What is the Best Swimsuit Material?
Whether you're looking for fabrics for your swimwear collection or your next purchase, it's good to know what options are available. This article will introduce common materials, along with their uses and properties. We also delve into swimwear fabric weight, composition, texture, and sustainability.
Note that no one fabric is better than the other, but fabrics have different properties that make them better for different uses.
There are two main fabric options:
1. Nylon blend
Nylon blends are the most common fabrics in women's swimwear fashion.
Why?
It's soft and comfortable, stretches well, and hugs your body nicely.
A typical blend is about 80% nylon and 20% elastic bits. Nylon is also available by other names, such as polyamide (PA), which is essentially the same. Nylon is the group name for some specific polyamides.
Feature
Feel: very soft
Elasticity: very good
Durability: good
Drying: fast
Print: none
UV resistance: sometimes
Chlorine resistance: rare
Water repellent: yes
Care: hand wash, hang to dry
2. Polyester blend
You'll find polyester blends mostly in competitive swimwear.
Why?
It is soft but very strong and resistant to chlorine and UV rays.
Polyester blends also have the advantage of being able to absorb dyes. This means you can dye and print it for rich and crisp results.
Feature
Feel: soft
Stretch: good
Durability: very good
Drying: faster
Printable: yes
UV resistance: yes
Chlorine: yes
Waterproof: yes
Care: hand wash, hang to dry
What else should be paid attention to in swimwear materials?
Weight
The weight range of most fashion swimwear fabrics is around 180-200 g/m².
Works
This will help you understand the properties of the "ingredients" when it comes to composition. For example, spandex/elastane provides most of the elasticity.
So 80% nylon and 20% spandex is more stretchy than 85% nylon and 15% spandex - but note that this applies mostly to fabrics from the same source/manufacturer; so if you're switching between sources, don't Just look at the numbers. So it's always a good idea to get a sample or feel the fabric yourself if possible. You can also ask the supplier for more details, as the content description may not give you the full story.
Sustainability
Traditionally, swimwear has used fabrics that are heavy on the environment. However, as consumer awareness and needs evolve - so do fabric choices.
The production of nylon can be divided into 4 steps:
1. Rescue - Find waste such as fishing nets, fabric waste, carpet floors, and industrial plastics from landfills and oceans around the world.
2. Regeneration - Regeneration and purification process. Recycled to original purity, just like virgin or new nylon.
3. Remake - Process nylon into swimsuit yarn
4. Reimagined - Recycled yarns are used in new swimwear products until they are no longer useful and can go back to the first step: rescue.
There are other recyclables to make swimwear fabrics, for example, recycled plastic bottles.
Further shifts in consumer demand will put more pressure on fabric suppliers and manufacturers. As a manufacturer, this is something we take seriously. If you want to buy or customize swimwear, please contact us.
YOYOUNG is a professional custom sportswear manufacturer. We work with quality fabric suppliers. From the yarn to the final roll of fabric, there is a series of strict quality control procedures to maintain production standards. The fabric is manufactured according to OEKO-TEX standard 100. We manufacture higher-quality activewear to help your brand optimize brand value and customer loyalty.
