sportstyle

DESIGN / PERFORMANCE CASUAL A new podcast produced by Polartec explores this trend with a keen eye on the role of performance fabrics in today's dress code, looking at big picture cultural shis as well as the nitty gritty of material development. Called LAYERS: e Rise of Dressing Down, with host Colin True, podcast episodes in- clude interviews with industry veterans and outside observers along with True's personal experiences, to tell the story of how outdoor became big mainstream business and segued from an exclusive enclave to an arena open to all. Central to the storytelling is the underlying theme of the integration of technical fabrics into everyday life that helped make comfort a performance feature, with Polartec, and the company's original PolarFleece product, contributing to the movement. Episode 2 of LAYERS, titled Aloha, Athleisure, pinpoints the '90s and the attraction of aspirational outdoor sports, like surfing, that churned up the next "wave" of outdoor industry history. is casual beach look and vibe coincided with the popularity of Casual Friday work attire, elevating a new style that became known as "outdoor chic." e '90s were a particularly ripe time for functional fabric development. Longtime Polartec exec and avid outdoorist Karen Beattie talks about how the company's technical PolarFleece product solved issues. "It was great insulating, stayed warm when wet and replaced that scratchy wool sweater. And it introduced a modern, more comfort-related story on perfor- mance." Polartec went on to introduce eight new fabrics on that platform. In another episode, Polartec sales rep Tyler Maheu and True talk baselayer, while wearing tees made with Polartec PowerDry, pointing out the multi-functional aspect of perfor- mance tech as critical. "In the last four or five years brands and designers have gotten smarter about developing product that has multi-function properties versus earlier years in outdoor when everything was very specific, individual-driven purpose apparel made to look like what you did – hiking pants for hikers, running shorts for runners. With today's apparel it functions with all the performance you would expect, and is designed to be versatile, so the result is you have less stuff that does more and lasts longer," Maheu explains. "at's a statement on how far the industry has come." Redefining What Works for Workwear Cindy McNaull, business development director, Invista, recalls meeting with mill partner Sapphire Finishing Company at the global workwear trade fair A+A in November 2019 where an idea was launched for a new collection. e topic on the table was about an engineered solution for nylon cotton stretch focused on workwear apparel. "We had recognized this trend of casual wear influencing workwear in the early days of 2019. en COVID hit, and we used the time to fine-tune the idea." e Cordura Sapphire Capsule Collection previewed at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market 2022. e brand's NYCO fabric, a blend of cotton and Invista's T420 nylon 6,6 fea- tures throughout, with concept garments based on timeless designs updated for today's wardrobe reboot, brought to life in Smart Casual, Workwear, Tactical and Streetwear The Britt X by Dovetail Workwear is an ultra-light, multi-functional pant designed for digging in the garden, traveling the world, or hiking in the mountains. 40 • September/October 2022 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com

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