FabricTrendsFabricTrendsV I S I T U S O N L I N E A T W W W . G E A R T R E N D S . C O M

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CATCH ME IF YOU CANThe blending of advancements in fabric and fiber technology into garment design is giving athletesthe “bionic” edge.

6NOW YOU SEAM THEM,NOW YOU DON'T

The seamless sensation is spreadingthroughout the industry like wildfire and is revolutionizing the fit and feel of apparel.

10TELLING THE STORY

The industry says it places a high priority on fabric education for storestaff and consumers, but is the system working?

12FORMING A NEW BOND

Gear and apparel manufacturers are bonding with adhesive film and welded seam technology.

16CARE & FEEDING OF SYNTHETIC INSULATIONS

A practical reference guide with tips on how to care for syntheticgarments and gear.

18ON THE HORIZON

Our look at trends in textiles that youmay see down the pike.

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A G E A R T R E N D S ® S U P P L E M E N T

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f a b r i c t r e n d s

welcomehe GearTrends® team trusts you will enjoy FabricTrends, our first supplement designedto serve the information and communication needs of fabric, insulation and notions

suppliers. FabricTrends was produced in partnership with FabricLink.com, an online educa-tional resource and communication link developed for the textile/apparel/retail industry andits consumers.

In addition to co-branding, information support and the co-development of special fabric in-formation and trends pages in GearTrends® magazines, the partnership between GearTrends®

and FabricLink.com establishes programs to provide benefits for suppliers who participate asmembers and advertisers in both GearTrends.com and FabricLink.com.

To that end, it’s ideal: SNEWS® and GearTrends® are considered the best sources of tradenews and information for the outdoor and fitness industries, and FabricLink.com has estab-lished itself as the leading source of information specific to fabrics, mills, manufacturers andfiber producers—a key resource for both industries.

Through our partnership, all manufacturers, suppliers, retailers and consumers of theoutdoor, adventure and fitness industries now have unique access to the most current prod-uct knowledge and trends information available.

Thank you for reading, for your feedback, and for your support of our efforts to serve theindustry.

Michael Hodgson Kathlyn SwantkoCo-Publisher, GearTrends® and SNEWS® President, FabricLink.com

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F A B R I C T R E N D SS U M M E R 2 0 0 4Editor/Publisher: Michael Hodgsonmichael@snewsnet.com, 530-268-7736

Editor/Publisher: Therese Iknoiantherese@snewsnet.com, 530-268-8294

Managing Editor: Wendy Geisterwendy@geartrends.com, 714-508-5757

Contributor: Kathlyn Swantko | kgswantko@fabriclink.com

Art Director: John T. Davidson | jrocket77@aol.com

Editorial materials & correspondence to:101 W. McKnight Way, Ste. B-305, Grass Valley, CA 95949530-268-8295

MEMBERSHIP/SUBSCRIPTION SALESSales Director: Gene Treacygene@geartrends,com, 865-675-2052

Eastern Account Manager: Daisy LeDucdaisy@geartrends.com, 865-977-7897

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GearTrends® membership/subscription rate inquires to:329 Treyburn Dr., Knoxville, TN 37922865-675-2052 | Fax 865-675-2053

Copyright ©2004 by SNEWS LLC. No part of this magazine may be reproducedwithout written consent of the publisher. All rights reserved.

www.GearTrends.com • www.snewsnet.com

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magine a garment that fits well, is comfortable…and has no seams.

Although seamless knitting has beenwidely used for intimate apparel since1997, the technology is beginning togarner more widespread attention inother types of apparel for the outdoorand fitness markets.

HOW IT WORKSSeamless knitting is done on cutting-edgeSantoni or Sangiacomo (OK, OK, soundslike mob names plucked from the “The So-pranos”) circular knitting machines. Thesemachines can essentially produce completegarments with minimal finishing steps.

“Seamless knitting is a weft knitting tech-nology, which produces finished or semi-fin-ished garments on body-sized circular knit-ting machines, with the same features aspantyhose and sock machines,” said PaulYang, co-owner of PJY Inc./Intimo Indus-tries, a Vernon, Calif.-based, seamless knit-ter. “They create horizontal finished edgeswith no side seams.”

Initially, most seamless knits were pro-duced in the eastern United States, Israeland the Far East. However, Los Angeles isfast becoming the center for seamless man-ufacturing in the United States. Just fouryears ago, there were no seamless knittingmachines in Los Angeles. Today, some esti-mate there are as many as 200 machines.

Seamless knitting machines can virtuallytransform yarn into complete garments, andminimize the traditional labor-intensive stepsof cutting and sewing. Colored patterns andlogos can also be knitted right into the gar-ment. The fabric structure, pattern construc-tions, measurements, fiber specifications andbrand name logos can be pre-programmedinto the machines.

Garments of any size can also be knittedwith elastic waistbands or lace effects, and canbe mass-produced into a one-piece garment,with minimal sewing to finish the garment.

THE BENEFITS There are some obvious, and not so obvious, ad-vantages of seamless garments over traditionallyknit ones.

“The obvious advantage is that the lack of seamsprovides for improved comfort as the body moves,”said Brian Enge, vice president and general managerfor Hind (a division of Saucony). “The second ad-vantage is the ability to combine textures and lev-els of compression in ways that haven’t been donein the past. To me, the best advantage is that de-signs aren’t limited by seams.”

John Neman, president of Selectra Industries, another Vernon, Calif.-based,knitter of seamless apparel, said, “The comfort and softness of seamless knitwear,combined with the use of antimicrobial and hydrophilic yarns, create the bestfeatures for an activewear garment. Based on the structure of the knit, thepatterns and construction of the garment cannot be matched with any othernon-seamless garments. The uniqueness of these garments is obviously a ben-efit to the retail store.”

Manufacturers are banking on a consumer being hooked once he or shetries on a seamless garment.

“Wearers love seamless garments because they are comfortable, forgiv-ing, not binding, not restrictive, and they show fewer lines under clothes” saidYang. “In addition, seamless apparel will have no waistband failures, no sideseam failures, and they are more durable, mainly because they are mademostly from manufactured fibers, such as nylon, using atmospheric gar-ment dyeing. Once consumers wear it, it offers a high-repeat purchase ratio.”

EVERYBODY ON DECK“The world leader in seamless activewear worldwide has been Nike, which hasproduced numerous items such as pants, capris, tank tops, T-back bras, T-shirtsand skirts,” said Neman. “However, more and more activewear companiesare getting into seamless everyday.” He predicted that even smaller compa-nies would soon be carrying seamless products.

Moving Comfort, Lowe Alpine, Craft, Hind and Patagonia are all relativenewcomers—within the last two years—to an ever-expanding field of players.

Seamless knitting machines provide tremendous versatility, because they

s e a m l e s s k n i t s

now you seam them,now you

Fitted garments

without seams

offer COMFORT

AND FIT benefits

consumers are

just beginning

to discover.

By Kathlyn Swantko of FabricLink.com

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s e a m l e s s k n i t s

can create a variety of different stitcheswithin a single garment. For example, ajersey knit can be placed side-by-side witha mesh knit, a rib knit, a jacquard knit,etc. This is virtually impossible to achievewith any other type of knitting processavailable in the market today and makesthe design possibilities endless.

Since activewear garments often involvecomplex constructions and use specialtyyarns, the price of the finished product ishigher than other apparel. In spite of this,there doesn’t appear to be resistance.

Elizabeth Goeke, executive vice presi-dent of Moving Comfort, agreed, pointingto lots of steps in the process that can driveup the price. “The cost of the garment isdictated by the type of stitches used, howmany different types of stitches are usedto knit the garment, and the type of yarnused. Then, if spandex or Lycra is required,both the yarn type and percentage usedcan also drive the price up. However, asbest we can see, when the product isplaced in the appropriate distributionchannels, price is not a barrier.”

TECHNOLOGICAL CHALLENGES“Since seamless is a fairly new technolo-gy, the research and development of newfibers and knitting adaptation is a chal-lenge worldwide,” said Neman.

“(One challenge is) the cause and effectof different stitches and yarns used in theknitting,” Goeke added. “There is also alot of trial and error, because of the highlearning curve in the development cyclein the beginning, as a company begins touse the technology.”

The size of the tubes and cylinders usedwith the seamless knitting machines mustalso be considered.

“Restrictions with body sizes or tubesused by the knitters can limit the seam-less knitting production from a specificsupplier,” Goeke said. She explained thatthe designer or product developer needs toselect a seamless knitting supplier basedon matching the capabilities of the knittingmill with the sizes and types of garmentsthe manufacturer or retailer wants to pro-duce. For example, women’s or men’spieces, or even plus sizes.

No matter what technological chal-lenges companies master in the pursuitof new seamless designs and construction,the greatest challenge is communicatingthe benefits to retailers and consumers.

“The truth is that most retail environ-ments don’t allow enough space to proper-ly merchandise or provide POP displays topromote the product,” Enge said. “Further-more, these are expensive ventures for a cat-egory that is still in its infancy. As with any

new technology, communicating the bene-fits to the consumer is an ongoing challenge.”

Being able to communicate the benefitsof a product is critical, and that communi-cation at retail begins with good merchan-dising—another challenge for retailers.

“One of the drawbacks of seamless knit-ting is that counter appeal is inferior tocut-and-sew,” Yang said. “Therefore, re-tailers need mannequin displays, or pho-tos on packages with samples to touch,along with an explanation of the benefits.”

WHAT’S AHEADThe future looks bright for the outdoor andfitness markets, as the knitting equipmenthas a broad range of capabilities and thosedelving into seamless technology have justscratched the surface of what is possible.

“After only a few years of being in themarket with lighter-weight garments, de-signers and knitting mills have begun to findsuccess in heavier-weight products, such aslightweight jackets and pants,” Goeke said.

New advancements coming from fiberproducers and yarn spinners will continueto provide innovation from the supplierside. Product choices will make seamlessgarments even more unique, functionaland popular than they are today. Dreambig enough and who knows where seam-less technology might lead.

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