Stretch Fabric

stretch fabric is often referred to synthetic fabrics that are capable of stretching all four directions. The term of “ stretch fabrics” is to distinguish its stretch ability and directions from normal fabrics that only provide small extension and only in 2 ways directions.

The Origin of Stretch Fabric

Stretch fabrics are made from neoprene which is “ a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.” General Speaking, neoprene has good chemical stability and has excellent flexibility over a wide temperature range. This Dupont made brand is widely used in laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces (wrist and knee), electrical insulation and etc. In 1958, the material was applied to stretch fabrics and introduced to the market as Sapndex or Elastane (widely branded as “ Lycra”).

Applications of Stretch Fabric

The stretch fabrics, either Spandex or Lycra, were applied to swimsuits and women’s bra at the very beginning. Fashion designers, then, started to use stretch fabrics in ladies wears around mid-1980s. In early 1990s, stretch fabrics are widely recognized by apparel end users while they were broadly used to sportswear.
Stretch fabrics are not only applying in apparel industry but also being adapted by many artists for decoration purpose. One of the reasons is that stretch fabric consists modern looking design functioning which is very suitable for corporate theatre and event production use.
Sandex, elastane or Lycra, is a kind of synthetic fiber famouse for its excellent elasticity to become stretch fabrics. Among them, we will only focus on Spandex at this article to further disscuss its characteristics.

Reference of stretch fabric
Neoprene : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neoprene
Pandex : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandex

Stretch Fabric - The Story of Stretch Fabric Part 2