The Lycra Company is showing a sweat-masking polyester fibre made from 100% recycled material at Performance Days in Munich this week. The show runs October 13-14. Coolmax CloakFX is one of 16 products selected for the exhibition's Innovation Forum.

CloakFX uses optical masking technology to diffuse light at the fibre level. The goal is simple: garments should look drier during exercise and everyday wear. The approach differs from conventional moisture management, which transports perspiration away from the skin but can still leave visible marks on sportswear fabrics.

By building the masking effect into the fibre itself, Lycra aims to reduce that visibility without compromising wicking performance. The fibre now carries Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification, a compliance point for brands sourcing recycled polyester against stated targets.

Turkish textile manufacturer Ekoten will demonstrate CloakFX in commercially developed fabrics and garments, moving the technology beyond the laboratory stage.

What do the collaborations deliver?

Lycra will also present two partnership projects on bio-based and recycled materials in performance apparel.

The first, Set the Pace, pairs Italian textile manufacturer Brugnoli with cycling apparel specialist Pissei. The result is a technical cycling kit containing up to 89% bio-based materials. The fabrics combine Brugnoli's patented Br4 technology and bio-based polyamide with renewable Lycra elastane containing 70% plant-based content. The project shows how bio-based fibres can work in stretch fabrics built for the demands of technical cycling apparel.

The second, From Waste to Motion, links Lycra with Südwolle Group and seamless garment manufacturer UTO. The partners have combined:

• Coolmax EcoMade fibre produced from pre-consumer textile waste
• Merino wool
• Polyamide filament

Südwolle developed the engineered yarns. UTO used them to manufacture a seamless performance apparel collection targeting yoga, tennis, golf and base-layer applications. The garments pair recycled polyester with the comfort properties of wool and the fit of seamless construction.

Together, the two projects map the main routes brands can take to improve material composition in performance apparel: replacing fossil-derived raw materials with renewable alternatives, and returning pre-consumer textile waste to new products.

Lycra will exhibit at stands C09-C10 at the Munich show. Commercial uptake of CloakFX will depend on how quickly mills beyond Ekoten integrate the fibre into production programmes.