The global activewear market is growing at a CAGR of 6.5 per cent. The market is helped by a global cultural shift toward health and fitness. Companies are favoring a casual dress code and consumers are demanding more comfortable clothing.

Women’s sports bras, vests and tank tops are becoming more acceptable for not just athletic activity but for daily wear. Spacer fabric plays an important role in creating padding and support. In the past, sports bras were made using a spacer fabric knitted in a uniform thickness, and would add additional padding for support or to create a push-up effect. With the new generation of spacer fabric technology – the sculpted spacer – manufacturers can knit in a way that corresponds to the natural size and shape of women’s bodies, enhancing comfort with form-fitting support. The curved spacer is also a manufacturer’s dream – rather than attaching padding after the sports bra is sewn, the sculpted spacer is sewn all at once, eliminating several steps of the production process.

Yoga pants and leggings are the quintessential athleisure garment, but they wouldn’t have reached their pinnacle of popularity if it weren’t for four-way stretch fabric. Compared to the two-way stretch, it can be stretched during exercise without exposing the wearer’s skin. Further, four-way stretch fabric provides excellent elasticity to protect and support the body, while also allowing freedom of movement.