Athletic Wear Fibers and Fabrics of the 90s

Lyocell/Tencel

Lyocell is a fabric developed in the late 1980s and is made from natural cellulose in wood pulp. It is generally known by the brand name Tencel and was first introduced and became popular in the early 90s. It is soft, breathable, lightweight, quick-drying, shrink-resistant and durable which made it perfect for any and all kinds of sportswear.

Polar fleece

Polar fleece exploded in the 90s. Anything and everything was made from fleece and just about everyone owned something fleece. It was seen on everything from jackets to vests to jogging pants to socks to warm accessories such as ear/headbands. It’s a synthetic fiber, is known for its warmth and can be finished to be water and wind proof which made it perfect for outerwear.

Sympatex

Sympatex is a type of fabric that is either laminated to the underside of or sandwiched between layers of fabrics and is waterproof, windproof and breathable. It’s a completely synthetic fabric and is simply used as a membrane to pieces of outerwear as it isn’t a fully functioning fabric on its own.

Teflon

Previously only known as the non-stick protective finish on pots and pans, in 1991 DuPont found that when used as a finish on outerwear, Teflon made clothing incredibly stain-resistant and water-repelling.

A DuPont Teflon-finished woman's coat

Microfibers

Microfibers gained popularity in the 1990s as the trends turned from cling and fit to drape and flow. Microfibers are man-made and ultra-fine (two times finer than silk and SIX times finer than wool) which means a higher thread count in all microfiber fabrics. They provided protection from wind and rain which made fabrics made with microfibers quality fabrics for active wear.

An Adidas sports bra made with microfiber fabric

Swimwear

In 1992 Speedo developed their S2000 range of swimwear. The fabric developed by Pentland industries was made from polyester microfibers and Lycra elastometric fibers and was then given a special finish. The S2000 swimwear had 15% less drag than traditional swimwear fabrics. Speedo then launched Aquablade suits in 1996 which had an 8% lower surface resistance than the S2000. In 1994 Speedo launched their Endurance line of suits which was made of the world's first chlorine resistant fabric.

A group of Australian swimmers in Speedo swimwear

Gore Tex

Gore Tex fabric was introduced in 1989 and immediately began to be used in clothing. Gore Tex clothing is made by laminating Gore Tex membranes to textiles and then sealing the two together. Gore Tex textiles are popular amongst athletes and outdoorsmen because Gore Tex clothing are windproof, waterproof, and yet still breathable. Gore Tex clothing products are also known for their long lasting durability.

Sources:

Fashions of a Decade: The 1990s. New York, New York: Chelsea House, 2007

http://www.fleece-fabric-online.com/Polar-Fleece.php

http://www.sympatex.com/

http://www.fibersource.com/F-TUTOR/lyocell.htm

http://www.fashion-era.com/fitness_fashion_after_1960.htm

http://www.speedo.com/speedo_brand/insidespeedo/history/index.html

Picture Sources:

http://static.promopeddler.com/prodpics/bigprodimgs/4250000/4255743.jpg

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~e4shelton/fleece.jpg

http://www.wholesale-dress.net/images/200910/1255309760970797836.jpg
http://www.fieldandstreamofashbourne.co.uk/images/catalog/bellto_tomato_54421.jpg

http://www.bartek.com.pl/en/dlaczego.php
http://www.softballjunk.com/images/adidas/sportsbra.jpg

http://www.smh.com.au/ftimages/2008/02/12/1202760283603.html

http://inventors.about.com/library/inventors/blfabric.htm

http://www.gore-tex.com/remote/Satellite/content/what-is-gore-tex