As the weather gets warmer and warmer, is the desire to lose weight getting stronger by pinching the fat accumulated in winter? Then you will choose to buy a new set of activewear, which eventually turns into a casual home outfit after you’ve run a few steps. After all, wearing it means exercising. When it comes to sports, you will think of buying a set of workout clothes, so do you know how to choose activewear? What is activewear made of? Today we are going to talk about activewear fabrics.
What is activewear made of？
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First, let’s talk about basic fabric for activewear
①Cotton.
The clothes we wear most of the time are made of cotton, but cotton is not a good choice for your regular workout clothes. Cotton is easy to deform, and activewear is generally dominated by tight-fitting styles, with a relatively large range of movement when worn. Therefore, if you wear pure cotton sportswear, it may deform after wearing it once or twice, with areas like the knees and waist becoming bulged or wavy, like the neckline of many old T-shirts.
Although cotton has good water absorption, so when you sweat, you will find that your clothes or pants will quickly get soaked and become heavy, making it difficult to exercise. In addition, cotton can also shrink, and you don’t want your sportswear to be unfitted after just one wash.
②Polyester.
I believe polyester should be the most familiar fabric besides cotton. Polyester is the most widely used fabric in the activewear industry. It is characterized by good elasticity and very thin thickness. Everyone likes the wrapping feeling brought by polyester. In addition, the cost and price of polyester are also relatively low.
However, polyester also has its disadvantages. It is relatively thin and light, and it is easy to pill after friction. Moreover, it is prone to static electricity, especially in dry weather.
③Nylon.
It is now the main activewear fabric fiber of many women’s sports leggings. The activewear containing nylon has a smooth surface, good elasticity, and a very textured overall appearance. Nylon is relatively durable, and it is not easy to deform when worn many times. It also has good scalability, especially for tight leggings made of nylon. It doesn’t matter how much movement you make after wearing them.
However, due to the high grams of this fabric, it is relatively thick, so sportswear containing nylon is impermeable, and girls do not need to worry about exposure during exercise.
④Spandex.
Spandex cannot actually be used as a clothing fabric alone, it is usually blended with polyester or nylon. The famous “Lycra fiber” is a type of spandex, but Lycra fiber has better properties than ordinary spandex. Generally speaking, the higher the content of spandex in the fabric components of sportswear, the less likely it is to deform and the better its elasticity.
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Activewear fabric composition ratio
Let’s take the fabric of yoga leggings that girls prefer to wear in recent years as an example to illustrate some common fabric combinations (note that the percentage of fabrics may vary slightly in different places, but the impact is not significant)
①90% polyester, 10% spandex. The composition of this fabric is the most classic and the most common activewear fabric.
Advantages: Soft, lightweight, and inexpensive
Disadvantages: Poor air permeability, unable to dry quickly
②87% nylon, 13% spandex. This fabric is more durable than the previous one.
Advantages: Easier to shape, faster to dry, and more durable than polyester
Disadvantages: Not softer than polyester
③80% polyester, 20% spandex. This combination is currently the most cost-effective fabric combination, which can meet the requirements of many sportswear for styling, elasticity, and scalability.
Advantages: The tolerance of the fabric is high, which can meet the needs of most users
Disadvantages: No special points
④75% nylon, 25% spandex. This fabric is the fabric of most high-end fitness pants. For girls who love sports, it will provide a more comfortable wearing experience during sports.
Advantages: Perfect for sporting wear
Disadvantages: It belongs to the application range of high-end products, and the price may be expensive
2023 Outdoor activewear fabric trends
With the development of science and technology, more and more black technology fabrics are used in activewear. Here’s a look at 2023 outdoor activewear fabric trends.
①GORE-TEX
It has the functions of waterproof, breathable, and windproof, breaking through the shortcomings of ordinary waterproof fabrics that are not breathable. So it is known as the “cloth of the century”, and is highly praised by trendsetters.
②COOLMAX
Coolmax fiber with four grooves can quickly drain the sweat generated during human activities to the surface of the clothing to evaporate, keeping the skin fresh and comfortable. It has good moisture conductivity, knitted fabric with cotton fiber interwoven has a good moisture conductivity effect, widely used to sew T-shirts, sportswear, and so on.
③PRIMALOFT
PRIMALOFT is an ultra-soft, water-repellent microfiber that is a good alternative to down fiber and is lightweight. Even if the entire garment is wet, it still has a high degree of warmth. Suitable for winter outdoor sportswear.
④POLARTEC
The main yarn material it used is polyester fiber, which has a very good thermal insulation effect. It is also suitable for outdoor winter sportswear.
Two most important qualities of good activewear
With all that said, how do we choose the right workout clothes based on the fabric? Remember the two most important qualities of good activewear:
1. Sweat absorption
Clothes made from fabrics containing polypropylene or fabrics such as Coolmax are ideal for athletic wear that absorb sweat without soaking the clothing
2. Breathable
Consider cotton, which is breathable and comfortable without friction. Do not wear any clothing made of rubber or plastic.
