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INVISTA Reveals New Swimwear Consumer Insights and Findings
New data about XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber
INVISTA, maker of XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber and one of the world’s largest integrated producers of fibers and polymers, has revealed new consumer insights and scientific findings regarding swimwear. This information offers new perspectives on real consumer behaviours around the world, as well as their priorities when shopping for swimwear, which has the potential to help brands arm themselves against consumer disappointment and build a loyal consumer base.
INVISTA’S consumer research confirms that fit is the most important factor when shopping for a new swimsuit, nearly all of women prioritizing fit over other features. The following technical results relate to this central finding and reinforce the advantages of XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber.
Research commissioned by INVISTA shows that women spend almost 40 percent of their time in their swimsuits at the pool where their suits are exposed to damaging conditions, including sunscreen, pool water, perspiration, body oils, and heat. The study explores how women care for their swimsuits, revealing that more than half of women wash their suits after use, while less wait to wash or rinse their suits until after they’ve dried, which means that the damaging elements can stay on the fabric for a long period of time.
In as little as a single season, a swimsuit fabric can be degraded by perspiration, chlorine, sunscreen, heat and body oils. The majority of consumers expecting to wear their suit for two or more seasons, most report that their suits begin to fail before that time, often citing signs of fiber breakage. This disappointment results in reduced repeat purchase – 70 percent say they will be less likely to buy that brand again, and almost half say they will even shop at a different store for their next suit.
Swimwear fabrics exposed to sunscreen and pool water for 10 days showed dramatic differences between XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber and other chlorine-resistant elastanes on the market. After 240 hours of exposure, XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber showed no fiber breakage, while comparison fabrics showed significant breakage.
With the addition of heat, such as would be experienced in the trunk of a car during the summer, the degradation of the other elastanes was severe, whereas the XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber showed no signs of breakage.
In another test to simulate the life-cycle of a swimsuit, INVISTA results show that once degradation of the fabric begins, it is very difficult to arrest. These tests reveal that XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber resists this degradation 5X longer than the other chlorine-resistant fabrics tested.
These findings confirm that XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber resists fiber breakage and fit loss 5X longer than other chlorine-resistant elastanes, providing swimwear brands a way to elevate the value of their products and increase brand loyalty among their consumers. Trusted among women worldwide, 77 percent agree that they would be more likely to buy a suit labelled with the XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber brand than one without. XTRA LIFE LYCRA® fiber is known for its promise of superb fit and resistance to degradation from the swim environment, with a proven record of strength when faced with the damaging effects of perspiration, chlorine, sunscreen or heat.
Dianne Lober
INVISTA
Work 302.683.3017
Michelle Lockhart
LaForce + Stevens
Work 212.242.9353 x133