The athletic apparel industry is faced with a major problem: Most athletic apparel that people wear day in and day out tends to stop working after they are washed. Most promise moisture removal without delivering in the first place, while many others use a chemical coating to aid the wicking process, yet it simply washes out after one or two uses.
Additionally, other fabrics try to wick moisture and get oversaturated because the material is too thin, so the material sticks to the skin.
Wicking is a property of some fibers to absorb moisture by capillary action. It’s important to have a material that wicks moisture away from the body, so that the body can cool down. Usually there are two accepted ways wicking apparel is fabricated today:
- Hydrophobic fibers or fibers that attract little water, like polyester or nylon, are chemically coated to give them hydrophilic properties, or;
- Hydrophilic fibers or fiber that absorb water, like cotton and rayon, are chemically coated to give hydrophobic properties on the inner side.
In either case, the object is to get the moisture away from the body, so that it can evaporate, but both methods carry big problems … Both sides stay saturated and the coating is not durable.
There are solutions that use two different fibers in synergy. The inventor of this dual-tier sweat-removal technology wanted to bypass chemically coated tricks, and work with fibers that would naturally propel moisture from the skin. The moisture works its way through the proprietary hydrophobic inner fibers into the outer hydrophilic Pima-cotton fibers, where it evaporates quickly.
This smart fabrics’ properties are soft, pure and permanent. The cotton fibers wick moisture to the top layer, while the bottom layer keeps the skin dry and comfortable. What’s more, smart fabric isn’t easily oversaturated and is completely non-toxic. This dual-layer smart apparel is entirely American-made. This is why smart apparel is superior to all other sports apparel.
This new fabric is helping athletes push the boundaries of their sport, and it’s uncanny how well it works. People who have tested this type of fabric say they have given it to members to try and they say, “you’re never getting it back.'”
Jason Brasington, a trainer in Denver, N.C., using military protocol, uses 30-pound leg weights and could only do a maximum of eight laps. When wearing dual-layer sweat-management apparel, he was able to do 10 laps.
Enterprise Gym, a co-host of the World’s Strongest Man Contest, has instructors and members who tested the apparel, and found it to be extremely comfortable, dry, and that it actually stops body odor. The smart fabric gave them the ability to have better form during workouts that were more effective and enjoyable.
Nathan Lovejoy has worked for Dunn Manufacturing for over 10 years, and currently is their Senior Marketing Liason. He can be contacted at 1.800.868.7111 or marketing@dunnmfg.com. For more information, visit www.smartwicking.com.
