10 Reasons to Order Team Uniforms with JL

Choosing a uniform supplier is not just another task on the season checklist. It affects how your athletes feel in the boat, how they perform, how your program looks, and how smoothly your season runs. Coaches and parent managers want gear that fits every athlete, arrives when it is supposed to, and stays consistent year after year. 

JL Racing has spent 45 years raising the standard in team uniforms, earning the trust of coaches and parent managers with gear that helps athletes move better, fits every body on the roster, and stays consistent season after season. 

Below are the core reasons programs choose JL over competitors. 

1. Tailored, Engineered Fit for Every Athlete on Your Team 

Most suppliers rely on fixed stock sizing designed to be “close enough.” In real lineups, that does not work. Two athletes may wear the same size yet have completely different torso lengths, inseams, or proportions. A single pattern cannot solve that, and athletes are forced to choose the “closest fit,” which compromises comfort and performance. 

JL solves that problem with an on-demand sizing system we’ve refined over decades, giving every athlete the ability to order a tailored fit no other supplier can match. We offer mixed sizing in many unisuits and optional length adjustments on a majority of custom products, so every athlete can move comfortably through the stroke without restriction. Proper fit also supports safe, efficient movement — reducing distractions and helping athletes train and compete with confidence. When athletes feel good in their gear, they perform better.  And when the whole roster looks sharp and fits properly, the person managing the order looks great too. 

This is one of the reasons teams return to JL year after year. 

2. Colors That Stay Consistent Season After Season 

One of the most frustrating issues for coaches and parent managers is when reorders come back in a different shade or print than the original. With many suppliers, color drift is common because they use outsourced production, lower-quality printers, or shared factory color settings. 

JL’s family-owned manufacturing gives us unprecedented oversight of your team’s color profiles, ensuring they stay consistent year after year. We operate premium industrial sublimation machinery, maintain dedicated color profiles for each team, and preserve those settings season after season. Because our brand oversees its own sustainably powered manufacturing, we control calibration, output quality, and every variable that affects long-term consistency. 

While natural wear and washing will cause any fabric to evolve over time, our high-end sublimation process resists fading far better than traditional dye methods. The result is the closest possible match on every reorder. 

When your team reorders with JL, your colors remain true. 

3. Premium Fabrics Engineered for Real Performance 

JL does not compromise on textiles. We prioritize bluesign-approved materials, partner with mills actively working toward low-to-no PFAS chemistry, and rely on fabrics we’ve refined and tested for more than 45 years in real on-water conditions. Every material is selected for durability, stretch recovery, color stability, and comfort — not cost cutting. 

Our performance fabrics move sweat and backsplash off the body quickly, dry fast, and hold their shape under load so athletes can row without distraction. Even under heavy use, our materials resist the sagging, transparency, and early breakdown that are common with cheaper stock fabrics. 

Many suppliers choose lower-cost textiles to protect their margins. JL invests in fabrics that protect your athletes. You feel the difference on day one, and you see the difference in how the gear holds up season after season. 

4. Construction Built to Withstand Years of Training 

Durability is one of JL’s strongest reputational anchors. Coaches often send us photos of JL gear that has lasted decades because our construction is engineered for real rowing mileage — thousands of strokes, heavy training cycles, and constant friction. 

Every JL unisuit and pair of trou includes a reinforced double seat built to withstand rowing-specific wear while maintaining stretch, recovery, and long-term strength. Our construction methods help uniforms keep their shape and performance season after season. 

“I have no idea how many thousands of miles are on these shorts. They were with me when I crossed the Atlantic, and they continued to serve me well in the two decades since.” 
— Tori Murden McClure, first woman to row solo across the Atlantic 

JL’s craftsmanship has also been trusted on some of the sport’s biggest stages, as the trusted performance-gear partner behind the Chanel J12 Boat Race with Oxford and Cambridge, and previously selected by top national teams including the United States, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, Ukraine and others. These partnerships reflect the standard of reliability and craftsmanship expected at the highest levels of the sport. Long-lasting uniforms save programs money, reduce replacement cycles, and keep athletes comfortable year after year. 

5. Pricing and Program Options Designed for Every Team 

JL offers flexible purchasing options without compromising quality for any program. Every athlete — from a novice rower ordering their first unisuit to a national team competing on the world stage — receives the same premium construction, the same advanced fabrics, and the same long-term color consistency. We never downgrade materials for “entry-level” teams and we never box programs out with high minimums. 

Teams can order through team stores, bulk orders, or fundraising programs depending on what fits their budget and roster size. Most domestic team stores receive free shipping at over $149, and international teams benefit from VAT-inclusive pricing and free shipping in select countries. 

Whether you’re outfitting a large collegiate roster or a small club just getting started, JL delivers the same trusted quality, fast production timelines, and seamless customer experience — because every team deserves elite gear. 

Whether a program is working within tight financial limits or outfitting elite athletes, JL provides options that maintain the performance, durability, and consistency teams expect from a top-tier brand. 

6. Sustainably Powered Manufacturing with Real Oversight 

For JL, sustainability goes far beyond marketing language. It’s woven into every step of how we create gear, from responsible material selection to sustainably powered manufacturing, regional production that reduces shipping emissions, long-life durability, and end-of-life solutions through JL RePlay. JL is the only teamwear brand where sustainability is designed into the system, not added on at the end. 

Unlike brands that outsource production and have little visibility into how their gear is actually made, JL has direct oversight of its manufacturing, which runs on approximately 90 percent renewable energy through solar, hydroelectric, and geothermal systems. Our cutting processes are designed to reduce waste, our fabrics prioritize bluesign-approved materials and low-to-no PFAS where possible, and our durability-first construction reduces the environmental impact of replacements over time. 

This structure isn’t common in teamwear, and it’s a major reason programs choose JL. Teams get gear they can feel good about ethically and environmentally — without sacrificing performance or longevity. 

7. Customer Service That Coaches Actually Rely On 

JL’s customer service rating sits at an incredible 97 percent. In custom teamwear, that is almost unheard of. Coaches and parent managers consistently tell us that what sets JL apart is our communication, honesty, and ability to actually deliver on what we promise. Last year, more than 95 percent of JL custom race-ready and game-day gear orders were produced in three weeks or less, not including shipping. 

We also know that in custom manufacturing, surprises can happen. Fabric shortages, upstream delays, or supply chain issues are a reality for every brand. The difference with JL is how we handle them. Because our brand has full oversight of production from patterning to cutting to sewing, we can identify issues early, communicate quickly, and correct problems before they become major setbacks. 

Other suppliers work through layers of vendors and handoffs, which slows down responses and leaves teams frustrated. JL keeps everything connected, which means faster answers, clearer communication, and a team that stays accountable from start to finish. 

JL delivers reliability, even when circumstances aren’t perfect. And our customers notice. 

8. Art That Makes Switching to JL Effortless 

Transitioning your uniform designs shouldn’t be a burden, it should be an upgrade. That’s why JL does not charge art fees on custom designs. You get access to our full in-house design team at no additional cost, so whether you want to match your current look, refine it, or build something entirely new, we make that process easy and collaborative.  

We can replicate any design concept in your team colors on all apparel, from unisuits and tops to tights and outerwear. If you can imagine it, our designers can bring it to life with precision and accuracy that honors your branding. When you need to confirm colors or fine-tune a design, we can send mini-prints and swatches to help you refine your colors before anything goes into production. 

JL’s art support is built into the custom experience so there are no surprise fees, no extra hurdles, and a process that helps teams feel confident about their gear before production begins.