No Dress Code – Activewear for Every Occasion

A relaxation of dress codes in many previously formal situations, and most notably in offices around the world, has driven the rise of activewear since the beginning of the 21st century.

This shift initially evolved alongside growing consumer demand for comfortable, functional and stylish garments that support physical activity and general, day-to-day wear.

Then came the Covid-19 pandemic.

Suddenly, business meetings were taking place in front of laptops at home, for many office staff, leggings, sweatpants and casual wear, became the new standard workwear.

There has been little turning back, and according to San Francisco-based analyst Grand View Research, the global activewear market had a value of US$406.83 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% from 2025 to 2030.

Fabric properties

Supporting this major change are many of the advanced textile technologies that are exhibited and demonstrated at the regular ITMA exhibitions around the world.

Coveted properties of today’s activewear garments include elasticity, breathability, moisture-wicking, durability and lightweight comfort – all of which are greatly influenced by the initial fibre selection.

Synthetic fibres such as polyester and nylon, in addition to elastane, dominate this market due to their superior performance attributes, while recycled polyester (rPET) is increasingly used to meet sustainability goals. Natural fibres such as bamboo, cotton or merino wool are increasingly being blended with synthetics for added softness, odour control or eco-friendliness.

Major names in the processing technologies for synthetic yarn production, including Austria’s SML and Starlinger, CHTC and Polytex in China, Germany’s Oerlikon, Italy’s Fare, the UK’s FET and Belgium-headquartered Vandewiele, can provide advice based on decades of know-how in the correct selection of fibres and blends to meet specified performance properties.

Polyester performance

Polyester’s dominance in activewear production is largely due to its exceptional performance properties, making it suitable for a wide range of applications. As a synthetic polymer, polyester exhibits high strength, resilience and dimensional stability. Unlike natural fibres, it does not readily absorb moisture, which contributes to its quick-drying nature. Additionally, polyester’s thermoplastic properties enable it to be moulded and manipulated during processing, allowing manufacturers to create fibres with varying textures, thicknesses and finishes.

From a manufacturing perspective, polyester is highly adaptable. It can be extruded into filaments of different deniers, blended with other fibres such as cotton or elastane and treated with coatings to enhance water resistance or UV protection. Its resistance to biological degradation, such as mildew and insects, adds to its longevity.

The ability of polyester to be engineered at the molecular level has further expanded its applications. Manufacturers can modify the polymer structure to produce hydrophilic fibres, improving comfort and breathability in high-performance clothing. Additionally, developments in cationic dyeable polyester have enhanced the fibre’s dye absorption properties, allowing for richer, more vibrant colours with improved resistance to fading.

Durable nylon

Both nylon 6 and 6.6 textile fibres are widely employed in activewear as a result of their favourable properties such as toughness, abrasion resistance and easy washability.

Above anything else, nylon is tough, with an abrasion resistance that is second-to-none for a commodity fibre. It is also lightweight, moisture-wicking and breathable and employed in fabrics for its durability, stretch, wrinkle and shrink-resistance and quick drying times.

Nylon filament yarns enable smooth, soft and lightweight fabrics with high resilience to be created and their water absorption rate is higher than other synthetics, especially polyester, allowing the development of more comfortable fabrics due to evaporative cooling.

For softer and more supple fabrics, nylon is often blended with polyester, and with elastane to enhance its comfort and elasticity. It is commonly used in active wear for its water-wicking and quick-drying characteristics. Synthetic blends containing nylon also resist pilling and abrasion.

Nylon and wool blends are also common. Both nylon and wool maintain their shape in fabrics without stretching or shrinking, and both are moisture-wicking and dry quickly, although nylon dries faster than wool. Nylon has a flexibility which isn’t necessarily present in standard grade wools, so it allows a blended garment to move and stretch without losing its shape, which is handy when a wool garment ends up going through a washing machine.

The importance of stretch in activewear, meanwhile, is beyond dispute and the push now is to achieve more stretch using lower percentages of elastane fibre as well as non-synthetic alternatives.

Knitted structures

Advanced knitting technologies then dominate in the fabric construction of the majority of activewear products.

Fast and continuous circular weft knitting machines are ideal for producing tubular fabrics that are lightweight and elastic, for leggings, t-shirts, underwear, socks and base layers.

By contrast, with flat weft knitting, the needles move backwards and forwards in straight lines, enabling more customised shapes to be produced and greater flexibility in design.

Warp knitting on tricot and raschel machines offers more structure and durability to fabrics, making it suitable for applications such as compression wear. These machines produce flat fabrics by vertically manipulating yarns with many needles at once, creating strong and stable structures that are typically less stretchy than flat or circular weft insertion made fabrics.

Seamless knitting – as pioneered by Italy’s Santoni and Japan’s Shima Seiki – creates garments with minimal or no seams, reducing chafing and improving comfort while also reducing sewing steps. In addition to Santoni and Shima Seiki, the key major exhibitors of advanced knitting technologies at ITMA exhibitions include Karl Mayer and Mayer & Cie in Germany, Fukuhara of Japan, the UK’s Monarch, Orizio and Terrot in Italy, and Taiwan’s Pai Lung.

Finishing

Fabric finishing plays a critical role in achieving the desired technical properties for activewear.

Moisture-wicking finishes, for example, are applied to draw sweat away from the body to the fabric’s outer surface, while silver or bio-based agents help reduce odour by controlling bacterial growth. UV-resistant coatings provide protection against harmful sun exposure, and hydrophobic coatings are useful for repelling water in outerwear.

Mechanical finishes such as brushing or sueding improve softness and thermal insulation. Leading technology providers for fabric finishing include Germany’s Brückner and Monforts, as well as specialist finishing companies under China’s CHTC Fong’s International.

All-in-all, ITMA exhibitors provide an A-Z of technologies for activewear production and a complete directory of their services is available 24-7 on ITMAconnect.com.