Like Hollywood superheroes, athletes can now rely on high-tech fabrics to become more efficient in their sport.
Fabrics for performance
Between the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and the Tokyo Games, innovations have dramatically improved the conditions and abilities of athletes.
Athletes can now rely on state-of-the-art training facilities and equipment, high-performance recovery solutions, increasingly accurate statistical and scientific data, and innovative equipment and clothing.
Materials adapted for each sport discipline
Sportswear benefits from new materials that reduce as much as possible the constraints that can alter performance.
Depending on the sport they are designed for, these high-tech outfits can evacuate perspiration, regulate body temperature, make movements smoother, reduce friction, dry more quickly, filter UV rays, etc.
These high-tech materials are called Lycra, Coolmax, Supplex, elastane, polyamide and many others.
Textile which automatically traps or releases heat (University of Maryland)
Record-breaking performance
In most sports, the interval between new records is getting shorter and shorter. The improvement of the clothing is not for nothing.
Indeed, by reducing constraints and improving comfort, high-tech materials have accentuated the performance of athletes.
To see this, just take the example of the polyurethane full-body suits used by many swimmers from 2008 to 2010. Created in collaboration with NASA, the LZR Racer from Speedo was the first to appear. In one year, 79 world records were broken by swimmers wearing this suit. Later on, the 01 Jaked suit and the X-Glide Arena suit set new world records. Eventually, these polyurethane suits were banned as technological doping.
Still believe Fashion Technology is just a fad that does not serve any purpose? Our students enrolled in our MBA Fashion Technology have been regularly involved real-life projects that are meant to redefine how function and fashion blend together. In their latest venture, our students will be working with start-up Nu-Vel on the reinvention of cycling clothing.