INVISTA, a world leader in integrated fibres and polymers business and owner of the LYCRA^® fibre brand, COOLMAX^® fabric brand and other performance fibre brands, has launched its COOLMAX^® fabric brand in India. COOLMAX^® fabric is a unique performance fabric that moves moisture away from the body whilst enhances fabric drying rate, thus keeping the wearer feeling cool and dry. COOLMAX^® fabric delivers performance and comfort to the wearer through the use of polyester fibres with special micro channel cross sections that transfer sweat from the body to the outside very effectively.

Realising that "temperature regulation and sweat management in clothing is one of the growing demands in the country due to the tropical climate", Mr Andrew Evans, managing director – INVISTA South Asia, said that INVISTA is continuing to develop and introduce new technologies for Indian Market and COOLMAX^® fabric is definitely going to be a valuable offering for Indian consumers.

The features that make COOLMAX^® fabric unique are:

1. Quick Drying: COOLMAX^® fabric enables moisture to reach the fabric's outer surface where it evaporates quickly.
2. Cool Comfort: COOLMAX^® fabric effectively moves perspiration away from the body, and through the fabric. The thermoregulatory effect of moisture transport helps keep skin temperature low, allowing the wearer to feel cooler and more comfortable.
3. Evaporative Cooling: The multichannel cross sections of COOLMAX^® fibres create a fabric with large surface area, versus circular fibres. The larger fibre surface area, combined with proper fabric construction lead to a fast the rate of evaporation. Evaporation causes cooling.
4. Durable performance: The moisture management performance of COOLMAX^® fabric is inherent to the fibre structure itself; therefore, the performance cannot be washed off.
5. Support from INVISTA: Users of COOLMAX^® fibres have access to technical support from INVISTA to help them maximise the performance of their fabrics, as well as, the confidence of having their fabrics tested by INVISTA against a demanding set of moisture management performance criteria to help ensure they meet or exceed consumer expectations.

The performance story of COOLMAX^® fabric is supported by the fact that each fabric style is tested against demanding performance standards before a COOLMAX^® fabric hangtag can be released. Mr Huw Williams – director Global Specialties Businesses of INVISTA, reveals "To support its brand promise, the COOLMAX^® fabric business is supported by a global technical organisation that is staffed with specific expertise to ensure responsiveness to apparel mills, brands, and retailers through a network of R&D, technical and textile engineers working at our labs to test the performance required in the brand standards"

Talking about the impact that COOLMAX^® fabric has made globally, Mr Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, INVISTA's Global Segment Director, Activewear & Outdoor Apparel, mentions, "COOLMAX^® fabric is perceived as the leading technology in the moisture management category by consumers throughout the world." According to a survey done by Strategic Insights, 69% of avid runners and 69% of avid golfers in the United States say that a garment with COOLMAX^® fabric is "much better" than a garment with another type of moisture management while 57% of avid runners and 55% of avid golfers said that COOLMAX^® fabric makes sport garment "much more desirable". In Europe, 90% of the respondents agreed that clothes with COOLMAX^® fabric provide greater comfort and performance.

Mr Avinash Chandra, marketing head, South Asia said "We believe that with COOLMAX^® fabric we can add another dimension of cool-comfort in clothes for Indian consumers, which will help them perform better in the hot and humid climate that prevails in the country for large time of the year."

Applications of COOLMAX^® fabric is not limited to Sportswear and activewear. It is used in a variety of applications ranging from Ready-to-wear eg, denims, shirts, trousers, suiting, T-shirts to Intimate apparel eg, undergarments, vests, etc, to Socks and various other garment types. The speciality fibres for COOLMAX^® fabric can also be blended with cotton, polyester and wool.