Bamboo has begun to find its niche in the athletic clothing department.

With the demand of bamboo clothing on the rise, TASC performance has opened a new shop on Magazine Street in hopes that the trend of bamboo athletic wear will catch on here in New Orleans.

While New Orleans has just welcomed it’s first store dedicated to only selling bamboo clothing. TASC is not new to bamboo clothing they have been selling there clothing online and in 700 different outlets across the country since 2009.

CEO Todd Andrews and his father Al have been working since 2009 to create a fiber process that would be better for athletes than polyester. They created a fabric finishing process called BamCo. This process is special because there are no chemical enhancements. So far the feedback has been positive by customers.

TASC customer, Karen Merrick, said she is very happy the store has opened because she loves the companies clothing.

“It feels good. I play a lot of tennis and golf and it just soaks the moisture up,” Merrick said.

 Though TASC has been met with open arms by consumers, the Federal Trade Commission warns customers to read the labels to ensure what they’re buying are truly bamboo.

Andrews said they had some challenges with the Federal Trade Commission but solved them quickly before the clothing was manufactured.

“When we first started there wasn’t really a way to classify bamboo so when we first started with it, it was treated like a vegetable fiber when we were importing it. Then the FTC ruled that it was actually either rayon or viscose and it had to be labeled that way. Which we complied with immediately, ” Andrews said.

While Andrews says the clothes feel great, he believes it’ll feel a lot better on your wallet too because the family owned process allows them to price their clothing lower than top competitors like LuLulemon and Under Armour.

Andrews believes that’s certain to keep the bamboo-clothing trend alive.