Eco-activewear: how to save the planet while exercising in style By Alice Barraclough 20 SEPTEMBER 2018  (Cited from "The Telegraph") Chances are that while you might remember to take a couple of reusable bags to the supermarket, ask for your drink without a plastic straw, or even pour your morning coffee into a KeepCup, you probably haven’t yet thought about the impact our growing activewear obsession is having on landfills, oceans and the wider environment. This summer, when I attended LoveFit festival, a three-day adrenaline-inducing fitness festival at St Clere Estate, one particular company caught my eye: League Collective, a sustainable and high-tech sportswear brand for women. Designed by yoga instructor Lilly Richardson – who can usually be found teaching at the likes of Hotpod Yoga or Triyoga in London – all the League Collective garments are made in the UK with 100 per cent recycled fabrics. “As a yoga teacher in London, I am constantly moving from A to B (biking, running, sweating),” says Richardson. “Over the years I found my clothing has broken pretty quickly or loses shape. So I wanted to create something that can sustain the amount of activity I do. “Fashion is so fast-moving, and sewing technology is coming on leaps and bounds, but no one is putting pressure on big corporations to deal with the repercussions of producing so fast,” she adds. “The industry has the means and technology to be recycling all of our clothing, but because the demands aren't there, it is still a costly process. If we want to see this world continue, something needs to change.” Ben Moreland, founder of Asuno Activewear, says there's a natural link between fitness and good intentions.“You only have to look at events such as the London Marathon, Race for Life, the Moonwalk to see that people who exercise to feel good and live a healthy life are very often aiming to do good at the same time. "There is a lot fitness fans can do to make a difference in the world; ensure your activewear purchases are sustainable or give back, made from recycled materials wherever possible, and that your sports bottles are made from metal rather than plastic, to minimise plastic waste.” --end

How innovation in apparel can help you reach your fitness goals By IANS   Jan 27, 2022, 11:05 AM IST  (Cited from "The Economic Times") Are you still doing things the incorrect way when it comes to working out? Whether you realise it or not, the correct clothes can help you achieve your fitness objectives faster or perhaps exceed them. This is something that a high-performance athlete sincerely believes in. Because it's critical to choose clothing that suits your needs in order to achieve the desired result. This is the era of flexible work schedules and rapid acceptance of a healthy way of living. Everyone is becoming more aware of the importance of keeping good mental and physical fitness, and the sportswear business is now helping to make their lives easier. When you feel good about yourself while working out, it motivates you to go above and beyond. Fitness aficionados today not only exercise at home, but also go to the gym or participate in sports on a regular basis. Comfortable, performance-oriented clothing underpinned by the latest advancements has become a need. Consumers nowadays seek out sports equipment, wearables, and accessories that will keep them ahead of the game and provide them with the feeling of a high-performance athlete. Adaptable gear like leggings, sweatpants, and activewear have fast become integral components of everyone's professional wardrobes as business is conducted in a hybrid arrangement, i.e. both from home and from the workplace. Inevitable Innovation Clothing must develop to assist clients effortlessly move throughout their day as fitness evolves and becomes more accessible. Apparel with cleverly designed pockets, mesh ventilation in crucial areas, binding apparel for no-ride-up yoga sessions, and other types of enclosures and supports to assist you work out without discomfort are all becoming more common. These garments have been tried and tested by thousands of customers, who have liked and used them. It has now become a way of life for them. For runners and gym goers all over the world, products like shorts with phone pockets have become standard. Comfort is confidence Comfort is style, independence, and the self-assurance we project, all of which contribute to our ability to grow and adapt. The most basic requirements a buyer looks for when investing in comfortable clothing and athleisure are manoeuvrability, fit, and fabric quality. Varied people have different definitions of comfort. While some high-intensity users prefer lighter, thinner, and faster drying materials so that they may exercise without smelling or sweating, others prefer non-clingy, heavier fabrics that give them the courage to exercise without fear of being seen. Stretch has also become a must in sportswear to ensure that users are not restricted in their movements. Our full stretch dry fit pants, stretch daily shorts, and high stretch power leggings are among the most popular. Activewear All day wear Times and lifestyles ha...

Things You Need to Know About Elastane By LISTICLE   03/16/2022  (Cited from "ISPO.COM") Stretch, stretch, hold and back to the starting position - no, this is not about the best stretching exercises for your workout. But it's about a fiber that's pretty much always involved and is pretty much guaranteed to outperform you: spandex. The synthetic fiber, also known as "Lycra" or "Spandex", is added to almost all sportswear and ensures the best performance, fit and comfort. Why this is so and what reasons speak for or against spandex as an ingredient for sportswear, you will learn here. 1. Where does the name spandex come from? As the name suggests, spandex is enormously stretchable. The main component of the synthetic fiber is polyurethane, a synthetic raw material that is as stretchy as rubber. This allows spandex to be stretched by up to 700 percent without wearing out: the fiber always returns to its original shape undamaged. A remarkable stretching exercise, which makes spandex the perfect material for precisely fitting sportswear that puts away all movements unscathed. 2. Spandex: No creasing, no "pilling" The smooth, rubber-like texture ensures that spandex fabrics are extremely durable and do not wrinkle. They also do not lint and no unsightly nodules form - a wear process called "pilling". 3. Elastane is breathable After the rubber comparison, this property of the synthetic fiber is even more amazing. The smooth spandex fibers absorb little moisture and dry quickly again. Thus, clothing made of spandex never looks uncomfortably wet. However, there is one disadvantage: the synthetic fiber develops unpleasant odors more quickly than it's the case with natural fibers. However, there are already innovative coatings that prevent perspiration odors. 4. Spandex is always only elastic accessory Artificial fibers do not feel as comfortable on the skin as natural fibers. That's why spandex is only ever added to fabrics to make snug-fitting and elastic fabrics, and not used exclusively for fabric production. The proportion is usually less than 30 percent and endows cotton fabrics, for example, with stretchy capabilities. Stretch jeans, socks or yoga pants are a good example. However, spandex not only works well in the mix with sustainable natural fibers, but is also readily found in super stretchy blended fabrics with other synthetic fibers, for example for neoprene suits, swimwear or cycling clothing. 5. The basis of spandex is petroleum The sporty fiber is created in the chemical laboratory on a synthetic basis. According to the EU Textile Labeling Regulation, it must consist of at least 85 percent polyurethane, a material derived from the non-renewable raw materials crude oil and natural gas. The production requires a huge amount of energy and the resulting intermediate products are problematic for the environment. 6. Spandex can hardly be recycled While environmentally friendly recycling processes already exist for regenerative natu...