Made to feel good. Made to fit. Made to keep swimming.

 

Choosing a fabric for Halocline isn't simply about finding the material that lasts longest in chlorine.

If it were, the answer would be relatively straightforward: remove almost all the stretch fibre and make a swimsuit predominantly from polyester.

But that's not the swimsuit we want to make.

Halocline swimwear is designed for women who want excellent bust support, comfort, a flattering fit, freedom of movement, and excellent durability in the pool.

Bust support is particularly important to our customers, and it influenced both the outer fabric and lining we chose. A swimsuit needs enough stretch to comfortably accommodate the bust, plus enough recovery and stability to provide support and keep everything comfortably in place.

So when developing our latest collection, we looked for a fabric that could balance all of these requirements.

The result is our new recycled performance fabric:

 

It's a carefully considered combination designed to provide improved chlorine resistance, excellent stretch and recovery, supportive hold and longer-lasting shape retention - while remaining comfortable enough to wear swim after swim.

 

Fabric composition. Percentages describe fibre content.

Why polyester?

Polyester makes up 82% of the outer fabric and 92% of our lining for a good reason: it is particularly well suited to swimming.

Swimming pool water contains chlorine, which is essential for keeping pools clean but can be tough on swimwear fibres over time. Polyester is naturally much more resistant to chlorine than many of the fibres traditionally used in fashion swimwear.

It also resists rubbing and abrasion and helps provide the stable foundation that allows a swimsuit to maintain its shape. Using recycled polyester gives us these performance benefits while using recycled material rather than relying entirely on virgin polyester.

Why we use so much polyester

Chlorine resistance - Polyester stands up particularly well to regular exposure to chlorinated water.

Shape stability - It provides a strong, stable foundation that helps prevent the fabric becoming loose or baggy.

Durability - Polyester is a hard-wearing fibre with good resistance to rubbing and everyday wear.

Quick drying - It absorbs relatively little water and dries quickly after swimming.

So why not make the swimsuit from 100% polyester?

This is where swimwear becomes more complicated. Some swimming costumes are made almost entirely from polyester. They can offer exceptional chlorine resistance and are particularly suited to intensive training.

But maximum chlorine resistance wasn't our only objective.

We wanted to create a swimsuit that women would genuinely enjoy wearing.

Pure or near-pure polyester fabrics generally cannot provide the same combination of stretch, softness, recovery and close body fit that we want from Halocline swimwear. That's why our outer fabric contains 18% elastane.

Elastane is the highly stretchy fibre within the fabric. Stretch it, and it wants to return to its original shape. That makes an enormous difference to how a swimsuit feels and fits. It allows the fabric to stretch comfortably over your body and bust while providing gentle resistance and support.

Polyester provides stability and durability. Elastane provides stretch, recovery, comfort and support.

Halocline brings the two together.

The balance we chose

We could have designed our fabric around one single measure - such as maximum possible chlorine resistance. Instead, we balanced the qualities we believe matter most in a Halocline swimsuit.

Chlorine resistance

The high recycled-polyester content gives our new fabric a strong foundation for regular pool swimming and better resistance to chlorine.

Stretch & freedom of movement

18% elastane gives the outer fabric excellent stretch, so your swimsuit moves with you rather than restricting you. That's particularly important when reaching forward during a swimming stroke, exercising in an aqua class or simply getting your swimsuit on and off.

Bust support & hold

Bust support was one of our key considerations when choosing the new Halocline fabric. Simply making a fabric stretchy isn't enough. It needs to stretch comfortably around the bust and then provide enough resistance and recovery to support it.

This is where the balance between polyester and elastane matters most. The 18% elastane allows the outer fabric to comfortably accommodate different bust shapes and sizes, while its ability to recover after stretching creates a supportive, close-to-the-body fit. The high polyester content provides stability and helps prevent the fabric from feeling overly soft or yielding.

Our 92% recycled polyester / 8% elastane lining adds another layer of stability and support. Working together, the outer fabric and lining provide a firmer, more supportive structure than the outer fabric alone.

Of course, fabric is only one part of bust support. The swimsuit's cut, bust lining, cups, underbust construction, and straps all play their part. But choosing the right fabric gives those features the stable foundation they need to work effectively.

Shape retention

Combining a high proportion of polyester with elastane gives us polyester's stability while retaining the elastic recovery needed for a comfortable, close fit. Our new fabric was selected to provide improved support and longer-lasting shape retention compared with our previous fabric.

Comfort

A swimsuit can perform brilliantly on a laboratory test and still not be something you particularly want to wear. Comfort therefore remained essential to our decision. Halocline is designed for real bodies, with fabric that comfortably accommodates curves, busts, and different body proportions.

Why 18% elastane?

There is a trade-off. Elastane is more susceptible to chlorine than polyester. So, if our only objective were maximum possible chlorine resistance, we could use considerably less elastane - or potentially none at all.

But that would compromise some of the qualities that are particularly important to Halocline customers. We need the fabric to stretch comfortably over the body and bust, accommodate different body shapes and longer body lengths, and then recover to provide a close, supportive fit.

Bust support was particularly important in making this decision.

A very low-stretch polyester fabric can be exceptionally durable in chlorine, but it doesn't provide the same combination of comfortable stretch, body conformity and supportive elastic recovery that we wanted from Halocline.

Our 82% recycled polyester / 18% elastane blend is therefore a deliberate balance: a high proportion of chlorine-resistant polyester combined with enough elastane to provide the stretch, recovery, comfort and bust support our customers expect.

A swimsuit is more than its outer fabric

Something you don't normally see gets almost as much attention from us as the fabric: the lining.

Our new lining is 92% Recycled Polyester · 8% Elastane.

The lining performs a different job from the outer fabric, so we've chosen a different balance of fibres. With 92% recycled polyester, it provides a stable and durable internal structure, while 8% elastane gives it enough stretch to move comfortably with the outer fabric. Together, the outer fabric and lining create the supportive feel of the finished swimsuit.

What does 'shape retention' actually mean?

It's a phrase used frequently with performance fabrics, but it's quite simple. Imagine stretching a piece of fabric and releasing it. A fabric with good recovery quickly returns towards its original dimensions. A fabric with poor recovery remains slightly stretched.

Repeat that thousands of times - while swimming, dressing, washing and wearing the swimsuit - and the difference becomes noticeable.

·         fit closely around the body

·         support the bust

·         sit correctly around the legs

·         maintain its neckline

·         retain its overall shape

That's why we consider stretch and recovery together, rather than simply looking for the stretchiest possible material.

What about abrasion?

Chlorine isn't the only thing that can shorten a swimsuit's life. Abrasion simply means damage caused by rubbing.

The polyester content of our new fabric provides good durability, but even the best swimwear fabric can be damaged by repeated rubbing against rough surfaces. Pool edges, textured tiles, concrete surrounds and some poolside furniture can be surprisingly abrasive.

This is particularly noticeable on the bottom of a swimsuit because sitting or sliding across a rough pool edge concentrates friction in one small area. Where possible, avoid sliding across rough pool surrounds and sit on a towel rather than directly on textured surfaces.

Chlorine resistant doesn't mean chlorine indestructible

We think it's important to make this distinction. Our new fabric has been selected for improved chlorine resistance, but no stretch swimsuit should be treated as indestructible.

The polyester fibres themselves are extremely resistant to chlorine. The elastane that gives your swimsuit its wonderful stretch and recovery needs a little more care. After swimming, chlorine can remain within the fabric even once you've left the pool.

Rinse it thoroughly in fresh, cool water after every swim.

This helps remove residual chlorine before it has time to remain in contact with the fabric. Avoid wringing the swimsuit, excessive heat and tumble drying, and always follow the care instructions on the garment. A few minutes of care after swimming can make a real difference over the life of your swimsuit.

Why recycled polyester?

Performance came first when selecting the fabric - because a swimsuit that doesn't perform or needs replacing unnecessarily isn't a good outcome. But where we could combine the performance we wanted with recycled fibres, we did.

Both components of our new fabric use recycled polyester: 82% in the outer fabric and 92% in the lining. Recycled polyester retains the characteristics that make polyester so useful for swimwear while reducing our reliance on virgin polyester.

Designed around the way women actually swim

Some swimwear is designed primarily for competitive training. Other swimwear prioritises fashion and softness but isn't intended for frequent exposure to swimming pools.

Halocline sits deliberately between those two extremes.

We make swimwear for women who really swim but who don't necessarily want to look or feel as though they're wearing a competitive training costume.

You may swim lengths several times a week. You might attend aqua aerobics. You may swim for fitness, rehabilitation or simply because you love being in the water. And you still want your swimsuit to be flattering, supportive and comfortable.

That's the challenge we set ourselves when choosing our new fabric.

Performance without sacrificing comfort

No single fibre is perfect for swimwear. Increase one characteristic, and you can compromise another. More polyester can increase chlorine durability and stability but reduce stretch. More elastane can provide wonderful stretch and body conformity but increases the proportion of fibre susceptible to chlorine. Very firm fabrics can provide exceptional support but become uncomfortable. Very lightweight fabrics can feel beautifully soft but may offer less structure.

The key is finding the right balance.

82% recycled polyester - For durability, stability, chlorine resistance and shape.

18% elastane - For stretch, recovery, comfort and bust support.

92% recycled polyester lining - For a stable, durable, supportive internal foundation.

8% elastane lining - For comfortable movement without unnecessarily increasing the amount of stretch fibre.

The result is a fabric system built around what we believe matters most: chlorine resistance, bust support, shape retention, comfort, freedom of movement, and durability.

Not maximum performance in just one of them. A carefully considered balance of all six.

Made for swimming. Made for women.

We've always believed that practical swimwear doesn't have to look practical.

Our new recycled performance fabric is another step in that direction: combining the durability required for regular swimming with the stretch, bust support and comfort needed to create the flattering Halocline fit.

Because ultimately, the best swimsuit isn't simply the one with the strongest fibre. It's the one you feel comfortable and confident putting on, swim after swim.