16 22 February 2008InFocus Swimwear

N oticing an increase in enquires andsales for chlorine-resistant swimwear,manufacturers and retailers say people

are becoming more aware of the technologiesavailable in textiles and the performancebene�ts they o�er.

Especially when it comes to quality andlonger lasting garments.

Eclipse Textiles marketing and productdevelopment designer Vanessa Kirk saysincreasing demand from consumers hasfuelled the growth in heat and chlorine-resistant fabrications.

“There are now a number of chlorine-resistant fabrics on the market compared to �veyears ago. Chlorine resistance can be classed as100 per cent chlorine-proof and can have alonger lasting quality compared to a basicconventional elastane.”

Supported by research by swimwear giantSpeedo, some chlorine-resistant �bres provide50+ sun protection and last up to 20 timeslonger than conventional elastane. This meansthey will not deteriorate, become brittle andbreak when exposed to heat and chlorine –unlike spandex or lycra.

Kirk argues Eclipse’s own Dow Xla range isthe �rst-ever inherently chlorine-proof stretch�bre durable enough to last through 1000 hoursof chlorine exposure.

She also cites the introduction of Xtralifelycra, a new elastane on the market whicho�ers up to 180 hours of chlorine resistanceand Carvico Prime Technology – four and ahalf times more chlorine resistant thanstandard elastane – as further proof ofavailable technologies.

Producing Sea Jewels’ entire SunskinsAustralia children’s range in chlorine-resistantfabric for this reason, owner Julie Wiggins saysadult sales have increased marketedly in recenttimes as mums buy product for their childrenand then for themselves solely to test theswimwear’s life span.

“Sales of adults chlorine-resistant rash shirtshave increased and ladies who swim for healthreasons will buy chlorine-resistant due tolonger lasting sun protection,” Wiggins says.

Speedo general manager Rob Davies sayswhen he came to Australia eight years agochlorine-resistant swimwear was not widelypromoted at the time as retailers thought itwould reduce swimwear sales.

“In 2000 ten per cent of Speedo’s swimwearrange was chlorine-resistant. In 2001 we called[the chlorine-resistant line] Endurance andpushed awareness of it with in-store point ofsale. Now over 95 per cent is Endurance.”

Working closely with fabric supplierStretchtex to develop a better feel and �t on parwith a nylon/lycra blend, Davies says Speedotoday o�ers up to 400 styles of swimwear. Ofthese only one style per gender is nylon/lycrawith the balance Endurance.

Initially more expensive to produce due tolow fabric runs, Davies says Endurance is nowat a comparable price due to higher volume.

“Factories are now used to working with[chlorine-resistant fabrics].”

But its not just labels themselves enjoying the boom.

Producing sun protective and chlorine-resistant swimwear fabrics, Stretchtex chlorine-resistant orders have increased by 50 per centover the past �ve years, while its Lycra businesshas diminished by the same amount.

Skin

INCREASED PRODUCT AWARENESS,GROWING KNOWLEDGE OF SKINCANCER AND A MORE ACTIVE AGEINGPOPULATION HAS BOOSTED DEMANDFOR CHLORINE-RESISTANTSWIMWEAR IN AUSTRALIA.BUT CAN IT LAST THE DISTANCE?SAMANTHA DOCHERTY INVESTIGATES.

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