For more comfort and safety during sports activities, the choice of sports textiles should be appropriate to the needs of the physical exercise practiced. The sports field is also one of the consumer fields of textiles. It is therefore important to know where these fabrics come from.
The raw materials
The most used in the manufacture of sports textiles is elastane. It is made from synthetic fibers based on polymer. With some improvement techniques, textile industries have designed the supplex which combines elastane and polyamide for more comfort for athletes. On the other hand, there is also cotton, a component made of vegetable fiber. Widely used in the world of textiles, cotton also plays an important role in the manufacture of sports textiles. The composition of a sports textile can be 100% cotton, but it can be combined with elastane to have in a single fabric the properties of both materials. Other compounds such as polyamide or nylon, a derivative of synthetic fiber also comes into play in the manufacture.
Characteristics and specificities
Although these materials are all used to design sports textiles, they each have different properties. On the one hand, elastane is known for its high elasticity, which allows for any type of movement during muscle activities. For a higher performance, nylon adds this property of elasticity and stiffness of the fabric when combined with elastane. On the other hand, supplex was designed to provide more comfort, as it is soft to the touch and regulates body temperature by wicking away heat and moisture provided during physical activities. In addition, cotton has specific characteristics: softness and flexibility. It is a permeable and highly absorbent material that allows the athlete to continue exercising with ease, even if he or she feels the humidity due to perspiration.
Which component is suitable for which sports activity?
For sports that involve a lot of physical effort, such as running and team sports, opt for cotton sports textiles, which will allow you to feel more comfortable even when sweating. However, there are jerseys made with polyamides to prevent the fabric from tearing during muscle movements. Elastic materials, on the other hand, are recommended for the most intensive sports that require great freedom of movement, such as swimming and cycling. Thanks to its property of adapting to the shape of the body, the sportsman feels a great comfort while practicing freely all actions during the sports activity. Since all chemical components can be combined, all the properties of each material can be found in a single fabric.
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