The Lycra Company’s many smart solutions
The Lycra Company has been busy devising new solutions addressing recycling, renewable resources and aesthetics, and these were all highlighted at Performance Days, which took place on October 13 and 14. The new Renewable Lycra yarn is offered in two versions, one with 30% biobased content, the other with 70%. “Our key message here is that in both cases Renewable Lycra offers exactly the same level of performance as conventional Lycra,” Doug Kelliher, who leads product management strategy for fibres, fabrics and garments, told Sportstextiles.
In addition to the (partially) plant-based elastane, The Lycra Company is also keeping a close eye on innovation in textile-to-textile recycling, and specifically those methods that separate and/or filter out the elastane component, which can then be recycled by the company. While elastane is often presented as a blocker fibre in circularity, it is not and can be recycled. This is however a relatively new field and requires getting the message out and educating the industry, he conceded.
Coolmax CloakFX is one of the new fibres that has been making waves in the sports sector, with several mills presenting fabrics at Performance Days made from the sweat-masking yarn such as Ekoten (Turkey) and Unitex (China). “We presented the first knits last year and are now developing the first woven fabrics,” Mr Kelliher said. He sees potential for the sweat-masking fibre in commuter wear, workwear and uniforms. Performance wovens, made with Lycra T400, is another space where he sees demand growing.
Among several collaborations created for the show, The Lycra Company worked with Südwolle and seamless knit specialist UTO to design a seamless garment capsule collection combining the natural performance of merino wool with the moisture management properties of Coolmax EcoMade, which is made from pre-consumer textile waste. “Natural performance in seamless knits is very new and a positive development,” he noted. Yoga, tennis, golf and base layers are some of the market segments that are being targeted.
Photo courtesy of The Lycra Company
