Invista, the leading integrated producer of polymers and fibres, has showcased its performance credentials at the Performance Days trade fair for functional textiles that took place in Munich, from 20-21 April.

The company held a series of informative and educational workshops for the first time to provide guidance on cooling and compression fabrics across its Coolmax and Lycra Sport brands.

The workshops outlined key trends in the performance sector with athleisure and commuter wear trends driving the need for garments to perform beyond the gym, creating greater demand for fabrics offering cool and dry moisture management, compression and soft shaping.

Workshops

The workshops, by Huw Williams, Global Segment Director Activewear & Outdoor, and Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, EMEA Accounts Director Activewear and Outdoor from Invista Apparel, highlighted common problems and misconceptions around cooling and compression fabrics.

They also focused on the importance of testing and understanding consumer needs, as well as market insights into the move away from fabric wicking towards cool and dry and the different types of compression.

“Consumers expect more from their active outfits/sports gear but not everything that stretches is necessarily made with Lycra fibre and not all performance fabrics are created equal,” said Simon Whitmarsh-Knight. “We have a clear set of standards and rigorously test fibres and fabrics specifically for performance sports use ensuring any garment featuring our branded hangtag will deliver high performance and consistent quality without compromising any dimension of comfort.”

Invista

With leading brands including Lycra, Coolmax, Cordura, Stainmaster and Antron, Invista is one of the largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibres.

The company’s advantaged technologies for nylon, spandex and polyester are used to produce clothing, carpet, car parts and countless other everyday products. Headquartered in the United States, Invista operates in more than 20 countries and has about 10,000 employees.

www.invista.com