FASHION DIRECTIONS - RESEARCH

"Movement, or motion, is the state of changing something's position."

Fabrics that keep you cool in your workout clothes:

Gold and Silver- odor preventing materials. Materials that are infused with gold and silver particles; these help fight off odor and swear stains, "the marriage of gold and silver creates a force field of sorts, locking the technology into the fabric and keeping the odor out."

Jade- Founder of 2XU, Jamie Hunt uses microscopic Jade into fabric to 'dissipate' heat and cool your skin, "Jade has a very low thermal conductivity, meaning it absorbs heat very slowly and would take a long time to warm up even in hot conditions".

Pima Cotton- This has a long fibre length, is durable and feels so much nicer than regular cotton strands, "it's strength and uniformity combined with a fineness creates a stronger, more durable and softer fabric."

These few materials are unusual to associate with fabrics, it's interesting to see what properties they have that help within activewear clothing.

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Looking at materials that are used for sportswear I have found a range of fabrics that are frequently used within sportswear trends.

Bamboo- This is a fibre thats, "soft, anti-microbial, durable and wicking", it has many positives to it associating with active wear and is also said to be eco-friendly, it can be used for all sorts of fabrics, including sportswear.

Merino Wool- "This fibre is a great choice for both warm or cold weather exercise as it's warm, breathable, wicking, and antimicrobial. It's also less scratchy than traditional wools, and can be combined with spandex fibres to maintain recovery." Although you usually associate wool with thick scarves, hats for the winter, it's interesting to see how specific types of wools can also be used within activewear, for any type of weather, this is a good property for a sportswear item to have as fitness is ongoing throughout the whole year, winter and summer.

Synthetics- in the 1970s polyester as an activewear material used to be clingy and sweaty, making the user feel uncomfortable and hot in their clothes, making it difficult to perform as well as they'd like. However, as time has gone on, there have been improvements to polyester material, "the new generation of technical fabrics are created to allow moisture through the weave and wick away from the body, where it can evaporate on the surface, keeping you cool." Some of these fabrics can also be both breathable and waterproof, enabling this material to have all of these qualities improves activewear for both the producer and the consumer.

Mesh- Mesh is a fabric that has lots of cut out shapes to enable air to flow through the material, to keep the person wearing it cool, acting as a ventilation system so that the parts of the body that heat up quicker during exercise will cool down quicker. "Mesh is beneficial in sportswear as it provides good comfort and stretch", this material not only allows you to cool down but keeps you comfortable when exercising.

Neoprene- "a foam like synthetic rubber made from polychloroprene chemicals. It doesn't fray, it's a good insulator and is water resistant." It states there are two types of neoprene called open cell and closed cell, however, closed cell neoprene is more common and cheaper, "it consists of nitrogen filled separated bubbles and allows a small amount of water to pass through which is heated by the body." For very cold conditions and activity, it is suggested that open cell is more appropriate as it's, "raw (unlined), softer and more flexible than closed cell which is rigid and strong." and its made from, "interconnected air spaces and works by clinging tightly to the body", overall open cell neoprene is more insulating and more suitable for deep diving or staying in water for a long period of time.

Waterproof fabrics- These fabrics are mainly used within outdoor sports to protect you from the weather conditions, and is also wind resistant too. "If a fabric can resist a water pressure of at least 13,000 pascals then the fabric can be classed as fully waterproof. PU (Polyurethane) coating is one way of waterproofing a fabric".

Micro fibre- These are basically fabrics made from very fine fibres, "a fabric can be classed as a microfibre if its fibres have linear density of less than 1 denier". Also, "microfibre fabrics make useful luxury sports fabrics due to their all round brilliant properties including being lightweight, having a luxurious drape and are breathable whilst still being resistant to wind and rain."