This season is about exploration and evolution, and the mélange of strength with softness, embracing a wide spectrum across high impact activities through lifestyle, to outdoors and soft furnishings.
The fabrics possess much lighter properties while maintaining their core character and delivering impeccable performance.
An upward spike in outdoor sports, travel and fitness-related activities has directly impacted a surge in the demand for performance and technical fabric blends with designers and brands maintaining a key focus on those areas. Function and utility also follow close behind with the rise of reengineered options.
A softer and more glamourised approach is obtained with the incorporation of lustrous yarns that serve the demand for opulence and metallic sheen. The products are more sensual and tactile, featuring a soft and silky touch with iridescent finishes.
After analysing the themes presented at various trade shows, reports such as the ones released by SpinExpo and ISPO Textrends, and validating the findings with top Indian players – Vidhya Shankar from Ganapathi Chettiar; Vikas Wadiker from Reliance Industries; Roopali Beri from Vardhman; and Luv Jain from RSWM, Apparel Resources and FFT teams present to you the top directions in yarns for the approaching season.
Key trends in yarns and its end-products have been highlighted, by defining individualistic properties and colour ways that provide a fair idea about the future of textiles for the upcoming Spring/Summer 2019 season…
Since the past few seasons, high tenacity yarns have had a growing effect on the market owing to their toughness and rigidity, but this season, the trend is shifting towards fabrics that are softer and that possess enhanced flexibility.
The trend explores properties of strength and tenacity, where only the toughest, resilient and most durable fibres come into play. Key directions include anti-tear and anti-stress materials, innovative body mapped versions of reinforced engineered zones, high compression fabrics that embrace the wearer anatomically, and engineered fabrics that lock on impact.
Grit and Glamour
FIBRES, YARNS & FINISHES
- Aramid yarns
- High tenacity yarns
- Graphite-inspired strength – 200 times finer than human hair
- Natural, manmade and synthetics fibres feature as blending partners
- Classics, including gabardine and twill, are updated in lighter weight with high tenacity yarns
- Tough membranes and coatings for shell-like protection
- Stretch laminates for added protection to embedded high tenacity yarns
- Breathable DWR finishes
- High power spandex/elastane for high compression
- Multi-functional yarns and finishes for added performance
- Yarn and finishes boasting of cooling technologies
TARGET MARKETS
- High impact sports
- Road cycling/mountain biking
- Rock climbing
- Lifestyle – athleisure/street sports
- Skateboarding
- Travel
- Outdoor equipment – tents, backpacks, sleeping bags
A new level of lustre is achieved by incorporating renewed luminosity and brightness, without abandoning the luxury of touch and feel. Rich and opulent textures take centre-stage through the brilliance of yarns to achieve optical and tactual stimulation.
Compact fabrics with glossy substrates contest against more textured constructions and optical prints while lacquered looks emerge as a key trend.
The focus is on functionality wherein cool touch, UV protection, high compression, moisture management and thermal regulating ingredients come into play. The colour palette comprises of bold, striking hues to attain a vintage classic undertone mixed with metallic overtones. Techniques such as laser cutting and openwork mesh in illuminated yarns are tapped to add a decorative element to the products.
Iridescent Glow
FIBRES, YARNS & FINISHES
- Reflective yarns, prints and trims
- Rainbow reflectivity in finishes via coatings and prints
- Iridescent yarns
- Super chlorine resistant spandex/elastane
- Tri-lobal yarns for new generation shine
- Metallic coatings, transfers and prints
- Traditional foil prints
- Dazzling bright tone through lamination and intense yarn dyed synthetics
- Watermark yarn relief and coatings for iridescent appeal
- Gleaming trims in gold and titanium
- Glow in the dark yarns and finishes
- Fluorescent and phosphorescent yarns and finishes
TARGET MARKETS
- Glamourised athleisure segments
- Lifestyle/urban
- Stylish workout wear with high levels of performance
- Beach sports apparel and swimwear
- Hiking
- Aerobic wear – dry or aqua
- Soft equipment
Into the Spectrum
High compression fabrics feature a four-way stretch property that takes on a biomimetic approach to the muscular structure of the body. Reflective fabrics and trims emerge in feather lightweights alongside high-tenacity fabrics that make use of micro fine steel-strength aramid fibres.
The trend focuses on performance boosting characteristics that imbibe a robot-inspired appearance in terms of the structure of the product. Precise, compact and protective, the materials are softer and more comfortable wearability-wise than their previous versions.
Intelligent interfaces on the technical or face of the fabric improve performance by offering cooling effects, water repellence, UV protection, moisture management and quick dry technology.
FIBRES, YARNS & FINISHES
- Man-made fibres – lyocell, modal
- Silver, zinc and copper yarns and finishes
- Coloured coatings
- FIR and NIR yarns, Natural touch synthetic performance yarns
- Spandex/elastane for stretch, recovery and comfort fit
- Micro-encapsulated yarns and finishes – mineral embedded yarns
- Air textured yarn technology
- Textured synthetic yarns for a grainy, natural touch
- DWR membranes
- High-performance polyester and nylon feature
- Nano membranes
TARGET MARKETS
- Travel
- Active intimate apparel and socks
- Beach sport
- Yoga, Pilates
- Golf, tennis
- Running
- Outdoors
- Soft equipment – backpacks
Hybrid Territory
Sustainability sits at the core of the fashion and textile industry placing an emphasis on the juxtaposition of a new generation of synthetics, natural and man-made fibres and how they can come together to achieve a new level of expertise.
An upturn in higher performance recycled nylon and recycled polyester with bio synthetics is observed in terms of synthetics, with a strong inclusion of natural fibres from BCI cotton, pima cotton, merino wool and the luxury application of silk. Lyocell and micro modal feature as man-made options.
A combination of a selection of these blends would serve as a hybrid approach to create new sustainable options within the sector. The products feature a strong natural characteristic that is observed through touch and visual feel, updated with performance.
FIBRES, YARNS & FINISHES
- Cotton and cellulosic for super soft natural touch
- Hemp and linen in refined yarns for a grainy aspect
- Reduced water and energy consumption for a sustainable aspect in finishing and dyeing
- The inherent function of merino wool in terms of thermal regulation and comfort for the Spring/Summer season
- Micro modal, lyocell and silk for added softness
- Moisture management and anti-bacterial as key performance factors
- Recycled nylon and polyester
- Bio-based spandex/elastane and eco-friendly spandex/elastane
- Built-in performance yarns – moisture management, UV protection, anti-bacterial, cooling properties
- Bio-synthetic insulation for summer delivery in hybrid blends with recycled polyester
- Neoprene-free recycled fabrics for water sports
- Texturised synthetic yarns with a cotton touch and built in performance
TARGET MARKETS
- Athleisure l Lifestyle l Yoga
- Travel l Urban cycling l Outdoors
- Water sports – surfing, kite surfing, kayaking, and windsurfing
- Soft sports l Golf/Tennis/Hiking
- Soft equipment – tents, sleeping bags, backpacks, shoes
Back to the Future
The trend observes a weightless direction across micro-fine hosiery-inspired knits to micro-light trims and accessories, through engineered structures and technicalities.
The structure of the yarns enables these materials to know when and how to react and protect, guaranteeing enhanced performance and a truly visionary approach in the sportswear sector. Artificial intelligence and automation inspire fabric construction, boosting and strengthening the motion and friction between the body and the garment.
Cool touch, compression, UV protection and anti-bacterial pose as key properties delivering barely there, ultra-lightweight fabrics that provided unmatched performance. A strong influence in engineered fabrics through body mapping specific functions into key zones in fabric constriction leads to a more seamless result.
FIBRES, YARNS & FINISHES
- High powered spandex/elastane
- Embedded sensors linked to apps to monitor performance
- Power stretch spandex/elastane – super chlorine resistant
- Iridescent yarns
- Metalloplastic yarns
- Futuristically optical heat transfers
- Thermochromatic yarns and transfer prints
- Reflective technology in yarns, prints and finishes
- Day-Glo trims and yarns
- Phosphorescent micro-fine yarns
- PU tapes – heat bonded seams
- FIR and NIR yarns for enhanced performance and comfort
- Moire effects
- Variable modulus fabrics
- Patina surfaces through yarn content or finish
TARGET MARKETS
- Track cycling l Running
- Marathon & Triathlon l Athletics
- Fitness & Gym apparel and soft equipment
- Active intimate apparel and bodywear
- Cross training and cardio classes
- Wearable technology
