UV protective fibres and fabrics: function and fashion for a health-conscious age

Growing consumer demand for increased sun protection has driven the sun care market into innovative areas, including UV protective clothing. Such growth highlights the importance for consumers of the protective aspect of clothing as opposed to fashion or utilitarian functions. UV protective clothing offers more durable protection against the harmful effects of the sun’s rays than sunscreen. Clothing which provides built-in protection against UV radiation offers consumers an additional defence against skin cancer—one of the most preventable, but also one of the most prevalent, forms of cancer.

Before the 1990s, consumers were largely unaware of the role of clothing in UV protection and therefore showed little interest in this performance feature. Unlike most other performance features, UV protection in clothing can not be seen or felt and many people do not understand what it does. Moreover, they are largely unaware that the UV protective property of clothing can be improved. Now, however, there is growing demand for casual and active apparel which can block the sun’s rays without hindering the wearer’s enjoyment of outdoor pursuits. Fabrics with higher levels of sun protection should therefore have a competitive edge in an increasingly health-conscious age.

However, there is currently no legislation requiring the testing and labelling of apparel fabrics used to block UV radiation. Consumers are left to decide for themselves how best to protect their skin against the effects of UV radiation. Regulation is badly needed to reassure consumers that clothing being marketed as sun protective does indeed protect against the harmful effects of UV radiation. Only when this is in place will the market for UV protective fibres and fabrics really take off.

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Four times a year, Performance Apparel Markets provides intelligence, expert analysis and insight on the performance apparel industry. Performance apparel represents one of the fastest growing markets in the global textile and clothing industry--and market growth is being fuelled by an emergence of new fibres, fabrics and innovative materials. The market's growth prospects are also being spurred by increasing demand for performance properties in mainstream fashion.

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