking, odor resistance and stain release for individual athletes and teams.
• Sports Socks Line Athletic socks product line offering Multi-Sport Tube Socks (60% Polyester / 25% Polypropylene / 10% Spandex / 5% Rubber), Performance Soccer/Multi-Sport Socks, Crew Socks, and No-Show Socks for teams and individual athletes.
• Cooling Performance Apparel Line High-performance cooling apparel line featuring moisture-wicking fabrics, cooling technology and UPF protection designed for hot weather workouts, targeted at individual athletes and teams.
• Reversible Basketball Jerseys Line Collection of reversible basketball jerseys including MVP Reversible, Sprint Jump Reversible, Wave Single-Ply Reversible, Defender, Double Double Reversible and Reversible Jump Jersey styles, targeted at basketball teams, leagues and individual players.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• AWDisminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner brand distributed through A4, with specific shipping from Kingstree, SC location. AWDis products include hoodies, fleece, shorts, and pants in the A4 catalog.
• WoodBrookminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner brand for polos and other apparel items distributed through A4's platform, with specific shipping from Kingstree, SC location.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Adidas Team Sports: Adidas offers custom team uniforms and performance apparel through its Team Sports division, competing with A4 in school and league channels at a global scale with substantially larger marketing and R&D budgets.
• Under Armour: Under Armour is a major performance athletic apparel brand with team-sports programs and school/college partnerships — a broad incumbent competitor that overlaps A4's performance-fabric positioning at premium price points.
• Champion (Hanesbrands): Champion is an established mass-market athletic apparel brand with heritage in team sports and screen-printed teamwear; a broader incumbent that overlaps A4's category but operates at much larger scale with national retail distribution.
• Nike Team Sports: Nike operates a large team-sports division offering custom uniforms and performance apparel to high school and college programs; a broad incumbent competing with A4 for institutional team-uniform budgets.

Direct peers

• Champro Sports: Champro Sports is a manufacturer of team athletic apparel and equipment serving leagues, schools, and dealers with multi-sport uniforms — comparable to A4 in product breadth, customization services, and dealer-distribution model.
• High Five Sportswear: High Five Sportswear produces sublimated and decorated team apparel sold through dealers and decorators — directly comparable to A4's customization and team-uniform focus, particularly in youth and school segments.
• Badger Sport: Badger Sport manufactures and distributes performance team uniforms and apparel through a dealer network in the US, with comparable proprietary fabric lines and customization capabilities to A4.
• Alleson Athletic: Alleson Athletic designs and manufactures team sports uniforms (baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball, volleyball) sold through sporting-goods dealers, directly overlapping A4's sport coverage and dealer-channel GTM.
• Holloway Sportswear: Holloway Sportswear is a US manufacturer of team uniforms, jackets, and athletic apparel sold through team dealers and decorators — closely comparable to A4 in product range, channel model, and target customer base.
• Augusta Sportswear: Augusta Sportswear is a US-based manufacturer and wholesaler of team sportswear and activewear serving dealers, schools, and leagues — directly comparable to A4 in B2B team-apparel model, multi-sport coverage, and customization services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@a4-sportsapparel351
• Facebookfacebook.com/A4Sportswear
• Instagraminstagram.com/a4_sportswear
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/a4sportswear

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about A4