Lycra is an elastic, wrinkle-resistant, durable synthetic material that is difficult to find a replacement for

Whether we know it or not, many of us deal with lycra on a daily basis. Recognized for its remarkable elasticity and recuperation, it can be found in everything from fitness equipment to swimwear. However, Lycra offers more advantages than just flexibility; it is also extraordinarily durable and resistant to wrinkles.

Even with the increasing range of synthetic fabrics available, Lycra remains a material that is difficult to substitute. Due to its special qualities, it is a preferred material for clothing that must fit the body perfectly while still holding its shape. Lycra is still essential to modern textiles, whether they are for functional clothing or fashion.

We’ll look at why Lycra is still so widely used and unique in this piece. We’ll examine its salient features, the sectors that it serves, and the reasons that numerous designers and manufacturers favor it.

What is lycra

Scientists worked tirelessly for many years to blend the best qualities of natural and synthetic fibers, and the result was the material with an elastic thread known as lycra (Lycra). Beautiful and comfortable clothes were made from a new textile fabric that had better mechanical and physical qualities.

The American chemical company DuPont produced the synthetic, highly elastic fiber known as Lycra (lycra), which is better known as elastane in Europe and as spandex in Canada and the USA. This trademark was registered by DuPont and gave rise to a large group of similar elastic fabrics that are used in various industries and spheres of life.

The following brands are well-known among the elastomers that share technical similarities with lycra: Mobile (Mobilon), Glospan in the USA, Linel in Italy, Roica in Japan, and Dorlastan in Germany (Kanebo).

One can hardly find 100% lycra fabric for sale. Elastic synthetic threads are essentially blended with other synthetic or natural fibers. Even a mere 2% elastane added to the material’s composition improves its elasticity, density, springiness, durability, and capacity to hold and hold shape in the product. First and foremost, sportswear and accessory production use all of these attributes.

History of the material

New materials were being developed by the American company DuPont at the start of the 20th century. Numerous materials, including Teflon, nylon, and Kevlar, are still in use today. Chemist Joseph Shivers, who worked for this company, continued to study the properties of thermoplastic elastomer. He found that this material acquires high plasticity and stretches perfectly after heating. This is the appearance of elastane, a high-strength elastic fiber.

A few decades later, Elastane fibers—polyurethane elastomer threads made from polyurethane rubbers—were added to fabric, and clothing made of that material quickly became fashionable. Lycra started to appear in fabrics intended for use in sports suits, corsets, belts, undergarments, stockings, and socks.

Furthermore, Lycra is never used in the production of clothing. Elastic fibers are always utilized in conjunction with either synthetic or natural threads.

Production features

Fabrics with lycra fiber, which is produced by processing polyurethane rubbers, have exceptional strength, elasticity, and shape retention. They also bounce back quickly after being stretched. On the other hand, Lycra loses its qualities when exposed to chlorinated water.

There are various methods used in laboratories to obtain polyurethane fibers.

1. By extrusion method (injection) from a polymer melt – a viscous polyurethane solution is forced through filters.
2. Dry method of spinning fibers from a solution – according to this method, the spinning solution obtained as a result of a certain reaction is dosed into a spinning shaft heated to 230 °C, blown with hot air, up to 11 meters high, through dies. As a result, threads come out of the spinning shaft, which are not treated with boiling water, but are coated with a special oil, wound onto bobbins and dried in a chamber for three hours at a temperature of 80 °C. This is done to reduce shrinkage in boiling water.
3. Wet methodspinning fibers from a solution – in this case, everything happens at first the same as in the dry method. But then the solution is dosed into a precipitation bath with water at room temperature. The formed threads are washed in hot water at a temperature of 90-95 °C. There they are stretched approximately 1.5 times. They are then wound onto bobbins and dried at 120 °C for 20-30 hours.
4. By the method ofchemical (reaction) molding – artificial thread is obtained as a result of a certain chemical reaction, which is the basis for obtaining polyurethane fibers. The thread obtained by the chemical molding method is wound on a spool and treated with water at a temperature of 40-80 ° C from 25 minutes to 8 hours.

When comparing the various processes used to produce polyurethane fibers, the dry molding method is the most widely used. This accounts for around 80% of global elastic fiber production. Fifteen percent of production worldwide is done using wet and chemical molding techniques. Furthermore, just 5% of polyurethane fibers are formed from a melt. Nevertheless, the final material has the same qualities regardless of the process used to create the artificial fiber.

This method yields a yarn that is made up of flexible polyurethane segments joined at the molecular level by stiff ligaments, which are movable "soft" sections. The fiber’s molecular structure gives it the required degree of elasticity, high strength, and protection against ruptures. It also allows the fiber to freely stretch under load to 400–700% of its original length and to promptly return to its initial state once the force effect stops.

Bundles are formed from the finished, hardened threads and are thoroughly dried and cleaned. They are then wound onto spools after that.

Lycra fibers are braided or twisted with fibers such as wool, cotton, flax, or silk on ring spinning machines to create elastic combined yarn. Simultaneously, this type of yarn, with an elastic lycra core, maintains all the organoleptic properties and visual traits of the primary fiber.

For instance, increased wear resistance and elasticity are found during wear in items made from stretch denim fabric wrapped in twill cotton and composed of lycra thread. In this context, "stretch" refers to the property of a material that returns to its original shape when force (tension) is applied to it and it is stretched.

In this instance, if lycra is used as the primary thread during the fabric’s creation, the material becomes stretchable along the fabric’s width (the weft) and elastic along the fabric’s length (the warp). We refer to this type of elastane as two-dimensional because it is only stretchable in one direction. The fabric stretches simultaneously in both directions when elastic threads are used in both the warp and the weft. That is, in terms of both breadth and length. This kind of lycra is classified as four-dimensional.

Using pneumatically entangled lycra in the base is an additional method of obtaining combined yarn. In order to accomplish this, sections of stretched elastomeric thread intertwined with regular yarn are formed in a pneumatic device using compressed air. Elastic and supple yarn are used to create knitted fabrics.

Another method for creating yarn is to twist polyamide lycra thread twice. These threads are used to sew a variety of products, including fabrics and knitwear. Twisting a nylon thread around a lycra core produces slightly shiny textiles. It is used to sew swimsuits, leggings, and sports suits.

The purpose of the textile product determines how much elastomer fiber is used in the fabric’s production. The fabric content of items that need to fit well and hold their shape, like swimsuits, sportswear, leggings, tights, and wetsuits, can range from 14 to 40% lycra. However, apparel with even a small amount of lycra—less than 2%—improves quality noticeably.

Furthermore, the presence of lycra in textile fabrics increases their resistance to sunlight while also allowing for the transmission of ultraviolet light.

Nearly all lycra-containing textiles are readily dyeable, color-retaining, fade-resistant, and can be finished or printed using a method appropriate for the primary fiber used to make knitwear. There are elastane-containing fabrics that come in both single- and multicolored patterns. But such fabrics cannot be bleached with bleaches containing chlorine. For instance, they are swapped out for analogs based on hydrogen dioxide.

Yarn containing lycra can be used to make fabric that is 95% cotton. In addition to being elastic, the material in this version is breathable, hygroscopic, and pleasant to the skin. A higher percentage of lycra in the fabric’s composition—for instance, 8% lycra and 92% cotton fibers—makes the material more elastic and pliable when stretched. Wearing apparel and accessories that are subjected to heavy mechanical loads is appropriate for this type of material.

Elastic threads are combined with viscose, polyester, wool, and silk in addition to cotton. Elastane is frequently utilized in cotton fabrics that have a loose structure and an inner fleece layer known as the footer.

Advantages and disadvantages of Lycra

1. Elasticity and density – the main advantage of lycra. Fabric containing elastane threads stretches greatly. At the same time, its density remains unchanged. And clothes made from such material do not change their original appearance and shape even with strong stretching.
2. Wear resistance and durability – lycra threads are so strong that they can withstand heavy mechanical loads and give cotton and synthetic fabrics special strength if contained in their composition.
3. Resistant to stains and dirt – the structure of the fabric is such that contaminants cannot get inside the fibers and remain on the surface. This makes it easier to care for these products. Sometimes you can remove a stain without aggressive washing powders and stain removers, just by rinsing the contaminated area under running warm water.
4. Resistance to external factors – products made from fabrics with elastic threads do not lose the brightness of their colors over time and do not fade in the sun, the structure of the material does not deteriorate in salt water. These qualities of lycra have found application in the production of swimsuits and swimming trunks.
5. Air permeability – despite the fact that lycra is synthetic, its presence in the fabric does not interfere with air exchange if the main raw material is natural. When used next to other synthetic fibers, the greenhouse effect is not excluded.
6. Dimensional stability and absence of signs of deformation – the fabric does not change its qualities and appearance after washing or drying, it practically does not wrinkle, does not deform, does not shrink, and pellets do not form on clothes. The exception is cotton fabrics with lycra. With primary WTO, they shrink strongly.

Lycra clothes are lightweight and comfortable. The figure is perfectly fit and the soft fabric drapes beautifully. The material’s high density allows for the stretch effect.

Customer reviews indicate that this fabric’s consumer properties are highly valued and include the following:

• stretchability and elasticity – indispensable qualities in tights, underwear, and tracksuits;
• elasticity and wrinkle resistance;
• a feeling of comfort, a good fit that does not limit freedom of movement;
• long wear life;
• ability to drape, quickly restore shape, smooth out, no folds or creases.

Synthetic elastane is used. This indicates that lycra has some of the same drawbacks as synthetic materials. Sensitive skin, for instance, may experience allergic reactions and irritation. Lycra does not retain heat or regulate body temperature. Chlorine causes lycra fibers to break down, decreasing their elasticity. Lycra swimwear is therefore not the ideal addition to pools that have chlorination. Synthetic fabrics have the potential to gather static electricity.

Types and properties of lycra-based fabrics

Very seldom is 100% Lycra fabric used in the creation of apparel. In many ways, synthetics are uncomfortable. However, lycra is an indispensable additive that enhances many fabrics’ performance qualities.

The characteristics of the material, which has elastic threads in it, vary. It depends on the type of raw materials and amount of lycra that are used as the fabric’s primary components. We shall then discuss the characteristics of particular materials with elastic threads in light of this.

Cotton with Lycra

Wearing cotton is beneficial in a lot of ways. However, prospective buyers of items made of natural fabric are strongly turned off by its wrinkly nature and inability to stretch. These flaws are fixed by a few elastane threads. The natural fabric’s hygienic qualities are maintained concurrently. For instance, the capacity to absorb moisture, hypoallergenic, and "breathable" qualities.

If elastic Lycra threads are added to insufficiently elastic cotton, the material becomes much stronger and more practical. After washing, the fabric essentially stops wrinkling, does not stretch, and doesn’t need any extra care. Additionally, a good fit is provided by the "stretch" effect and the absence of fabric deformation.

Kulirka with Lycra

This is a thin, delicate knit fabric made of cotton that has been cross-knitted with a 5–30% elastane addition. In contrast to the typical 100% kulirka, the Lycra-infused material is resilient, springy, long-lasting, and eco-friendly. Clothes for children, even newborns, are sewed from kulirka, which is a soft material that feels good against the body.

Fleece with Lycra

This fabric is made mostly of soft cotton with a trace of synthetic material. The material is hygroscopic, pleasant to the touch, maintains heat, doesn’t obstruct airflow, resists abrasion and pellet formation, and is long-lasting. It is used to sew clothes for children, sports, and the home.

Footer shrinks, just like some other cotton-based textiles. However, the lycra addition gives the material elasticity and resistance to deformation while shielding it from the damaging effects of the environment.

Stretch cotton, satin, fleece with elastane, corduroy, and lycra-infused cotton fabrics are also well-liked.

Lycra with knitwear

Ribana with lycra

This is a thick, long-lasting, effortlessly cared for knit garment featuring a double weave of fibers and spandex in the composition. The fabric stands out for its good elasticity and ease of handling. Ribana-made clothing is incredibly comfortable and fits the figure flawlessly.

Viscose with lycra

Artificial viscose made from recycled cellulose has qualities similar to those of natural plant raw materials, such as being breathable and capable of absorbing excess moisture. However, it also rolls less, maintains its shape better, and requires less maintenance. Five percent lycra added to viscose keeps it lightweight, doesn’t electrify, stretches more easily, and gains strength. This material is used in the sewing of casual and sportswear.

Lycra with synthetics

100% synthetic material, made up of polyester and lycra, is inexpensive, easy to maintain, and can irritate the skin and trigger allergic reactions. Such materials don’t always make for comfortable clothing, especially in the summer.

Another kind of elastic fabric is full-lycra. It is distinguished by a higher lycra content. For instance, the fabric typically has an elastane content of no more than 5%. In full-lycra, the percentage of synthetic elastic fibers is higher—it was 8%.

The visual difference between full-lycra and other lycra materials is their ability to stretch in all directions.

How lycra differs from spandex and elastane

Under these three aliases, the same content is concealed. Stretch fabric, which contains elastic lycra or other comparable synthetics, is included in the same category as elastic fabrics.

Application

Tailoring is the primary application of lycra in mixed fabrics.

Casual wear

Cotton and lycra are used to make women’s dresses and suits, form-fitting pants, and T-shirts.

Sportswear

Athletics has seen a widespread adoption of Lycra. Sports suits in useful colors are composed of thick, elastic material that is extremely durable and protects the athlete’s body when they ski and surf.

Mottled elastane is more frequently used for women’s swimsuits, bicycle shorts, gymnastics leotards, breeches, leggings, dance costumes, and circus and carnival attire.

Denser and more elastic lycra fabric types are better suited for swimming. Sportswear for rhythmic gymnastics and fitness, for instance, needs to be lightweight, breathable, and stylish.

Fabric with enhanced technological fibers is utilized in the production of scuba diving wetsuits to boost product strength and enhance thermoregulation.

Corrective and underwear, accessories

Lycra is used in the knitting of corrective and undergarments, bodysuits, tights, socks, stockings, pants, and gloves. They don’t get better fit over time by stretching. Products containing elastane are highly sought-after.

Since it is difficult to replace and has unparalleled stretch, wrinkle resistance, and durability, Lycra is the fabric of choice for apparel. Few materials can match its flexibility and strength for comfort and long-lasting wear, whether it is used for everyday clothing, swimwear, or activewear.

How to choose clothes with elastane

The following indicators show the material’s quality:

• good stretchability and elasticity of the fabric;
• homogeneous structure of the fabric: without any damage, snags, pellets;
• material with the presence of spandex in the composition is tactilely pleasant, its smooth surface is pleasant to touch;
• the coloring of the fabric should be uniform, without streaks;
• the price of quality material cannot be low – this is also a kind of guideline for determining quality.

China accounts for the majority of both the consumption and production of lycra-containing materials. European, American, Turkish, Japanese, Italian, Belarusian, and Russian textile producers are also regarded as producers of premium elastic fabric.

Material	Description
Lycra	An elastic and durable synthetic fabric that resists wrinkles and retains its shape, making it ideal for activewear and everyday clothing.
Replacement options	It"s tough to find a perfect alternative to Lycra due to its unique combination of stretch, durability, and wrinkle resistance.

Lycra is a unique kind of fabric that works well for a variety of garments, adding comfort and toughness. It is a favorite for everything from sportswear to everyday wear because of its special elasticity, which allows it to stretch and return to its original shape.

Lycra’s ability to resist wrinkles makes it even more alluring; after a long day, garments made of this material still look polished and new. Furthermore, because of its strength, Lycra clothing lasts longer and can withstand normal wear and tear.

Considering its many advantages, it’s difficult to find a Lycra substitute. It is a top option for both designers and customers due to its blend of stretch, resilience, and durability. Lycra is still a go-to fabric for those seeking comfort, style, or long-lasting quality.

Video on the topic

Review of the fabric Kulirka rebane lycra

THE BEST AND WORST in new mass-market products: LIME, RESERVED, MANGO, YOLLO

Summer discounts up to 30% in Elema stores continue

Unpacking Magnatex. Kulirka 50-100 cm. Weighted flap.

Lycra with silver print Dol MM30365