Personal safety through special garments is not a newperspective, but what fairly new is the manner in which such clothing isredefining the luxury that comes with modern textile. Protective measuresvis-a-vis clothing are not confined to those involved in perilous work only;people need to ensure they are aptly dressed even during daily chores.Reflective clothing is an integral part of certain professions. Such clothingis required to increase the visibility of the wearers during dark hours.
The concept of reflective clothing is based on the factthat certain colours easily reflect light against a dull background thus highlightingthe user. The wearer of such clothing becomes visible during the night whenlight from an oncoming vehicle hits the vest. The tentative use of reflectiveclothing began in 1964 on the Scottish Region of British Railways. Fluorescentorange jackets, known as 'fire-flies', were given to track workers in Glasgow;the jackets were then tried in other areas. Opinion of train drivers was takenregarding the effectiveness of the jackets. Later on in 1965, after sometrials, such clothing was issued to engineering and other staff working on theelectrified lines. It was thought to be more important due to the higher speedsof the newly electrified WCML route. The first version was worn as a jerkin andwas visible at half a mile in normal weather conditions. Since then, featuresof reflective clothing have been enhanced significantly and today such clothingis more effective, even fashionable and much safer with reflective suits thatare fire proof and water proof.
Most experts agree that the industry of protectiveclothing that includes reflective garments has been growing at an annual growthrate in the range of 6 percent per year. Some niche areas or specialisedsub-categories are stated to be growing up to 30 percent plus per year. Somecountries like U.K. have reported that sales of high-visibility gear rose 22percent in 2009 and 26 percent in 2010. Globally, the sale of reflectivematerial including clothing is escalating, as the number of security personnel,fire fighters and even joggers have increased significantly.
The risk faced by thecyclists are similar to those faced by motorcyclists, with the main differencesbeing that bicycling speeds are usually low, and bicyclists wear lessprotective gear. In a 2009 study, most U.K. cyclists and almost all motoristsbelieved that high-visibility clothing would increase cyclists' visibility.Almost all drivers agreed that cyclists need to wear reflective clothing in lowlighting environments.
The reflective material is composed of what any other cloth is made of - fabric. However, what makes this fabric so unique is basically the fact that the fabric is dipped and covered in millions of microscopic glass beads. One can think of each bead as a tiny little mirror, which when surrounding a cylindrical thread makes for cylindrical mirror that reflects light back in every direction. But, a single thread by itself cannot make much of a difference, so once thousands of these threads are put together a fabric is formed.
This fabric is considered a rough surface unlike a smooth surface. The minute mirrors embedded in the fabric basically face every direction which causes all its rays to reflect in every direction and thus no clear image is formed. So a car driver sees a reflective strip up ahead 200 yards at night, as the car headlights hit the reflective strip, which ricochets the light rays back to the driver. Since the reflective strip is a rough surface, some of the reflection will be lost in translation, but the majority of the rays will bounce right back to the driver. In the above case, the reflecting strip that the drivers see is 200 yard ahead, but the light that the driver sees has actually travelled 400 yards. The light went 200 yards from the headlight to the biker, hit the 'mirror' and travelled back another 200 yards to the eyeballs, making it travel 400 yards total. This is attributed to the speed of light.
Garment manufacturers are now using specific brands to create reflective fabrics that increase visibility and safety in dim light conditions such as snow, fog, and darkness at night. Some manufacturers weave reflective yarns into soft, comfortable fabric while others use a coating based on thousands of metallic microparticles. Both methods allow clothing to be ideal for play such as snowboarding and cycling, and work such as police and roadside emergency work. Today, reflective fabric is full of various features, including being soft, breathable, wind resistant, water repellent, attractive, comfortable, self-adhesive, strong, easy to sew and durable. Reflective clothing comprises of jackets, bands, caps, ankle bands, arm bands, jumpsuits, shirts, pants et al. Such clothing looks normal by day and glow by night. It is available in colours like red, yellow, blue, white, green, and orange.
Frequent use of reflective clothing vouches for the fact that apparel industry has progressed into the new millennium; it is constructively influencing the way people travel and work as well. Wearing and using reflective clothing is an easy and inexpensive way to stay safe at night. It is a treasure trove of textile industry and has registered huge success in trapping the multifaceted safety issues in daily lives. The influence of the same is dictated by the choices the organisations and individuals are making to ensure safety and security through apposite fabrics and garments.
References:
1. About.com
2. Wikipedia.org
3. Bikewrappers.com
4. Intexa.com
Image Courtesy:
1. Johannesburg.olx.co.za
2. Jingtaireflective.en.made-in-china.com
3. Drivingschoolireland.com
Comments