Invista has unveiled a Lycra hybrid technology for knit denim fabrics. These fabrics combine of comfort and flexibility of knits with the authentic aesthetics and performance of woven fabrics. What distinguishes this technology from existing knit denim is that the Lycra hybrid fabrics integrate a true denim look and feel with low growth, low shrinkage, and multi directional stretch. The fabrics can be engineered for use in a range of different garment types, each serving different consumer needs.

Invista began working on the new technology several years ago when it saw that performance fabrics were having an increasingly important role in the denim industry. The fabrics employ a specific patent construction to achieve the look and feel of traditional denim, but with much greater stretch and flexibility. Another unique function of the technology is that the fabric can be engineered to have a particular level of stretch.

The company has been able to achieve fabrics with over 100 per cent stretch in one direction and more than 50 per cent in the other, with less than five per cent growth. The Lycra hybrid fabrics have been segmented into three different categories, each its own specific performance levels.

www.invista.com/