Bathing Suit Fabric

"People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you'll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow." Erma Bombeck. So true!

Bathing suits come in a wide variety, especially for the lucky ladies, they have a wide range to choose from. Not only does it come in different patterns and designs but also the fabric of these bathing suits have changed with time, giving it a more comfortable and wearable feel. The more enhanced version of swimsuits include a variety of options, and one of the most important factors that varies each one of them is the bathing suit fabric. Earlier, the bathing suits were simply made of polyester or nylon, that did not provide much comfort. But now, considering many factors and reviews from the consumers, bathing suit manufacturers have allowed themselves to try a combination of materials to make the piece of clothing more comfortable that results in satisfying their consumers. Like I mentioned before, the bathing suits earlier used to be made using synthetic fabrics such as polyester or nylon. However, these fabrics were not durable did not provide much comfort to body hugging clothes like bathing suits. We'll now see the different types of fabrics that are introduced to make the bathing suits better.

Types of Fabrics Used in Bathing Suits

Nowadays, the swim-wear industry have upgraded themselves with the use of enhanced fabrics such as lycra ,spandex and nylon spandex fabrics that has indeed improved the quality of swim-wear products, including bathing suits. Spandex fabric is one of the most commonly used fabrics to improve the quality of the apparel. The popular brand in spandex fabric is 'Lycra'. Yes, I know what you are thinking, many of us confuse Lycra as a type of fabric and we call it lycra fabric. The fact is that lycra is not the name of the fabric but, it is a popular brand that produces spandex fabric. It is produced by Invista that used to be a part of DuPont, an American chemical company that invented spandex.

Spandex is a highly elastic synthetic fiber that is much stronger and more durable than rubber. Invention of this synthetic fiber revolutionized the clothing industry, the swim-wear industry being one of the most beneficial amongst all. Spandex is used as a fabric not only because of its form-fitting nature but also because this fabric breathes. This fabric's unique feature is that it can expand up to three to four times the normal size and spring back to its original form without losing the integrity of the fabric. Swimming is an activity that involves immense body movement and spandex fabric provides the comfort to do it with ease because of its elasticity.

Basically, bathing suits consist of either polyester plus spandex fabric or they are made of nylon spandex fabrics. What it means is that a considerable amount of the material of the bathing suit contains polyester or nylon and spandex is only an additional synthetic fiber that is added to bring in the elasticity. A bathing suit usually consists of 20-25% of spandex fabric or lycra spandex and the rest of the fabric is nylon or polyester. When it comes to bathing suit fabrics, nylon spandex material is known to be more durable. Also, unlike cotton and other fabrics, bathing suits are easily washable and can be quickly dried.

These days many of the swimsuit manufacturers do use fabrics containing spandex or the more popular 'lycra' spandex. But, it is imperative to check the fabric composition of the bathing suit as attentively as you look for the color, pattern and design. A bathing suit fabric that does not contain spandex would not just be a waste of money but, it will also cause discomfort and make the whole swimming experience unpleasant.