This month, we’re excited to bring you Stretchline’s new Womenswear catalogue. Created as a source of inspiration for designers by our very own in-house design specialist Sophie Beet, the book features fresh innovations and techniques that showcase the possibilities of working with elastics and covered yarns. While creating the collection of stretch fabrics and elastic trims with our global team of elastic innovators and developers, Sophie analysed hundreds of global trends, with insight gathered from three different continents.

Here are three of the most exciting textile trends she noted, and advice on how you can use them.

Flexible Clothing

After a year and a half spending so much time at home, the need for versatility – especially in pieces traditionally considered “activewear” – has never been so great. Clothing that was intended for working out has been transformed into everyday wear, with yoga leggings and sports tops becoming the unofficial working from home uniform. With this in mind, it is important to design with a purpose or situation in view; for example, our Womenswear catalogue features a soft, wide waistband with a ridged surface texture and a pocket in it. This waistband is designed for comfort when exercising or going out, and can store a small house key and a credit card.

Fabric Innovation

Our Womenswear book features a variety of our most-used yarns, alongside new innovations that we are incredibly proud to introduce. A reflective yarn is now part of our collection, designed for sportswear, and we have produced innovations in ombre dying, pattern, thickness and texture. We are particularly excited to see lurex making a return, with consumers making bolder choices and expressing themselves creatively through clothing.

Driven by the desire to continually do better – a driving principal of the Stretchline business – we have also introduced new sustainable yarns, like our Bamboo yarn and antibacterial yarn. We are excited to see these products make their way to consumers, and to see what form it will take; whether as an extra protective layer in outer clothing, or underwear.

3D Design

3D Design represents a huge opportunity for the industry as a whole, and it is one that we are embracing fully at Stretchline. A seismic but exciting change to the process of concept to final garment, it is a big step in terms of creating a more sustainable textile and fashion industry. It comes with the potential to reduce wastage in yarn, dye and water, as well as the opportunity to reduce pollution from sample creation and airfreighting. The introduction of 3D Design has made communication between our customers and factories closer than ever, speeding up processes and clients’ final outputs, with digital trims being created in a matter of days rather than physical samples which can take weeks.

The start of your inspiration

Our new catalogue features the above and much more, with an aim of making processes easier from a business perspective and clothing better from a consumer perspective.

To request your copy of the Stretchline Womenswear catalogue, simply drop us an email at sam.head@stretchline.com.