WILMINGTON, DE — The LYCRA Company used last week’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics trade show in China to broaden its push into performance and lower-carbon apparel materials, showcasing new and updated fibers aimed at sweat management, stretch, cooling and reduced use of virgin raw materials.
The Wilmington-based apparel technology company presented its products alongside 19 co-exhibitors in an 895-square-meter pavilion, including a 356-square-meter “Lifestyle District” developed with Jingzili New Material, JYT Textile, Lianxingfa Knitting and Trend Textile.
The displays paired LYCRA®, COOLMAX® and THERMOLITE® technologies with commercial fabrics and garments, reflecting the company’s strategy of working with textile manufacturers and apparel partners to demonstrate finished applications rather than individual fibers alone.
Among the products was COOLMAX CloakFX™ fiber for woven fabrics, which is designed to reduce the visible appearance of perspiration while providing moisture management and greater opacity when fabric is wet or dry.
The fiber is made from 100% recycled PET and is certified under the Global Recycled Standard, according to the company, reducing the amount of virgin raw material required in its production.
LYCRA also previewed LYCRA FiT400™ fiber for woven and knitted fabrics. The updated knit version is being offered in three performance levels — Essential, Expanded and Elevated — intended to give apparel brands different combinations of functionality and sustainability attributes.
The FiT400 fiber provides stretch without spandex and is designed to retain cooling properties over the life of a garment, the company said. Its woven application is intended to preserve conventional fabric aesthetics while adding low-to-moderate mechanical stretch.
The company also showcased RENEWABLE LYCRA® fiber, which contains 70% renewable material derived in part from field corn grown in the American Midwest. LYCRA says the material is designed to provide the same performance characteristics as conventional LYCRA fiber while reducing the carbon footprint associated with garment production.
Jason Wang, LYCRA’s vice president for Asia, said the company structured its Shanghai presence around collaboration among fiber producers, textile manufacturers and apparel makers rather than stand-alone product demonstrations.
“Great ideas emerge when people with different perspectives come together,” Wang said, adding that the company sought to show what happens when technology moves “beyond individual products to become part of a broader experience.”
The Shanghai exhibition gives LYCRA a platform to position recycled and renewable-content fibers alongside performance technologies as apparel companies weigh durability, comfort and environmental considerations in material sourcing.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.