A cap for all: Fabrics Pt 2

Basic requirements: Looks good, feels good.

"Feels good" means the fabric must not cause any discomfort for the wearer. Comfort has been defined as "a pleasant state of physiological, psychological and physical harmony"* between the wearer and their environment. We made an effort to bear this in mind throughout our research and ideation phase. 

We researched various fabrics for properties such as weight, breathability and movement, from standard textiles that are widely available in the market, to more innovative ones such as recycled fibres.

Weight plays a big part depending on the type of sports in question. For running, the ideal range would be around 100g to 135g. We were looking for a fabric that dissipates perspiration quickly, so that we could go straight from a workout to kicking it with our mates at some cool cafe joint.

We learnt about all the wicking technologies out there: Dry wick, CoolWick, Coolmax, Sweat wick… the list goes on (we still think Merino wool is the best). The options are plentiful, but ultimately we had to ask ourselves: What would work really well for runners?

Then there are the numerous patterns - honeycomb, eyelet knit, just to name a few. What matters is the blend ratio and again, this depends on the sport. Of course, the pattern will also play a part in the overall aesthetics of the cap.

We're still on the drawing board, but moving a bit further along.

Juxtaposing different fabrics to address comfort.

* L. Hunter, J. Fan, in Textiles and Fashion, 2015

Jonathan - LAST Running