Do you think of Lycra as a material of the 80's? Well it's been around since the 50's. Dupont developed it in 1959. In the 60's it was used in lingerie and foundation garments, swimwear in the 70's and 80's when skinny bodyhugging clothes became the thing to wear. Lycra was introduced to the hosiery market in the 80's, and it has quickly become an essential ingredient in every pair of tights.
Now there is a new Lycra which can stretch two ways due to a new fabrication process - knitting Lycra into every stitch instead of every other stitch. This creates a new fabric that stretches up, down, left, and right. Tights made from this have a softness and sheerness of silk, making the hose cooler and more comfortable to wear.
These days, Lycra is being woven into other fabrics: wool, cotton, polyester and nylon, giving them improved wearability and drape. Lycra can now be found in a wide range of outergarments, everything from knitwear to coats may now mention Lycra on their labels.
People are dressing for comfort, and want freedom of movement in their work and casual clothes, which Lycra offers. Once you've experienced the ease of Lycra in softer clothing, it's hard to go back to more structured styles. Casual clothes are being seen more and more in the office. Even those places that insist on more traditional office wear often have "casual Fridays".
Weaving Lycra into other fabrics doesn't change the qualities of them, but adds ease and stretch to the fibre. Designers use Lycra mixes in their collections, but there was not a single pair of leggings to be seen anywhere on the runways.
Lycra has it all, comfort, freedom of movement, quality and modern style. But best of all Lycra isn't just for body hugging garments any longer.
For more information on
Lycra, visit Dupont's Lycra website.