Since its early beginnings in the 15th century, lace has been used to embellish, seduce and beguile. At that time, the fabric between the embroidered areas was removed, leaving behind only the white embroidery.
For lace to become a breakthrough product in performance sportswear, the concept of lace needs to be reconsidered
Over the years, these delicate fabrics have changed many times. Now more than ever, it is worth taking a new look at lace. Modern yarns, high-tech machines and optimised finishing processes are offering completely new design possibilities, thus opening up the potential for new applications and business fields.
This sector is on the move – from lingerie to sportswear, from the shelves in women’s boutiques to the collections in menswear shops, from creating traditional decorative effects to making a functional fashion statement. Something that was once just an idea has now become a reality.
Digitisation
Digitisation is bringing about change in all areas of our social life, for example, communication via social media. In the past, fashion trends were set by designers and industry gatekeepers, but now social media has re-distributed power in the industry towards the average consumer and influencers.
“The average consumer has instant access to every trend, can view catwalks in real-time from their sofa and purchase an outfit that a blogger posts directly from their phone,” says Christel Aarts (pictured), fashion expert and innovation consultant, in an interview with Ulrike Schlenker, editor of Karl Mayer’s trade magazine, Kettenwirk-Praxis.
“The industry is aware of this re-distribution of power, and access to the end consumer has become vital,” she adds. “As end consumers, we like to think that accessing all this information allows us to express ourselves in a more individualistic manner. However, I believe the reverse is true. Social media steers us towards the same imagery, fashion trends are more global rather than local, and we see more and more hypes.”
Digitisation has allowed for visualisation of the product. For clothing to be noticed, there are aspects such as colour/contrast and prints that have more visual impact on a screen. Lace, with its patterns, colours and textures, also has a strong visual impact, and is therefore perfectly suited to visualisation on the Internet.
Reducing the cost of lace, thanks to new technology, has allowed customers with different budgets to embrace lace products, and continuous innovation will allow for lace to become a more mainstream product, which can be adapted to different product categories.
Entering new markets
Once upon a time, lace was only ever integrated into lingerie and women’s clothing. However, lace details are now starting to appear in sportswear collections. For example, at this year’s OutDoor exhibition in Friedrichshafen, and at ISPO in Munich, Germany, lace appeared sporadically in the pure sportswear lines.
“In recent years, we have seen a huge shift in the acceptance of lace in outerwear. While in the past, lace was mainly limited to couture, lingerie, bridal and nightwear, we have seen a revolution in the way lace is accepted as the main material in outerwear,” says Aarts.
However, for lace to become a breakthrough product in performance sportswear, the concept of lace needs to be reconsidered.
“That would mean looking at how lace products could add additional value comparatively to the current materials available for sportswear, what properties the material should have, and finally how it should look,” she adds.
In particular, functional properties, which optimise the thermal physiology and comfort against the skin, should be considered. The freedom in lace design could be used, for example, to support movement through an optimal combination of stretch and compressive structures, allow for breathability and, in the near future, incorporate wearable electronics that monitor performance.
From a design perspective, lace should probably move away from the typical floral execution towards a more graphic, logo-inspired effect.
Targeting menswear
Lace is generally associated with fragile, refined, seductive and sensual characteristics, words that do not evoke a typical masculine association. However, by looking at long-term trends, gender roles are becoming less defined.
“This will have an impact on how we dress and what we find acceptable. For women in the West, a more masculine, tougher dress code has long been accepted,” says Aarts.
“For men, we have seen in the last 20 years a huge change in the acceptance of skincare and beauty products, as well as a general focus on appearance and the way men style themselves. As a result, a more feminine dress code for men is slowly becoming more acceptable.”
Formal dressing, such as wedding suits and shirts, might be a first thought, but the biggest opportunity could potentially lie in sportswear. This market could be tapped into by re-thinking the concept of lace and by changing the way lace performs, feels on the skin, and looks visually.
Considering what would be required from a machine manufacturer, Aarts explained that from a design perspective, maximum flexibility and adaptability to different yarns, textures and patterning techniques, while maintaining technical standards and cost targets would be ideal.
She adds: “From an innovation perspective, I would love to see machinery that is flexible, can deal with small quantities or even allow for custom-made designs, where the focus is on sustainability and quality rather than cost.”
