Big Picture - April 2020 - 10

the filament

The Power of
Polyester
How to talk an on-the-fence designer into embracing the fabric.
| by Kathryn Sanders

I

BIG PICTURE

April 2020

t's fair to say there's not a fabric on the market more

polarizing than polyester. If you were born before 1985,
you probably have a very specific memory associated
with the synthetic fiber. I'm willing to bet it was a
scratchy, itchy, and sweat-inducing one. Millennials and
Gen Z, on the other hand, have no reason to be averse to
polyester - active and athleisure brands have been championing it most of their lives.
Polyester has a complicated history and ever-evolving
place in the textile food chain. It's not at the top with the
natural fibers like cotton and silk, but it would be unfair to
give it the '70s treatment and push it to the bottom, just
because it's synthetic. The value of polyester is shifting from
a strict correlation to production costs to include other
factors like sustainability and technical attributes. To
complicate things, there are so many types of polyester on
the market that understanding modern polyester and how it
works can be confusing. A basic Google search on polyester
will pull up a variety of opinion articles arguing that
polyester suffocates the skin, but that simply isn't true. At
least it doesn't have to be in 2020.
The pros of polyester currently far outweigh the cons.
Modern polyester can be engineered with technical finishes
such as moisture management or wicking, which allows
moisture to be pulled through the fabric and evaporate.
Picture how you feel when you wear your favorite cotton

HYPE THE TECHNICAL ADVANCEMENTS
Wicking? Durable water repel? Stain and soil release? These
finishes are product and marketing game changers. If your
customer is developing an active or athleisure apparel line,
suggest a polyester with wicking technology. Your customer
will be able to sell the garment at a higher price due to its

KATHRYN SANDERS is a third-generation textile printer. She loves working
with industry newcomers, and is energized by the positive economical,
environmental, and creative impact of digital printing. Sanders is the print
and design manager at MY Prints (myprintsinc.com) in Los Angeles.
You can connect with her on LinkedIn.

10

T-shirt to the gym; after a few reps, you're clammy and your
wet shirt is clinging to your skin. It's never a comfortable
situation and it doesn't have to be that way anymore with
the advancements made to polyester. There's a reason why
active and athleisure brands, like Nike and Adidas, are
focusing on polyester and positioning it to take over the
market - and successfully selling these garments for a
pretty penny.
When it comes to your shop or studio, convincing certain
apparel and interior designers to embrace polyester can be
difficult. I've been confronted with this challenge, too, but
there are ways to move through it and develop a beautiful,
high-quality product your customer loves.


http://www.myprintsinc.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathryn-r-sanders/

Big Picture - April 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - April 2020

Big Picture - April 2020
Insight
Wide Angle
Upfront
The Filament
Best of Wide Format Awards
R+D
Job Log
Big Picture - April 2020 - Big Picture - April 2020
Big Picture - April 2020 - Cover2
Big Picture - April 2020 - 1
Big Picture - April 2020 - Insight
Big Picture - April 2020 - 3
Big Picture - April 2020 - Wide Angle
Big Picture - April 2020 - 5
Big Picture - April 2020 - Upfront
Big Picture - April 2020 - 7
Big Picture - April 2020 - 8
Big Picture - April 2020 - 9
Big Picture - April 2020 - The Filament
Big Picture - April 2020 - 11
Big Picture - April 2020 - Best of Wide Format Awards
Big Picture - April 2020 - 13
Big Picture - April 2020 - 14
Big Picture - April 2020 - 15
Big Picture - April 2020 - 16
Big Picture - April 2020 - 17
Big Picture - April 2020 - 18
Big Picture - April 2020 - 19
Big Picture - April 2020 - 20
Big Picture - April 2020 - 21
Big Picture - April 2020 - 22
Big Picture - April 2020 - 23
Big Picture - April 2020 - 24
Big Picture - April 2020 - 25
Big Picture - April 2020 - 26
Big Picture - April 2020 - 27
Big Picture - April 2020 - 28
Big Picture - April 2020 - 29
Big Picture - April 2020 - R+D
Big Picture - April 2020 - 31
Big Picture - April 2020 - 32
Big Picture - April 2020 - 33
Big Picture - April 2020 - 34
Big Picture - April 2020 - 35
Big Picture - April 2020 - Job Log
Big Picture - April 2020 - Cover3
Big Picture - April 2020 - Cover4
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