When creating athletic wear, the fabrics used are more than just a cosmetic choice. Various factors like breathability, sweat-wicking ability, and stretchiness must be considered.
Luckily, there are a handful of high-performing fabrics to choose from when making workout clothing. Below are the best ones for you to consider:
Polyester
Polyester is a popular workhorse material in almost every workout clothing. It’s a synthetic fabric made of plastic fibers, making it lightweight, wrinkle-free, and long-lasting. In addition, it can be treated with a moisture-wicking material to help wick sweat away from the body.
It also offers high elasticity, making it easy for athletes to make repetitive movements without feeling any resistance. The molecular structure of this athletic wear fabric features alternate aliphatic and aromatic compounds, contributing to its durability and tensile strength. It can also stretch up to 5-6% and still recover quickly, which makes it perfect for sportswear that requires repeated movement.
While it is possible to find a shirt or pair of pants made exclusively from polyester, it’s more common to see them combined with other fabrics like cotton, rayon, and nylon. The natural fibers add to the clothes’ comfort, elasticity, and shrinkage resistance, while polyester reduces costs and enhances the fabric’s durability and wrinkling profile.
While polyester is a popular material for sportswear, some people need more breathability. Since it is essentially plastic, it doesn’t facilitate airflow or other naturally breathable fabrics. Nevertheless, this is just one of the reasons why it is still so popular among top workout apparel brands.
Poly-Dri
Whether you’re a professional athlete or just getting your heart rate up in the gym, the more comfortable you are, the better your performance will be. Lightweight, stretchy, and breathable fabrics can help you keep up with your workout without overheating. You’ll also want to ensure that your materials can wick away sweat since wet clothes can chafe against your skin and cause you to feel uncomfortable.
One of the most common fabrics for athletic wear is polyester, which can be used in various weights and styles. Some fabrics are engineered to be specifically geared toward athletic wear. This high-performance microfiber polyester is designed to move moisture from the skin to the fabric surface, where it can evaporate more quickly. It’s also incredibly soft and has a very smooth feel, which helps to reduce irritation.
Another option is brushed poly, which can be used in light and heavier weights and is ideal for activewear. This type of fabric is brushed on both sides to aid in increasing the amount of fiber volume, which helps to make it more breathable and absorbent. It’s also anti-microbial and quick-drying, which makes it perfect for workout gear. This fabric is often combined with other fibers, such as cotton or wool, to provide the best of both worlds.
Bamboo
Bamboo-derived fabrics are fast becoming the go-to choice for eco-conscious athletes and sports enthusiasts. This fabric is highly breathable and sweat-wicking, making it the perfect choice for workout attire that will keep you cool, dry, and comfortable throughout your entire workout.
Bamboo is also known for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, which means it will inhibit the growth of unpleasant odor-causing bacteria and fungal organisms. This is especially important in intimate garments such as socks, underwear, and T-shirts that will directly contact your skin.
While bamboo-derived fabrics have many benefits, it is essential to note that making bamboo into fabric is only partially eco-friendly. This is because bamboo is made into rayon and viscose through a chemical process that involves carbon disulfide. At the same time, the result is a high-quality and durable material, the chemicals involved in creating this fabric harm the environment and human health.
To avoid bamboo-derived clothing that harms the environment, consider choosing brands that use a sustainable process that produces bamboo fabrics without toxic chemicals. They also offer a wide range of bamboo garments, such as sleepwear and activewear, for both men and women.
Wool
Wool is known for being both warm and breathable. It’s also naturally static-resistant, making it perfect for athletic base layers. Static electricity can build up when fabrics rub against each other in low-humidity environments, causing garments to stick to each other or your skin. Wool eliminates this problem by storing moisture vapor and preventing the accumulation of static charge.
Wool’s natural odor resistance is another benefit that keeps it at the top of the list for fitness clothing. This is because of the lanolin coating that gives it antibacterial properties. Lanolin repels odor-causing bacteria and traps the sweat molecules that cause body odor. The result is a softer, more comfortable garment that stays dry longer and doesn’t need to be washed as often.
As a bonus, wool is incredibly lightweight and soft against your skin.
Another advantage that wool has over other fabrics is its natural elasticity. As your muscles stretch, the wool fabric will stretch with them, then return to its original shape. This feature makes it an excellent choice for form-fitting workout clothes, which will help you perform better by limiting muscle swell and improving blood circulation during a workout.
