The event offered legwear professionals a unique chance to gain insights into the future of legwear, consumer and retail trends and the opportunity to network with the best in the business.

“The ‘Lycra Fibre Moves’ forum is the highlight of our calendar here at Invista and shows our dedication to the legwear industry. Over the past two years we have continued to develop lycra fibre and we were excited to show the legwear industry our findings along with the upcoming trends of the sector.”

“This year has been especially successful with a record-breaking number of attendees and we hope that next time will be, too,” Pierluigi Berardi, Global Marketing Director, said.

Freef!t technology by lycra fibre, a patent-pending construction that addresses one of the key issues women have with hosiery – their waistbands – was launched at the fashion show that took place during the Gala Dinner on the evening of the 24th at the Palazzo della Gran Guardia.

After much research Invista was able to design a new pantyhose construction that addresses consumer needs in terms of comfort in the waistband and panty area, eliminating thick, unappealing waistbands, reducing red marks, roll-over and dig-in.

The construction itself is based on four elements:

-          Graduated compression that follows the body

-           Construction that promotes comfort

-           Finer yarns for the right balance between comfort and compression

-           Knitting conditions that maximize elasticity

Guests had the chance to experience first-hand Invista’s latest innovations. A dynamic “leg show” by Italian synchronized swimmers was a hit, each leg moving gracefully and playfully, showing off the new living lights technology by lycra fibre, a patented technology that boosts the on-tone color uptake of elastane/spandex, addressing two challenges related to the enhancement of the overall appearance of legs with hosiery: first, ensuring a natural appearance, and second, providing deeper, richer colors by optimizing the amount of color that reaches the viewer’s eyes.

The phenomenon was made even clearer at the pre-dinner cocktail in a display using plastic tubes covered in different fabrics, some with the new technology, and some without. The difference was clear.

Other key speakers from the industry were chosen specifically by Invista for their pioneering roles within their fields: Petra Dillemuth, Textile Consumer Panel Manager at GfK, Tito Boeri, Professor of Economics at Milan Bocconi University, and Simon Massey, CEO of The Gild, among others.