The majority of swimsuit fabrics are designed to stretch to flatter your body and provide a safe and comfortable swimming experience. It must also be able to retain its shape even when wet, and it should dry quickly and easily. Most swimwear plus size Australia fabrics contain elastic fibers.
Different Types Of Swimsuit Fabrics
Natural Swimwear Fabrics
Natural fibers, such as wool and cotton, easily lose their shape if they are wet. They dry slowly and retain a lot of water. These fabrics are heavier and less practical than synthetic ones. These fabrics are not recommended for use in swimming suits. You should not plan on just sitting around in a sunchair and looking great!
Blends Of Polyester Swimsuit Fabric
Blended with Lycra or spandex, polyester swimwear fabrics have the best durability. But, stretch polyester is only one category. Many blends come from different fabric mills. The blend percentage of poly and spandex for each type will differ to a certain degree.
Both the knit’s density and its softness can vary. The quality of the filament used in the textile mill that created the fabric makes a large part of the difference in its quality. You’ll see a wide variety of polyesters in terms of their appearance and feel. The fabric will feel coarser if the filament is thick (similar to thread). A smoother, more silky filament will produce a smoother feel. Before you make a final choice, it is important to feel and stretch the fabric.
Qualities Of Polyester Swimwear Fabric
The most suitable qualities for swimming suit fabrics are:
Durability polyester is a very durable fiber. It retains its shape in water and air. It resists piling (the small fuzz balls that may appear around the crotch or armpits). This is common in surf swimwear because the suit is in constant contact with the board.
Colorfastness Polyester retains color well in both dyes and prints
Cost – Polyester is one of the most reasonably priced swimwear fabrics
Look/Feel Polyester has a bad reputation for its perceived roughness in hand feeling. However, this notion is somewhat outdated. Modern poly fabrics have advanced dramatically and are now quite soft, although not as soft as nylon.
Digital Print Polyester can digitally be printed using sublimation. You can choose from bright, saturated, clear, and permanent colors. Machines and sublimation dyes are specially designed for polyester.
Polyester For Sustainability
Polyester is easy to recycle and can come from many different sources. Post-consumer polyester is polyester that has been derived from recycled sources such as carpets, plastic bottles, and other plastics. A fabric that claims to be 100% post-consumer recycled will mean that all the material used in its production is made from waste materials. This is the most environmentally-friendly option.
Some fabrics for sustainable swimwear are 100% post-consumer recycling, others are blended. You should always verify with your supplier what exactly you are getting.
Is Polyester Renewable? Are You Eco-Friendly?
It’s a complicated question. It all depends on the comparison .Natural fibers don’t perform as well when they are wet as synthetic fibers. Polyester is not comparable to natural fibers. There are no “sustainable” synthetic fibers that are 100% environmentally friendly. All produce microplastics and pollute water supplies. Bummer, right!? It’s the truth. Unfortunately, sustainable swimwear fabrics don’t have the same level of sustainability as we want. You can make a better choice to virgin polyester by using recycled polyesters.
Common Objective has compiled a comprehensive guide to sustainable stretch fabric. It is an excellent resource.
Blends Of Nylon Swimwear Fabric
These swimsuit fabrics, which are made from nylon spandex, are very popular. This is due to the fabric’s soft texture and ability to shine or shimmer.
Nylon Swimwear Fabric Qualities
Durability: Nylon, a strong fiber with tensile strengths, is strong enough for swimsuit fabrics. Nylon is less susceptible to sunlight and can become brittle more quickly than polyester.
Nylon Fabrics For Sustainability
Nylon is typically recycled using pre-consumer material. This is less environmentally friendly than post-consumer. This means that the materials came from a stream that hasn’t been used by the customer. The material being upstream of the customer means it hasn’t been used yet by the consumer. This makes it closer to raw material than post-consumer material.
