Outdoor wear benefits from innovative chemical industry products

Tag : Functional Fabric
Outdoor wear benefits from innovative chemical industry products Braving the elements
26 August 2008 00:00 [Source: ICB]
Outdoor wear is big business for chemical companies that strive tomatchsartorial elegance with comfort, safety and high-tech design

ONCE UPON a time, outdoor clothing conjured up images ofmiddle-aged men traipsing through the countryside in tweed coatsand britches. But today, outdoor clothing is at the vanguard ofmodern chemistry, with the majority of jackets and boots made frompolymer membranes.
Chemical firms are working with outdoor clothing manufacturers tomake outdoor activities, like trekking and mountaineering, aspleasant and as safe as possible.
Growth in the number of people taking part in these outdooractivities, and greater demand for cleverer, more high-techclothing, continues to drive innovation.
According to UK market analysis group Textiles Intelligence , worldwide man-made fiber production rose at a significantlyhigher rate in 2007 than in the previous year. Output was up by9.5% to 40.7m tonnes, following a 3.1% hike in 2006, withsynthetics - mainly polyester - accounting for the majority of thisgrowth.
SYNTHETIC FIBER KNOW-HOW
Waterproof and breathable - the ability to wick moisture, dryquickly and hold as little moisture as possible while trapping air- are key requirements of outdoor garments, and are generallyrealized through the use of polymers such as polytetrafluoroethene(PTFE) and polyurethane (PU).
US-based fluoropolymer manufacturer W.L. Gore & Associates' GORE-TEX was among the first innovative materials to take hold of theoutdoor clothing market. GORE-TEX clothes are made from polymerPTFE liners. In 1969, Bob Gore discovered that PTFE could bestretched to form a strong, porous material called expanded PTFE(ePTFE). The porous thin membrane that is GORE-TEX is glued onfabrics such as nylon and polyester to make them waterproof andbreathable - allowing hikers to finish their day dry on the inside.
Since then, a myriad of functional alternatives to GORE-TEX, suchas Conduit from US group Mountain Hardwear and HyVent from compatriot company The North Face , have been developed. The Conduit membrane is made up ofinterconnected hydrophilic and hydrophobic molecules that activelywork to draw moisture vapor away from the body. This processaccelerates as the moisture concentration rises, so the more yousweat, the more vapor the garment transpires.
HyVent DT is an applied PU coating combined with a DT print matrixthat acts as a dry-touch, half-layer coating. This DT half-layeradds durability and comfort by physically separating the HyVentcoating from the skin.
"The introduction of new waterproof breathable fabrics has greatlyincreased the range of choice for consumers," says an analyst atTextiles Intelligence. "It has also led to greater segmentation inthe market, as technologies have been developed for specificend-uses and weather conditions. Also, competition has intensifiedas new players have entered the marketplace and have challengedGORE-TEX's domination."
Textiles Intelligence has recently highlighted the increase indemand for innovative fibers and fabrics for the outdoor clothingindustry in several reports. It draws attention in particular tothe phenomenal growth in the market for fleece in recent years - by2007 the market was worth an estimated $4bn (