Feeling comfortable in your own skin is important, but what about feeling comfortable in your own clothes? Finding comfortable clothing is essential, especially if you live an active lifestyle.
Stretch woven fabrics are a powerful material to help elevate your comfort. Whether you’re looking for the perfect athletic wear for the gym or button-down for the office, stretch weave fabric is a must.
What is stretch woven fabric, how is it made, and how can it help? This guide breaks down the critical info on this topic.
Defining Stretch-Woven Fabric
What sets stretch woven fabric apart? In short, stretch-woven fabrics are regular fabrics spandex fibers woven in. This offers both the benefits of the regular fabric with the added stretch and properties of spandex fibers. This fabric is most noted for its ability to stretch and bend with the body.
Woven fabrics are typically more durable, sturdy, easy to sew without stretching out, and more ideal for athletic performance. In addition, stretch woven fabric tends to repel water instead of absorbing it. Other types of fabric like nylon and blended synthetic fabrics can absorb water instead of repelling it.
Benefits of Stretch-Woven Fabric
Stretch woven fabric offers a range of benefits that make it ideal for athletic wear.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the benefits below.
Four-Way Stretch
This fabric can adapt to nearly any activity on your schedule. Stretch woven fabrics are most well known for their ability to stretch. Specifically, their four-way stretch technology.
So, what is four-way stretch; how is it different from other types of stretch fabrics?
In general, there are three types of stretch fabrics. Four-way stretch fabrics, like stretch woven fabrics, are fabrics with four different types of stretching abilities. These fabrics can stretch crosswise and longwise, or the length and width. One-way stretch and two-way stretch fabrics are limited in their stretching capabilities.
Four-way stretch fabrics are vital for those who are active throughout the day. Having clothes that can move with you as you work out, walk to the store, go on your evening run, or enjoy a night out is critical to comfort and efficiency.
Stretch woven fabric is specially designed to move with you. Whether you’re biking to the beach on the weekend or heading to your normal gym routine, athletic wear should have stretch woven fabric and multi-dimensional elastic movement that moves with you.
Light-Weight
Another advantage of stretch-woven fabric is that it’s lightweight. Athletic apparel should feel light on your body. It shouldn’t weigh you down. Heavy clothing has its time and place (mostly in cold weather) but may not be best geared to your workout.
Cold weather textiles can weigh down your athletic performance. Lightweight clothing can still offer warmth without weighing you down. Stretch woven fabric is ultra-light while still offering the durability you need.
Comfort
The benefits of stretch woven fabric add up to overall comfort, no matter what activity you’re doing. Athletic apparel with stretch woven fabric is designed for ultimate comfort during your most intense workouts.
Moisture Resistant
It’s no secret that working out produces sweat. When you engage in your most rigorous workout routines, you have to have clothes that can keep up with the sweat.
Whether you’re doing your hardest CrossFit AMRAP, your favorite local jog, or a high-intensity interval training workout, stretch woven fabric is moisture-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about feeling drenched and weighed down.
Here is the science: Our stretch woven fabric is designed with moisture management in mind. With 88% nylon and 12% spandex materials, this water-repellant, four-way stretch fabric is hydrophobic. It helps move water away from your body to help you stay dry and comfortable.
In addition to being water repellant, our stretch woven fabric is quick-drying. Sweat is inevitable, and while our fabric moves water away from your body, it’s also quick drying. Instead of absorbing water, it wicks it away from your body so it can dry quickly.
Breathability
Our stretch woven fabric is ultra-breathable so that you can stay comfortable during your most intense workouts. In other words, the stretch fabric allows your body to sweat freely.
It also allows breathability so the sweat can evaporate and escape through the pants. Finding breathability in textiles is critical when choosing proper athleticwear.
UPF Protection
Health and wellness are dependent on a variety of factors. Protecting your skin from the sun is one of these factors. While sunscreen can provide protection for your skin, specifically manufactured clothing offers similar benefits. This type of protection is known as UPF.
Stretch woven fabric provides UPF 50+ sun protection. UPF stands for “ultraviolet protection factor” and is a way to measure how much UV light clothing can help protect. Stretch woven fabrics are a natural form of sun protection that provides both UVA and UVB protection. Our clothing offers a UPF of 50+ to provide 98% of UV rays.
Durability
One of the most significant advantages of stretch woven fabric is its durability. Breathability, lightweight feel, moisture repellant, and stretch qualities are important. However, without durability, your clothing wouldn’t be able to keep up with you.
How To Wear Stretch-Woven Fabric
There is no shortage of ways to wear stretch-woven athleisure. Each piece is built with performance in mind. Regardless of how you perform, this fabric can keep up with you and your activities.
If you prioritize performance, look for performance apparel that holds up as activewear and business wear. If comfort is at the top of your list, be sure to find a style and fabric option that suits you.
How Olivers Designs Stretch-Woven Fabric
Here at Olivers, we design our stretch woven fabric with a neat, clean look.
Here are some different stretches to consider:
Passage Stretch Weave
Our Passage Stretch Weave offers stretch where you need it. Enjoy the freedom to move with your pants — not against them. Go hiking, biking, or head to the office in our Passage Pant. Opt for a sleek look in our black color, khaki colors, or gray pants.
The advantage of these stretch woven fabric pants is that you can wear them on the trail or in the office. Head to an interview looking just as good as you did while in the gym. These pants are breathable, stretchy, water repellant, and the perfect addition to your activewear.
Oxford Stretch Weave
For performance wear that caters to work or play, consider our City Stretch Oxford collection. Oxford offers comfort, timeless styles, and durability you can rely on. With classic and durable styles, you can transition from the gym to the office. Explore button-downs and sophisticated options to suit any activity.
All Over Stretch Weave
Our All Over Stretch Weave is a modern-day solution to a 70s era nylon. Where performance meets style, you can find the perfect stretch for you.
Our All Over Short is excellent for a walk or a workout at the gym. Keep performance at the forefront and comfort in mind while enjoying a stretch-optimized, breathable fabric. These shorts are available in Black, Dark Navy, Army Green, Port, Camo, Carbon, Nutmeg, Cobalt, and Olive. Enjoy all-weather, all-purpose, water-repellent shorts that are soft, lightweight, and have four-way stretch.
For a lined option, our All Over Short (Lined) are available in a range of colors with qualities that let you run, jump, throw, ski, swim, and more. These shorts are designed for athletic performance, comfort, and athletics.
To stay warm in the winter, our Bradbury Jogger offers four-way stretch, water resistance, a clean-cut, tapered leg, a sleek silhouette, and warmth. Wear these no matter what kind of weather there is and enjoy warmth and comfort all day.
Our Traverse Pant offers stretch in 98% nylon and 2% spandex. With UPF 50+ sun protection, a water repellent finish, and lightweight breathability, this pant is the perfect material to work hard and look good doing it. Available in Khaki, Nutmeg, Petrol, and Military Olive, this pant has utility pockets and a drawstring to adapt to your silhouette.
Performance Apparel That Moves With You
For professionals, Olivers offers performance apparel that helps take your activities to the next level. Say goodbye to uncomfortable athleisure that feels rough, heavy, and doesn't stretch with your body. Our stretch woven fabrics are essential for those with an active and professional lifestyle.
Navigating the world of activity and business is easy with our resources. From what to wear, how to support health, and how to shop athleticwear the sustainable way, there are abundant resources for every individual. Take a look at The Playbook for more.
Sources:
Nylon: A Revolution in Textiles | Science History Institute
Phys. Rev. X 8, 021075 (2018) - Geometry and Elasticity of a Knitted Fabric | APS Physics
