Textile Insight

26 • Textile Insight ~ November/December 2017 textileinsight.com From Road Race To Road Trip hese days being a runner often includes planes, trains and automobiles. Participating in a local 5K with friends and neighbors is always an option, but an out of town race holds special appeal. While textile execs may not be "front-of-the-pack" runners, they are hip to the destination run trend and are developing versatile, performance fabrics ideally suited for garments worn before, after and to/from the competition. These fabrications offer technical properties along with comfort features that enhance the total run experience. In other words, travel-worthy textiles that transition seamlessly from sport to sightseeing. Schoeller president Stephen Kerns says that Dryskin articles and Shape pieces within the company's Cosmopolitan collection are a good fit for this trend. DrySkin double fabric construction is developed especially for active sports, and consists of synthetic fibers on the outside and functional fibers on the inside for rapid moisture transport. Used in jackets and pants these features hold up to wear and tear and can be styled for functional fashion. The Cosmopolitan collection features articles with NanoSphere and 3XDry finishing technologies. "The fabrics look fresh, don't require ironing and brands often tell us these fabrics are popular for travel wear," explains Kerns. 3XDry combines two functions in one textile—water and dirt repellency on the outside with quick dry moisture management inside that promotes natural cooling. NanoSphere repels water, oil and dirt with high abrasion resistance. Both technologies are appreciated for plane travel and car trips when keeping clothes clean can be a challenge. Versatility is a key attribute of Nilit's ATS collection. Molly Kremidas, global marketing team member for Nilit, describes ATS pieces as "travel-easy versatility." She adds, "The garments look dressy, but behave functionally." Special air texturing creates soft yarns that are light and fluffy yet supple, and also easy care. ATS nylon yarns deliver a cotton-like feel, moisture management performance and dry fast. The yarn remains soft after multiple washings. Odor-resist technology is a natural for runners, whether on race day or during a road trip. Says Colleen Nipkow, NA marketing director for Polygiene: "Runners and travelers alike want to pack light and want items that they can rinse out, hang up, dry quickly, and look good." Polygiene, a chemical-free, odor control technology is expanding and diversify- ing end use applications. "It's not only what runners/ travelers pack in their bags, but their packs, too," says Nipkow who mentions a new pack program with Montane. For 2018 Montane updated all trail running packs with Polygiene. As a sidenote: Each year Montane sponsors the Tor des Géants in Italy. Ultra-marathons are part of the growth in destina- tion running, according to a Montane representative, saying that a Montane athlete took his family as a support crew for the event. Gore's new ShakeDry technology provides users on the run performance and lightweight pack-ability. The "constant beading technology" doesn't allow the fabric to saturate and the thin profile promotes breathability. The tech is versatile for wear on fair weather days and performs in stormy conditions. Wearers don't experience the chill common with wetted out face fabric, and the fabric dries fast. Literally users can shake it dry. Take a look at the video on YouTube here: youtu.be/Ttvyr2FVujc Blends Go the Distance Wool's unique properties go way beyond "it's warm." Especially with recent advances, creative collaborations, and innovative yarn blends that are being developed by companies like Global Merino and FiberVision's CoolVisions. "The interesting thing is that during athletic activities, no matter how effective the textile mechanically moves moisture as some point your going to be wet (from sweat)," explains Jose Fernandez, president, Global Merino. "Ultimately you need to understand what a fabric does when wet and how it behaves during levels of activities and environmental conditions." Wool retains insu- lating value when wet, but also absorbs moisture. Global Merino looks at the end use and addresses specific performance requirements and engineers a fabric that enhances athlete comfort. In the run market Fernandez sees resistance to wearing wool eroding and wool-specific brands having successes. "But we need to convert committed runners to performance enhancement achievable with wool," he states, and highlights advances like the techni- cal ability to spin yarns that are lighter, and using finer wool strategically placed wool structures to eliminate chafing. A recent collaboration between Global Merino and CoolVisions is in stride with the destination run movement. Called WoolVisions, the blend bal- ances the exceptional functional features of each fiber. "WoolVisions is a really interesting blend with merino wool," says Fernandez, "CoolVisions polypropylene fiber is thermally a better match for merino than other synthetics, resulting in fabrics with better hydrophobic performance." CoolVisions, global sales/marketing manager, Susan Lynn, adds, "The attributes of these blends— lightweight, quick dry, odor-management—are ideal for the run market." WoolVisions from Global Merino is a 60Merino/40CV blend. When tested as a single jersey results showed it wicked 50 percent faster than equivalent 100 percent wool, dried 40 percent faster and has significant enhanced odor- management, according to Lynn. WoolVisions was originally a spun yarn combin- ing merino wool with CoolVisions staple. Last year, CoolVisions introduced a filament dyeable poly- propylene produced in Asia, and Global Merino's newest knits combine the two yarns, filament and the spun blend. However, a new program is being developed for customers that want filament out of the USA. It will be made available from Premiere Fibers in Ansonville, NC. O TECHNOLOGY Travel-Worthy Textiles for the Total Run Experience. DESTINATION RUN

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