Functional Clothing | Evolving Consumer

coldblack_shirt — A shirt using coldblack made by Flying Cross

You may wear black clothes daily, but when you go to work out or spend time in the sun, you probably look for lighter colored clothing. Dark fabrics, especially black fabrics, absorb the heat from the sun and transfer that heat right to your skin. It doesn’t help your workout at all.

A new finish on fabric called coldblack made by textile company Schoeller Technologies makes for a new class of functional clothing. With coldblack, darker colors can be worn in the sun without worries of providing extra heat. The heat bounces off the textile rather than shooting straight through.

An additional advantage to coldblack is protection from UV rays. The fabric provides a minimum Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 30 when applied to any textile. This protects against UV-A rays and UV-B rays. Continue reading Dare to wear (Cold)Black in the Sun

energear_farInfrared — energear fabric uses Far Infrared Rays to reflect energy back to the wearer

Functional fabrics go a long way for an athlete toward adding performance to a garment. There’s breathable fabric that wicks moisture and heat away from the skin. There’s compression fabric that stays tight around targeted areas to tone or heel particular muscles. And now there’s fabric that uses Far Infrared Rays to reflect energy back to the body.

A company called Schoeller Textiles AG is producing clothing made from a titanium and mineral matrix to produce a Far Infrared effect on its clothing, called energear. Far Infrared Rays are a component of infrared rays. The sun, certain stones and metals, and the human body radiate this form of infrared. In this case titanium and minerals are used to reflect energy back into the body of the wearer. The fabric remains breathable even with the Far Infrared coating. Continue reading Far Infrared Clothing Bounces Energy Back to You