Bulletproof anti-stink workout wear

Original post: Jul 30, 2014

Technology is working its way into a number of unexpected area. One of the latest battlefronts is in workout wear. As manufacturers look to differentiate products in a crowded marketplace, some are trying a different tactic than the usual price cuts leading in a race to the bottom.

This blue shirt is from Lululemon. It features a technology they call Silverescent:

  

Lululemon has been using a technology it calls Silverescent for several years, which executives enthusiastically describe as “anti-stink.” While it does not promise to keep you smelling like peaches while running a marathon, the company claims that materials in the thread kill odor-causing bacteria in the garment itself.

These shorts from Reebok feature Kevlar and Cordura. Kevlar is the super-strong synthetic material commonly used to make bulletproof vests. Cordura is often used in luggage and car seats because it is so tough.

One way to protect this technology is through patents:

In many cases, these fancy fabrics are protected by patents, owned by companies that develop them, like Invista, which holds a patent on a chlorine-resistant additive aimed at making swimsuits last longer. Apparel brands more typically hold design patents than patents on the technical side, according to Susan Scafidi, who teaches fashion law at Fordham University. Lululemon has developed a reputation for aggressively patenting its wares, she said. It has 36 approved or pending design patents and three utility patents to protect new inventions or materials.

There is an even stranger new innovation coming to market:

And then there is Anke Domaske, of Hanover, Germany, who founded Qmilk, which makes thread out of sour milk, using the milk protein casein.

“You dry it to a protein powder that looks sort of like flour,” she explained. “Then imagine a machine that looks like a big noodle machine. Add the flour, add some water again, then you have the dough,” which then gets forced through holes that are thinner than a strand of a hair.

Qmilk fibers are resistant to bacteria and fire, Ms. Domaske said, and because the process relies essentially on just milk and water, the result is compostable. She says the strands feel like silk.

And you can eat it.

“I’ve been eating it with strawberries,” she said.

Here is the link to the full story:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/29/business/workout-clothes-with-high-tech-twist-sell-briskly.html?ref=business