Sportwool, Vapor management, Fibre2fashion.com

The Sportwool performance concept effectively air-conditions an athletes body, before, during and after exercise. It is changing the sportswear and outerwear industrys approach to fiber and fabric technology and is re-introducing wool to professional sports and outdoor clothing systems.

Wool is naturally hydrophobic; although it hates water it is capable of buffering and transportation of up to 30% of its mass in vapor. A molecular view of a wool fiber reveals that around its central strand (or protein backbone) there exist Lysine and Aspartic side chains. The Lysine side chain contains the molecular group NH₂ in which the Hydrogen atoms have a net positive charge relative to the Nitrogen. The Oxygen atoms of a water vapor molecule (H₂0) on the other hand have a net negative charge relative to the Hydrogen atom. As a result, the net negative charge on the Oxygen atom of the water vapor molecule is attracted to a net positive charge on the Hydrogen atoms in the NH₂ group. This Hydrogen/Oxygen attraction process has the effect of allowing wool fiber to move water vapor through themselves and release it into the outside environment. There, if wool fibres are next to the skin, unlike most fabrics, wool actually speeds up the heat transfer process.

Resulting in muscles which will be cooler and able to work at higher levels without having adverse affects on the bodys finely tuned temperature requirements. No other fibre benefits from wools complex structure and the electrically charged side chains. Accordingly, wools vapour processing abilities and considerable cooling benefits are unique in clothing.

About the Author:

The author is Assistant Professor of Textile Design Department in Pearl Academy of Fashion, New Delhi.

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