Many people have asked us why nylon is a staple for active markets. So we decided to do some research.

It turns out that Nylon was the first synthetic fiber made. Nylon has both excellent strength and abrasion resistance, allowing it to stand up to any sport as one of the most resilient synthetic fibers.  It has a high elongation and elastic recovery so fabrics can stretch to their limits without losing their shape.  In addition, nylon has good resistance to sunlight making it an excellent choice for swimwear. Its ability to accept acid dyes makes it possible to achieve brighter colors. Nylon has long been known as the staple for the swim industry, but this idea is starting to change, as mills have been able to greatly improve the qualities of their polyester yarns. These new Polyester Spandex blends have given Nylon Spandex blends a run for their money.

Did you know?

Created by DuPont in 1935, Nylon production for consumer use was halted during WWII by the government in order to make tents and parachutes out of this durable material.  Therefore, widespread use by consumers was limited until after the war.

(Burns, L. D., & Bryant, N. O. (2007). The Business of Fashion (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Fairchild Publications, Inc.)

There has recently been a number of calls concerning the future of out glittered velvet program.  It is true that the market for stretch velvets knits (or stretch velours) has declined in the past several years. Glitter stretch velvets have seen a similar drop in production. This does not mean that stretch velvets are unavailable by any means, only that companies have chosen not to stock the goods. Rest assured, we will continue to stock them and are in fact currently adding new and exciting colorways!

A new item has come to the market called MetaFoil velvets. This item is different because instead of glitter being applied directly to the fabric, a foil is applied by a pin-size dot cylinder.  This allows for more stability in coverage and does not shed like glitter velvet which can be troublesome for some manufacturers.  However, there are some draw backs to the MetaFoil Velvet.  Most notably, it does not have the sparkle that the glitter velvets can achieve.  In some angles the velvet pile will hide the foil completely, so the direction the garment is sewn is very important.

Today’s topic is about testing of a fabric’s wickability.

The term of wickablity is important with performance stretch fabrics as it is the “ability of a fiber or fabric to disperse moisture, allowing it to pass through the surface of the fabric so that evaporation can take place” (http://www.textileglossary.com/terms/wickability.html).  The quicker the moisture can be dispersed over the fabric and the more surface area the fabric has, the better its ability to allow the moisture to evaporate off of the fabric.  This is especially true for fabrics that contain spandex, as they expose more surface space when the fabric is stretched out.

Pine Crest Fabrics, a wholesale stretch fabric supplier, has focused on stretch knits for over 30 years and has developed a very simple testing method for evaluating and comparing the wickability of stretch fabrics. Try it yourself! Simply cut the fabric into a 10” strip with a 1” width. Do this with each stretch fabric you are testing. Tape the one end of the fabric to the middle of a pen (or pencil), so that the fabrics hang down 10”. Fill a glass half full of lukewarm water (70 degrees Fahrenheit). Dangle the stretch fabric over the water so that the end of the fabric just touches the top of the water, then count the amount of seconds it takes for the water to travel up to the pen. If the water reaches the pen in under a minute, it has excellent wicking ability. If the water does not travel up the strip, then the stretch fabric has poor wicking. This simple test allows you to compare fabrics to determine which has a better ability to wick.

Please write to us if you have any other questions!