Choosing the suitable fabric is vital to making comfortable, well-fitting activewear. There are several factors to consider when shopping for materials online.
Polyester is a popular material for fitness clothes as it’s made of plastic fibers, making it lightweight, durable, and breathable. It’s also non-absorbent, so your sweat evaporates quickly and keeps you dry.
Polyester
When it comes to workout clothes, form-fitting fabrics are key. Tight, stretchy materials that don’t swell up while sweating help muscles feel better during the exercise and aid in muscle recovery and blood flow afterward. However, your best fabric for athletic wear depends on your needs and preferences, as different activities require a particular fabric type.
The workhorse of fitness fabrics, polyester is a common material for athletic wear in everything from sports bras to running shorts. It’s a durable, wrinkle-resistant fabric that can be breathable and moisture-wicking by adding a special treatment during production. It’s an excellent choice for outdoor training, as it keeps wind and rain out but allows sweat to evaporate, and it’s a lightweight fabric that’s easy to move in.
While it doesn’t have the natural breathability of wool or cotton, polyester doesn’t retain odors as long as other textiles. That’s why you won’t find much activewear made from a single, pure fabric like Merino wool — you’ll likely see it blended with polyester or other materials for softness and breathability.
Nylon
Nylon is a synthetic artificial fabric that was created in the 1930s. It is made by forcing diamine acid into a reaction with adipic acid, which makes the polymer molecules form long thread-like fibers that can be loaded onto bobbins. The bobbins are then wound through a process known as drawing, which causes the polymer molecules to arrange in a parallel structure. The resulting fibers can then be spun into fabrics or used with other materials to create textile blends.
Nylon’s most notable attribute is its ability to wick moisture away from the skin, which helps keep athletes cool and dry during workouts. It is also soft, mold- and mildew-resistant and stretchy. It’s often used in yoga pants, performance underwear, sports bras, T-shirts, shorts, and cold-weather activewear. You can also find nylon in running tights and other high-performance gym wear.
Choosing the suitable material for your workout apparel can be difficult because of the many fibers and their various qualities. With the demand for performance-ready clothing increasing, choosing a material that can keep up with you is essential. Breathable and moisture-wicking fabrics are a must for all athletic apparel. The more you sweat, the more your clothes need to wick the moisture away to prevent odor and discomfort. Choosing quick-drying fabrics resistant to mildew is also a good idea to reduce the risk of bacterial growth and rot.
Cotton
Although cotton is often regarded as the worst choice for athletic wear, it can still be used effectively to make comfortable and well-fitting clothes for exercise. It wicks moisture and doesn’t hold onto odors as other fabrics do, making it a good choice for workout clothing that needs to be washed frequently.
It also helps that cotton is a natural fabric that has been around for centuries. It is soft and breathable and is great for warm weather. It also doesn’t require as much maintenance or care as synthetic fabrics. This makes it a good choice for shirts, dresses, and other casual activewear.
One downside to cotton is that it’s not very quick to absorb sweat. This can be a problem if you’re working up a sweat in hot and humid weather. If so, choose a cotton blend or fabric for your workout clothes.
Many people prefer to purchase organic or sustainable clothing when they buy their exercise equipment and apparel. These materials are made from environmentally friendly fibers from plant and animal sources. They may also use less toxic dyes. The main downside to these fabrics is that they are usually a bit more expensive. However, the higher price can be worth it for some shoppers.
Spandex
Spandex is a form-fitting material that is commonly used in workout clothing. It is often blended with other natural or artificial fibers such as cotton, wool, silk, and linen when making garments. It is the most stretchy of all fabrics and can stretch up to 7 times its initial length. It has excellent elastic recovery, meaning it will return to its original size once the tension is released. It provides a close and comfortable fit and a fantastic range of motion. It is also resistant to deterioration caused by body oils, lotions, and detergents.
It is very lightweight, relaxed, and flexible. It is also breathable and absorbs sweat quickly, making it ideal for use in sports and gym wear. It is often used to make compression clothing as it helps muscles not swell so much after exercise and increases blood flow for faster muscle recovery. It is not the best material for wicking moisture and does not breathe like other materials. However, it still offers much flexibility and comfort for strenuous exercises.
It is best to use polyester thread when sewing these fabrics, as the cotton thread can rot in sweat. It is also advisable to use a needle that is specially designed for sewing spandex fabric (stretch needles) as they prevent skipped stitches.
