Invista was back in Verona last week to host the third edition of its unique leg wear event ‘Lycra Fibre Moves’, where the company announced its two latest innovations – Living Lights and FREEF!T technologies by Lycra fibre during its global conference and Gala Dinner to more than 300 textile industry professionals from all over the world.

According to the company, the event offered leg wear professionals a unique chance to gain insights into the future of leg wear, 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 colour 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 colours by optimizing the amount of colour that reaches the viewer’s eyes. According to Invista, 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, the company said.   

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.

 The lectures and sessions discussed topics fundamental to the changing face of businesses and presented valuable insights. Attendees gained a deeper understanding about the economic and financial outlook of the industry, the different types of consumers, industry market and technology insights, the power of social media on purchasing decisions, latest innovations and sustainability efforts, and future consumer shopping trends.

 "As always ‘Lycra Fibre Moves’ was informative and really showed Invista’s expertise and leadership in the legwear sector. It was great hearing from different speakers and learning more about their specific industries and how they see the legwear industry evolving over coming years,” Rob Greer, UK Sales Director of Aznar UK/ Marie Claire S.A. said.

 Invista said that as the only global event of its kind in the industry, Lycra Fibre Moves once again proved to be a unique chance to mix qualified professional updates, business networking and social entertainment - allowing participants to improve their business strategies and embrace the future of the legwear industry.

 Living Lights technology by Lycra fibre will be commercially available as Type 16LL for direct knitting and as Type 17LL for covering end uses in a variety of deniers.  Sample quantities are available now and customers can already request the garment standards that fall under the FREEF!T technology by Lycra fibre certification program.