Shapewear is evolving rapidly away from the constricting uncomfortable elasticated garments that previously dominated the branded market. Invista’s research showed that 95% of women stated that fit was important compared with 59% [current] satisfaction. 94% stated that comfort was important with only 56% satisfaction. 69% of the women found a “fabric that wicks away moisture” was important with a rather low 42% satisfaction rate.
Sports fabrics have concentrated on cooling, moisture wicking and breathability, creating fabrics which are important to a healthy lifestyle. However, making a woman’s form more “beautiful” has to date not been sympathetic to a woman’s need for garments that are both comfortable and healthy for her – in fact the history of shapewear has until now been literally about control rather than support.
Combining cooling with shaping in one fabric was the core challenge – one of Invista’s development partners is Willy Hermann, the superfine knitting company based in Austria. Their Technical Director Ralph Hermann stated that: “Using highest machine gauges on Superfine technology in combination with the newly available Coolmax performance fibres allows unseen performance levels both on power/stretch as well as on moisture management.”
