Aerial Silks Apparel: Coverage, Fabric, and Studio Kit

Aerial silks apparel is the most coverage-heavy kit in the aerial family. The silk wraps the armpits, the backs of the knees, the hips, and the torso, and any bare skin in those contact points means rope burn. Here is the standard silks kit, the fabric choices that hold up, and what studios sell most often through their apparel shops.

The Silks Coverage Rules That Are Not Optional

Silks apparel is not a style choice. It is gear, like a climbing harness or a gymnastics grip. The non-negotiables:

• Full-length leggings. The hollow behind the knee bears full body weight in knee hangs and certain locks. Bare skin tears. Cropped leggings disqualify themselves.
• Armpit coverage. Straddle inversions, beats, and shoulder mounts grind the silk into the underarm. A fitted long sleeve or a tank with a rashguard layered under it solves this.
• Fitted, not loose. Loose fabric snags in wraps. Worse, loose tops slide up in inversions and expose the lower back to fabric burn.
• No raised hardware. Zippers, buttons, large logos with thick puff print, all of it damages silk over time and can dig into the wearer.

Hair tied up, no jewelry, no body lotion or oil within 24 hours of class. These are universal silks studio rules.

Fabric Choices That Last

Silks apparel takes more abrasion in one class than yoga apparel takes in a month. Cheap fabric pills, fades, and stretches out fast.

For leggings: Nylon-spandex blends are the standard. They grip the silk slightly without being sticky, recover from stretch, and resist pilling. Aim for 70 to 80 percent nylon with 20 to 30 percent spandex.

For tops: Polyester-spandex performance fabric wicks sweat and stays put. A fitted long-sleeve in this fabric is the silks workhorse.

For warm-up layers: Heavyweight cotton-poly hoodies and crewnecks. Silks classes start cold and you want a layer for the first 10 minutes.

Avoid: Pure cotton (holds sweat, chafes), bamboo (slippery on silk), nylon with a slick coating, anything with mesh panels in the underarm.

Browse our leggings catalog for the bottom layer and our long sleeve catalog for the upper layer.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

The Standard Silks Studio Kit

A full silks training kit usually has four pieces:

1. Full-length high-waist leggings. Studio-branded, nylon-spandex blend.
2. Fitted long-sleeve top. Polyester-spandex, with a small chest-logo print.
3. Fitted tank. Optional layer over the long sleeve for warmer studios or summer classes.
4. Warm-up hoodie or crewneck. Heavyweight, branded with the studio logo, worn from the door to the warm-up.

Most studio shops list all four pieces. Students self-select what they want based on body type and preferred coverage. The average new silks student spends $150 to $250 in their first six months on studio-branded apparel.

Why Silks Studios Now Run Their Own Apparel Shops

Silks students are an unusually loyal customer base. They train three to five times a week, repost their training constantly, and stay with a studio for years. A studio logo on training apparel is the cheapest and highest-converting acquisition channel in fitness.

The old path was a 100-shirt screen-print order, $1,200 to $2,000 in upfront cash, and a year of slowly moving inventory. Most studios stopped doing this.

The new path is a free or low-cost print-on-demand shop. Bear Grips Pro Shops lists 63 premium athleisure products. The studio uploads its logo once, sets profit per item, and earns $10 to $17 per piece with no inventory, no upfront cost, and no minimums.

For a complete walkthrough, see our studio shop setup guide.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I wear for aerial silks training?

Full-length leggings, a fitted top with a long-sleeve layer for armpit coverage, hair tied back, no jewelry. Most studios have these rules posted at the door.

Why are aerial silks classes strict about clothing rules?

The silk wraps the armpits, the backs of the knees, and the torso. Bare skin in those contact points causes rope burn. Loose clothing snags during wraps. The rules are safety-driven.

Can I buy aerial silks apparel branded with my studio logo?

Yes. Studios that run a print-on-demand shop list branded leggings, long-sleeve tops, tanks, and hoodies. Items print when ordered with no minimums.