Swimwear fabrics are becoming finer, lighter and even healthier, as Eclipse Textiles tells Erin O’Loughlin.
If only they could see things now, that small group of scientists who announced to the world just over 50 years ago they had created Lycra. For although they revolutionised the apparel industry – particularly swimwear – they would surely be amazed at just how much further things have changed.
In 2010, it is not nearly enough for a swimsuit to be merely fast drying, sand-repellent, with a comfortable fit and long-lasting shape retention. It must also offer ultra chlorine resistance, 50+ UV protection, up to four-way stretch and – in the case of performance swimwear – muscle compression and a lightweight, second-skin fit.
It’s a lot to ask but yarn producers the world over are making all this possible and more, says Eclipse Textiles’s marketing and product development designer Vanessa Kirk. The Queensland-based textiles company is a leading supplier of Lycra fabrics in Australia, importing both fashion and performancee swimwear fabrics from leading Italian fabric manufacturers Carvico and Jersey Lomellina, among others.
For the fashion swimwear industry, yarns just keep getting finer thanks to improvements and innovations in textile machinery, says Kirk.
“The trends are to finer gauge and finer yarn fabrics that were only a dream four or five years ago but are a reality now,” Kirk says.
There is also a trend, says Kirk, for fabric manufacturers to produce fine polyester/elastomeric yarns that allow swimwear manufacturers to increasingly capitalise on a longstanding technology: sublistatic, or heat transfer, printing.
“Sublistatic printing has been around a long time but I think it’s becoming stronger in fashion swimwear because it gives people more flexibility in design,” says Kirk.
Current benefits of sublistatic printing for swimwear producers include the capacity to print their own unique designs in small volumes, says Kirk.
“Usually if you do your own print, if you go offshore you’re looking at around 300 to 500 metres, whereas locally now if you sublimate you can do just one panel.”
Kirk has also noticed an increasing use of digital dyestuff printing among swimwear manufacturers. Unlike sublistatic printing, digital printing can be done on stretch, nylon and even textured fabrics.
“Whereas before it was a very niche area now it’s becoming more acceptable and a lot of people are using it more than what they used to,” says Kirk.
“We feel that due to technological advancements and availability, this will become even stronger next season.”
Yarn producers have also been working away to create fabrics that are more fashion forward. Kirk points to the introduction in recent years of Lycra Black.
The company behind the creation of the fibre, Invista, claims it is a more ‘natural’ looking dark fibre that retains its colour for longer. Its introduction to swim fabrics has assisted in creating new and interesting effects in fashion swimwear, says Kirk.
For the performance swimwear sector, Dow Fibre Solutions in the US has created the XLA fibre. While the XLA yarn has been around for a few years, Kirk believes it is only starting to hit the mainstream now, with Eclipse Textiles to import its first XLA fabric in 2010.
The makers of the fibre claim it is the first and only stretch fabric resistant to temperatures up to 220 celsius, making it suitable for extreme fabric processing conditions. Dow also states the fibre is machine-washable, highly resistant to UV light and sunscreen, and durable enough to withstand more than 1000 hours of exposure to chlorine.
Beyond such new yarns, the other key change in performance swimwear fabrics is the reduction in their weight, says Kirk.
“There is a noticeable trend towards lightweight second skin compression fabrics, which due to technological advancements in textiles has made this combination not only realistic but also in demand,” she says.
While compression fabrics previously weighed in at around 280gsm, they are now available from around 160gsm, Kirk says. “So you’ve still got the power without the weight.”
Looking to the future, Kirk believes recycled and environmentally friendly fabrics with performance and health benefits are one of the key trends that will be picked up by swimwear manufacturers at home and around the world. Eclipse Textiles is researching recycled yarns as well as fielding enquiries from Australian companies keen to learn more about eco-friendly, ‘healthy’ fabrics, she says.
While such fabrics are yet to hit the mainstream, Kirk and her colleagues will be keeping a close eye on how things unfold. “It will be interesting to see how commercially viable this becomes,” Kirk says.