By Susmita Ghosh
In the fast-paced world of sports, victory and defeat are just inches apart. However, this is what can be seen at the forefront. Behind the scenes, cutting-edge technologies and innovation in sports textiles are mending the ways athletes perform. Development in sports textiles, from apparel to goods and accessories, is pushing the boundaries of human potential to a great extent.
India is an emerging market in technical textiles. Sports Textiles, a part of technical textiles, is the fastest-growing sector and contributes around 7% of the overall Indian Technical Textiles market. The change is tangible from witnessing an athlete adorning basic cotton uniforms decades ago to wearing high-performing and multi-functioning clothing in today’s world. The advancement in material science has revolutionized the world of sportswear and accessories as far as comfort and aesthetic aspects are concerned.
Each sport has its own rules. The same can be said with what the athletes put on to show their skills on their stage. Citing an example, athletes running miles in the scorching sun need a fabric that protects them from UV rays and maintains the operating body temperature of 37 degrees Celsius. Fabrics like Field Sensor and DuPont CoolMax® are perfect for such outdoor sports. The use of high-end fabric technologies to develop anti-microbial like Dryarn, UV protection fabrics and with moisture absorbing and anti-static properties like Naiva fabric validate the effective contribution of the industry.
When talking about the comfort in active sportswear, it is broadly categorized into four categories: Mobility, Sensorial, Psychological and Thermo‐physiological comfort.
Mobility comfort is a must for those athletes who need to move their body parts a lot. Such fabric must have the required stretch ability and low fluid resistance. Sensorial comfort is more about absorbing and evaporating precipitation than temperature balance. The fact cannot be denied that the look of an athlete has a huge impact on their viewers and followers, hence psychological comfort comes into play. Thermo physiological comfort is all about an athlete’s thermal balance. Such fabrics must have proper ventilation, permeability and insulation properties as well. The bifurcations have not only made it easy to develop the right kind of fabrics but also efficiently enhanced the performance of the players.
The transition from conventional to high-performance fibres started more than two decades before and has a long way to go. Some of the most common fibres that are being used are polyester, elastane, acrylic and polypropylene. Synthetic fibres are also used commercially after blending with natural fibres. Generally, sportswear is not made of single fibres. But some special fibres are combined with the normal ones to develop the perfect match for the players. Hygra developed by Unitika Limited is one such example. The fibre is a combination of nylon and polymer. Killat N is a water-absorbent fibre with 33% nylon hollow filament. Elite, Dri‐release and Triactor are other such examples.
Apart from these, some new polymers have been introduced in the sports textile domain. They are phase change materials, Diaplex-shaped memory polymers and Air vantage and Sypmpatex which use membrane technology. PCM or phase change materials produce paraffin-filled microcapsules. Depending on the environment, the paraffin in the microcapsules liquidities and crystallizes keeping the body at the right temperature. Shape memory polymer fabrics are comfortable to wear and both are wind-proof and water-proof. They use thermal vibration to activate their speciality. Air vantage is made using the PTFE technology similar to Gore-Tex. It is the first clothing in the world that has its personal thermal climate management system.
Innovations in this field are multi-faceted. The sportswear and active wear are manufactured in lots even though. The demand for customized apparel is increasing among the professionals at the top level. Sports team and athletes collaborate with textile designers and engineers to develop custom outfits, help optimize their performance. Such demands also give rise to immense opportunities. It calls for more research, high-tech methodologies, and factories, so on and so forth. The need for designers cannot be ignored. Top sportswear brands like Nike, Puma and Umbro emphasize on marketing and advertising their product as per the trend. One such example is Nike inspiring the athletes to “Just Do It” with its iconic “Swoosh” logo.
The growing importance of sustainability in the industry, like the use of eco-friendly materials and manufacturing processes, cannot go unnoticed. Puma stepping up for the environment and Adidas’s initiative to start making shoes out of ocean plastic are a few such examples. Moreover, sports textiles have transcended the playing field to become a significant part of fashion and daily life. The sports-inspired fashion trends and the role of athleisure in modern culture are visible among the youth of today. It inspires them to have an active lifestyle by incorporating sports into their daily life. Today, almost everyone can be seen wearing the right outfit whether they are heading to the gym or going out for a walk. This is one such great outcome of advancements in sports textiles.
The possibilities and opportunities are endless in the world of sports textiles. Presently, India’s Sportech market is at around US $ 1.17 million. As per projections, the global sports textiles market is anticipated to expand to USD 64.39 billion by 2030. It was USD 40.68 billion in 2021. Thus, significant growth in India’s market can be expected as well. In the National Conclave on Sportech held in June 2023, the focus was on the same.
The theme of the event was ‘The Future of Sport Textiles and Accessories Industry in India’. The event was organized by the Ministry of Textiles (MOT) in partnership with the Wool Research Association (WRA) and the Indian Technical Textiles Association (ITTA). The major takeaway of the event was to shift the focus of India’s athleisure brands towards high-performing specialized sports textile materials. Several initiatives are being taken by the Indian government to increase the scope of the sports textile industry. Flagship schemes like Fit India Movement, Khelo India, Target Olympic Podium Scheme, so on and so forth are targeted to broaden the opportunities of sports textiles in India and emphasize on sustainability, research, product development and innovation.
As sports continue to captivate the world, the importance of sports textiles in enhancing performance, promoting sustainability, shaping fashion and providing employment cannot be overstated. The sector is gradually unveiling a world of innovation and opportunities that are transforming the game. Whether you’re an athlete, a designer, an entrepreneur, or simply a sports enthusiast, the dynamic realm of sports textiles offers an exciting journey into the future of sportswear.