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Whenever the federal league teams compete for victory and place the right kit will be almost as important as the performance of the players. These days, there is hardly any sport where garments made of manmade fibers do not help improve performance. Top sportsmen and women rely on functional sports-wear made of products such as Dorlastan spandex fiber from Bayer Faser GmbH.

In cooperation with sportswear manufacturer Asics, Bayer has created a func-tional one-piece volleyball suit based on a blend of Dorlastan and microfiber that ensures a perfect fit and gives the players even more freedom of move-ment. The new bielastic knitted fabric is a blend of 93 % polyamide and 7 % Dorlastan. It has 170 % lengthwise stretch and 120 % widthwise stretch. Al-though the new outfits only contain a small amount of Dorlastan, they ensure maximum freedom of movement. They were tested by the Bayer 04 ladies' vol-leyball team, which awarded them very high marks.

Equally high marks were obtained for seamless underwear made of functional fabrics. Functional underwear is not simply used in the sports sector, especially as these fabrics have a range of advantages over conventional materials.

Physical exertion causes perspiration. The function of perspiration is to cool the body by evaporating. If it cannot evaporate directly, this function has to be assumed by the clothing worn next to the skin. In other words, these garments have to ensure that the perspiration is quickly transported away from the skin to prevent that unpleasant clammy, shivery feeling caused by a build-up of moisture.

Functional underwear should dry quickly to ensure that it regains its thermal insulating properties and can protect the wearer from the health risks resulting from a drop in body temperature at rest and during periods of low activity. Polyester, polyamide and acrylics are normally used for garments worn next to the skin because of their ability to transport perspiration and moisture effi-ciently. The outer side of the garments is made of highly absorbent materials such as cotton, wool, viscose, modal fibers and yarn blends. These absorb ex-cess perspiration until it evaporates so that it is not retained in the fibers that touch the skin.

This functional underwear stays dry longer, even if the wearer sweats heavily. People therefore find it more pleasant to wear than underwear made of conven-tional fabrics. Alongside the technical benefits of functional fabrics, Dorlastan improves wear comfort and thus the general sense of well-being. Dorlastan en-sures a snug fit, dimensional stability, excellent stretch properties and high elasticity. Seamless technology further increases wear comfort as there are no irritating or unsightly seams.