Toray International America, the US arm of Japanese fibre and textile specialist Toray Industries, has added a new microfibre polyester to its Primeflex portfolio of stretch materials.
The original version of Primeflex which was launched nine years ago was a stretchable polyester with bimetal structure. The latest version utilises Nanodesign spinning technology so as to control the cross-sectional shape of the composite fibre and develop a fine composite yarn with a single filament count of 0.8 denier or less.
Its single filament fineness provides a flat surface appearance with smooth touch, soft hand feel and the four way stretchability that Primeflex is famous for.
The spiral yarn provides the flex which allows the resulting fabric to stretch and recover without the need of using heavier water absorbing elastics like spandex or lycra. The “much lighter package” have several benefits including breathability, abrasion resistance and a softer feel against the skin.
According to Toray, the company hits the sweet spot and calls it the”Soft-fit zone”which is ideal for the athleisure category between the ‘Hard-Fit Zone’ of a fibre like spandex and the ‘Loose-fit Zone’ of a regular textured yarn.
It is worth noting that the new fabric is targetting the athleisure market and has been utilising a biomaterial derived from corn that uses less water during processing.
