The Lycra Company has launched a new Lycra FiT400 fibre for knits, for the activewear, athleisure, seamless, socks, swimwear and workwear segments.
- The Lycra FiT400 fibre is made from 60% recycled PET and 14.4% from bio-derived resources and is GRS certified.
The fibre: The fibre includes two different polyester polymers, which together create a helical crimp, providing permanent stretch and recovery properties, as well as breathability, cooling comfort and chlorine resistance to fabrics.
- The new product comes with the EcoMade tag and is a bicomponent fibre engineered to optimise the performance and comfort of knits. It delivers a durable soft hand-feel, low shrinkage and high uniformity to fabrics.
- The company is projecting this as setting the stage for circularity. In controlled tests under specific conditions, this fibre was recycled back into new polyester fibres, thereby demonstrating the technical feasibility of this process.
- Lycra FiT400 fibre is compatible with established polyester chemical recycling processes. In multiple tests, the fibre components were blended with standard polyester components and recycled back into new polyester fibres with comparable performance as standard recycled polyester fibres.
The market: Lycra FiT400 fibre will be advertised to the trade. The “It’s Time for Better” campaign aims to disrupt the activewear, athleisure and swimwear categories with the message that consumers and the planet deserve better—better-functioning garments offering reduced environmental impact.
- Fabrics and garments powered by Lycra FiT400 fibre are eligible for Lycra XTRA LIFE or COOLMAX EcoMade brand hangtags if they meet specific brand quality standards. Both brands enjoy high levels of consumer brand awareness worldwide.
The plus points: The new product delivers low shrinkage, high uniformity, and chlorine resistance to knit garments.
- It also offers consumers durability, enhanced softness with all day cool and stretch comfort, to help drive sell-through and increase loyalty.
What they said:
We developed Lycra FiT400 fibre to deliver in-demand performance benefits and an enhanced soft hand to the knit fabric category. This innovation also meets customer and consumer expectations for more sustainable solutions since it is made with recycled and bio-derived materials.
— Steve Stewart
Chief Brand and Innovation Officer
The Lycra Company
