Aerial Arts Apparel: What to Wear for Silks, Lyra, and Pole Training

Aerial arts apparel has one job above all others: protect your skin where the apparatus touches you, and stay out of the way everywhere else. Silks and lyra dancers need leggings or unitards that cover the backs of the knees and the armpits. Pole athletes need the opposite, bare skin to grip the pole. Here is what actually works on the apparatus and what aerial studios sell most.

What Aerial Arts Apparel Actually Has to Do

Aerial apparel is a piece of safety equipment, not just a workout outfit. The wrong fabric in the wrong spot ends a class with rope burn or a slipped grip. Every choice on the apparatus follows from where the fabric or bar touches your body.

The non-negotiables for silks, hammock, and lyra:

• Backs of knees covered. Knee hangs, splits in the silks, and back balances all hinge through the hollow of the knee. Bare skin tears in seconds.
• Armpits covered. Straddle inversions and beats grind the silk into the underarm. A fitted long sleeve or rashguard solves this completely.
• Form-fitting waist and hips. Loose tops slide up and obscure the instructor's view of your hip alignment. Worse, baggy fabric snags during wraps.
• No zippers, buttons, or hard logos. Anything raised damages silks and bruises ribs in an inversion.

For lyra specifically, add a single-layer or dual-layer fitted tank over the leggings so the metal hoop does not pinch skin against the waistband.

The non-negotiables for pole:

• Bare skin where you grip. Inner thighs, calves, abdomen, and arms need direct contact. Fitted shorts and a sports bra are the standard kit.
• No lotion, oil, or fabric softener. Anything slick on the skin or clothing is dangerous on the pole.
• Studio-branded crop tops and shorts. Most pole studios sell their own version because students wear them everywhere.

Apparel by Discipline: Silks, Lyra, Hammock, and Pole

Each aerial discipline has a different fabric-contact pattern, and that pattern dictates the kit:

Silks (aerial tissu): Long fitted leggings (full-length, not capri) and a fitted long-sleeve top or a fitted tank with a long-sleeve rashguard underneath. Nylon-spandex blends grip the silk better than pure cotton. Avoid anything with a slick coating.

Lyra (aerial hoop): Full-length leggings, a fitted tank or short-sleeve top, and a second layer at the waist if your hoop is uncoated metal. Tape grips help, but apparel is the first line of defense.

Hammock (aerial sling): Same as silks. The hammock wraps the whole body in restorative work, so full coverage is standard even more than in straight silks classes.

Pole (sport, fitness, and exotic): Sports bra and fitted shorts (boy-shorts or booty-shorts cut depending on the movement). For floor work and combos, a fitted crop top adds coverage without restricting grip.

Static trapeze: Leggings or fitted long shorts that protect the back of the knees, plus a fitted top. The bar contacts hips, hands, and the backs of the knees most.

Most aerial studios sell a studio-branded fitted tank, a long-sleeve rashguard, and a hoodie for warm-up. Pole studios sell branded crop tops and shorts because students wear them across multiple classes.

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Fabric Choices That Last More Than One Season

Aerial apparel takes more abrasion in one class than yoga clothes take in a month. Fabric choice is the difference between a top that lasts a year and one that pills in three weeks.

What works:

• Nylon-spandex blends for leggings. They grip the silk slightly, recover quickly, and resist pilling.
• Polyester-spandex performance blends for tops and rashguards. They wick sweat, hold their shape, and dry between classes.
• Heavyweight cotton blends for warm-up hoodies and crewnecks. Aerial students cool down fast after class. A studio-branded hoodie is the most-requested item in every aerial shop we have seen.

What to avoid:

• Pure cotton in the training pieces. It holds sweat, chafes against fabric, and stretches out.
• Bamboo blends. Soft on the hanger, slippery on the silk.
• Anything with mesh panels in the underarm or behind the knee. Mesh tears.

For studio-branded gear, performance tees, fitted tanks, and lightweight hoodies are the workhorses. See our hoodie catalog for blank options that print and embroider well with studio logos.

Why Aerial Studios Run Their Own Branded Apparel Shops

Aerial students are some of the most brand-loyal customers in fitness. They train two to five times a week, photograph constantly, and post their progress on social. A studio logo on a fitted tank or a warm-up hoodie is free marketing every single time a student posts a video.

The catch is that most aerial studios are small, often under 200 active students. Traditional screen-print shops will not run a 30-shirt order at a reasonable per-piece price, and a 100-shirt order ties up cash on inventory that may take a year to move.

Print-on-demand fixes both problems. Students browse the studio shop, pick the cut and color they want, the studio earns a profit on every order, and nothing is printed until a student buys. No inventory, no upfront cost, no minimum.

Aerial studios on Bear Grips Pro Shops typically stock a fitted performance tank, a long-sleeve rashguard, a fleece hoodie, and a fitted tee. Pole studios add a crop top and booty shorts. The whole shop launches in a single afternoon.

How to Launch a Branded Apparel Shop for Your Aerial Studio

Setting up a branded shop for an aerial studio takes about an hour. The flow is simple: pick your products, upload your logo, set your profit margin, share the link.

1. Pick four to six products. Start with a fitted tank, a long-sleeve performance top, a fleece hoodie, and a studio tee. Pole studios add a crop top and shorts.
2. Upload your logo once. The same logo applies across every product. Make sure it has a transparent background.
3. Set your retail markup. Most studios add $10 to $15 in profit per item. A fitted tank with a $19.88 base sells well at $34.
4. Share the shop link. Post in your student group chat, link from your booking software, and put a QR code at the front desk.

The free tier covers three live products with no monthly cost. The Self-Service VIP plan ($59 a month) unlocks 200 products and lower base prices, which means a higher profit margin per sale. The Done-For-You VIP ($109 a month) hands the whole shop build to a dedicated advisor.

See our guide on aerial arts studio shop setup for the full walkthrough.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear to my first aerial arts class?

Full-length leggings, a fitted tank or t-shirt with a long-sleeve top over it, and no jewelry. Most studios ask for armpits and the backs of the knees covered. Pole classes are different: bring fitted shorts and a sports bra.

Why do aerial arts classes ban loose clothing?

Loose fabric snags during wraps, hides body alignment from the instructor, and slides up during inversions. Fitted apparel is a safety requirement, not just a style choice.

Can my aerial studio sell branded apparel without ordering inventory?

Yes. Print-on-demand platforms like Bear Grips Pro Shops let studios sell branded tanks, hoodies, and rashguards with no minimum order and no upfront cost. Items print when a student orders.

What fabric is best for aerial silks training?

Nylon-spandex blends for leggings and polyester-spandex performance fabric for tops. Avoid pure cotton, bamboo, and anything with a slick coating that reduces grip on the silk.