Elastane is used in all areas where a high degree of permanent elasticity is required, as, for example, in tights, sportswear, swimwear, corsetry, and in woven and knitted fabrics.
Elastane thus is a prerequisite for fashionable or functional apparel which is intended to cling to the body, while at the same time remaining comfortable.
Elastane fibres can be stretched from four to seven times their length, reverting to their original length when the tension is relaxed.
But the elastane fibre itself is a colourless crinkly looking yarn that has revolutionised the clothing industry and whose use now reaches far beyond the sportswear that first popularised it.
When tension is applied the soft segments straighten out up to seven times their original length, but elastane's important selling point is that when the tension is released the fibre will immediately return to the exact same shape and length it was before.
The fabric will always look and feel like the fibre or blend that is used alongside the elastane, as the elastane fibres themselves are sheathed with another fibre, usually the fibre that makes up the bulk of the rest of the garment.
www.bbc.co.uk /dna/h2g2/A676262 (547 words)
Elastane, - Bikinis & Swimwear - Funky Designs for sale at the Funk Shop(Site not responding. Last check: 2007-10-22)
Elastane fibers (spandex) are subject to photo-oxidative degradation when exposed to
Description: PJE – Red and white checked ¾ trousers, two horizontal pockets on front, two on back, zips at bottom on hem on both trouser legs, elasticated fabric, navy elasticated belt with white detail.