Margaret Frey, professor of fiber science and apparel design at Cornell University, comments on the recall of Lululemon’s popular black yoga pants after customer complaints that the fabric is too revealing.
She says:
“Many of our students wear yoga pants as a daily uniform and in general the pants do come right up to the limit between providing coverage and being very revealing. Lululemon's supplier confirms that all quality control specifications have been met, so the possibilities are that several factors combined at the more revealing end of the specification, or some unspecified aspect fell short of expectations.
“As examples, in this nylon/spandex blend fabric the yarns would be specified by their Denier - or the ratio between the weight and length of the yarn. Nylon fibers that make up a yarn can be very flat and result in a thin yarn or crimped and bulked to result in a thicker, more covering, yarn at the same Denier. If the yarns were slightly less crimped than usual, some decrease in coverage would have resulted.
“The 4-way stretch knit fabric made from the yarn would be specified by the knit loops per length and width of the fabric, and the weight of the fabric per square meter. More loops and higher weight result in better coverage. If the yarns made from less crimped fibers were made into a fabric on the lower end of Lululemon's specification for knit fabric structure and weight, the result could turn a fabric that was just covering the wearer into a fabric that was too revealing.
“The problem will show up most dramatically for black pants being worn by a paler person or light colored pants being worn by a darker person because of the color contrast - the textile term for this problem is 'grin through': the layer underneath grins through the fabric that should be covering it.”
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