German firm first to new Wellness label
28/10/2010
Specialist textile research and testing organisation The Hohenstein Institute devised the label in response to what it has called “a big demand for feel-good textiles”. To meet the criteria The Hohenstein Institute has laid down, the fabric in a garment must be comfortable to wear and easy to look after.
Under these criteria, how comfortable a textile product is to wear is largely determined by its skin sensory properties, The Hohenstein Institute has explained. This is the term used to describe the immediate touch sensation that the product makes on the skin.
Five different measurements are taken in order to quantify objectively how a textile product feels to people when it is in direct contact with their skin. A surface finish index states whether the product scratches the skin or feels soft. There is also a sticking index shows how much a textile product sticks to damp skin and consequently feels uncomfortable. A wetting index provides information about how quickly moisture is absorbed by the textile product when you sweat and so is carried away from the skin. The number of contact points between the textile and the skin is used to measure how quickly the textile starts to feel clammy and damp. A stiffness measurement is important for establishing how well the textile product fits your body and can be an indication of how comfortable in general the garment seems to the wearer. The breathability of the textile is also measured.
Taking all the measurements together, the level of skin sensory comfort is calculated and the skin sensory properties of the textile product that is being tested are judged against defined limit values.
As well as the skin sensory properties, the ease of care of textile products is also tested, with regard to their colourfastness under ISO 105-B02, their dimensional stability after 20 washes and their general resistance to washing. If the textile product that is being tested meets all the target specifications, it can be endorsed with the new Wellness label.
At the time of the announcement, Annette Kemmler, managing director of Schneider Sportswear, said: “We want to offer the best possible wellness clothing for people who have found their own, individual interpretation of sport and fitness as part of their personal lifestyle. For us, it's enormously important that our products meet all the highest specifications for quality and fit.”
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