Invista, owner of the Lycra fibre brand, reports that millions of hangtags have been ordered for the recently launched Lycra Sport fabric.

The innovative fabric was launched to the industry in July 2009 and Invista reports that hangtags have been ordered to appear on garments in retail stores throughout the world this autumn, including from several leading brands.

According to Invista, smaller scale retail launches took place earlier this year where garments with Lycra Sport fabric achieved much higher sell-through, confirming positive data from consumer panels.

According to Invista, the promotional centrepiece of the effort is a strong sport-inspired brand visual identity presented on a hangtag that communicates the performance story and informs retail consumers about the main value proposition.

Invista says Lycra Sport fabric is engineered for athletes and active enthusiasts, delivering a range of stretch and recovery power designed to help them move and perform their best, while feeling comfortable.

Lycra Sport fabric is a family of fabrics engineered to meet the specific performance demands of athletes and merchandised through an innovative collaboration between the fibre manufacturer and fabric mills around the world.

New testing standards for sport performance

Realising that the brand already symbolised what consumers want in this category, Julien Born, Invista’s Global Segment Director for Activewear and Outdoor Apparel, stated that the company proceeded to create a set of demanding technical standards that mills could use in creating fabrics with a new level of performance for athletic use.

Garments manufactured with fabrics from participating mills are approved to display the distinctive Lycra Sport fabric brand hangtag once the fabrics are shown to meet the standards through testing at Invista laboratories.

These specific standards go beyond inclusion of Lycra fibre to include many key aspects of sports garment performance.  Lycra Sport fabric must pass these minimum standards reassuring consumers that the garment delivers exceptional quality and performance as expected from the Lycra fibre brand:

• Lycra fibre content – ensuring the highest fibre quality
• Fabric weight – confirming the fabric’s value
• Recovery power – giving the wearer more support
• Bi-directional elongation – allowing the wearer to excel in sport
• Fabric set and shrinkage – extending the life-span of the garment

Through intensive market research, Invista says it learned that consumers who participate in athletic activity are interested in apparel that retains its shape and allows the greatest freedom of movement. The same research is also said to have revealed that consumers associated Lycra fibre with those desirable characteristics.

Favourable market response

With fabrics from numerous collaborating mills gaining test approval, the Lycra Sport fabric program was introduced at major shows in Europe, Asia and the United States and is said to have gathered great interest from brands and retailers alike.

David Trerotola, president of Invista Apparel, says the performance standards of Lycra Sport fabric and the brand franchise “provide consumers an outstanding fabric for sport with a well-balanced level of performance, representing a premium component and value-add for sport garments. We are confident that our valued partners throughout the industry will benefit.”