AW 2025/26

SPORTY KNIT FABRIC

Key materials

1. Wool and cashmere 2. Recycled materials 3. Functional fibers/yarns 4. Cationic nylon 5. Mechanical elastic polyester

Design Summary

1. Two tone effect 2. Smooth and smooth 3. Micro geometric texture 4. Micro plush texture 5. Natural element jacquard

Trend Highlights

1. Extracting design elements such as patterns and materials from nature 2. Wool and cashmere are beginning to be used in functional sports knitted fabrics

"Sports" Tiktok search comprehensive index

Market Insights: Based on TikTok’s market data and our comprehensive analysis of sports-related content, we’ve noticed some interesting trends over the past six months: Content Score: There’s been a 33.99% increase in sports-related content, showing that more creators are focusing on this area. Communication Score: This has seen a slight decrease, indicating that while there’s more content, it might not be spreading as widely through shares and interactions. Search Score: There’s been a significant rise in how often people are searching for sports-related keywords, highlighting a growing interest. Overall, sports are gaining more attention on TikTok and have become a hot topic right now!

The rise of the national movement has led to a sharp increase in people's attention to their own health status, and they have begun to pursue an optimistic and positive life, increasing the frequency of exercise to achieve a healthy body and living condition. The transformation of the "health" lifestyle has brought about a large demand for sportswear, and the comfortable and skin friendly knitted fabrics in sports fabrics are suitable for a wide range of sportswear categories and have certain investment value. This season's sports knitted fabric needs to focus on material upgrades.This report focuses on sports knitted fabrics, which are divided into six trends based on the material, texture, and function of the fabrics: elastic polyester, cationic nylon, micro geometry, vegetation jacquard, moisture absorption and quick drying, and lightweight insulation. And conduct exclusive F-Trend analysis on each trend through material highlights, development direction, style and texture, and applicable categories.

Development background: Two component composites and changes in the internal molecular structure of fibers give polyester mechanical elasticity Style and texture:Smooth plain weave, dark weave small jacquard, dense ribbed Recommended materials: Mixing/interweaving polyester fibers with special structures or components that have a certain degree of mechanical elasticity with spandex, nylon, etc

Development direction:Weft plain knit, ribbed knit, double-sided weave Style recommendation:Yoga vest, yoga pants, sports jacket, vest, POLO shirt

Development background:Cationic fibers have gained widespread attention due to their ability to achieve the same bath depth and light color effect on fabrics. Currently, cationic polyester fibers have been mass-produced and used. With the development of technology, cationic modified nylon fibers have been successfully developed and gradually promoted in the market Style and texture:Bicolor effect

Development direction:The interweaving of cationic modified nylon fibers and conventional nylon fibers is used to develop dark weave fabrics using warp knitted plain weave, or to develop high elastic fabrics with smooth surfaces using knitted plain weave and double-sided knitted weave Style recommendation:Sports pullover, hoodie, T-shirt, yoga suit, sports casual pants, etc

Development background:Knitted fabrics with micro texture and soft touch provide consumers with a healing and comfortable experience, making them the preferred choice for leisure sports clothing Style and texture:Regularly arranged geometry and textured texture Recommended materials:Blending of recycled polyester, nylon, cotton with elastic fibers, acrylic fibers, etc

Development direction:Evergreen knitted fabrics with classic micro textures such as pearl cloth, waffle, bird's eye, etc., increase innovation in the organization of fabric changes Style recommendation:Jackets, sports suits, T-shirts, vests, etc

Development background: Natural healing has been a core theme in recent seasons, and under the influence of this theme style, natural elements such as vegetation and flowers are widely used Style and texture:Stem and leaf flowers Recommended materials: Blending/interweaving of natural fibers such as cotton and wool with synthetic fibers such as polyester, nylon, and elastic fibers

Development direction:Medium to low weight single sided jacquard weave Style recommendation:Vest, sports pullover, base shirt, T-shirt, yoga suit

Development background:Moisture absorption and quick drying are the basic functions of sports fabrics. The temperature difference brought by autumn and winter sports makes consumers demand the moisture absorption and quick drying performance of the inner layer of sportswear Style and texture:Quick sweat guiding tissue structure, smooth plain weave, printing, small jacquard Recommended materials:Fibers with fast moisture conductivityNylon is equal to spandex blend, it is recommended to pay attention to the application of wool fibers in functional knitted fabrics

Development direction:Weaving with moisture conducting fibers in plain weave or warp knitted fabrics, or selecting to develop tissue structures that can quickly conduct moisture Style recommendation:Cycling clothes, yoga clothes, T-shirts, base shirts, sports pullovers, etc

Development background: Soft and warm knitted fabrics have undergone a lightweight transformation this season, aiming to make clothing more lightweight while maintaining excellent warmth Style and texture: Micro plush texture, jacquard hollow texture, and plush fabric composite Recommended materials: Natural materials such as cotton and wool are the main ones, while regenerated cellulose fibers such as Lyocell or synthetic fibers such as polyester and acrylic can be combined with those with thermal blends.

Development direction:Using functional fibers, natural fibers, and recycled cellulose fibers to create lightweight and warm knitted fabrics Style recommendation:Leisure sports suit, sports pullover, sports jacket, hoodie, sweat pants, etc

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