Summer with the Selvedge Archives: Flexible Friend

If you ever watched the 80s American TV show Fame, you’ll remember the highs and lows of being a student of the performing arts – and you’ll also know a thing or two about Lycra. Lydia, Bruno, Coco and the other heroes of the New York City High School for the Performing Arts spent their lives in skin-tight leggings and garishly coloured leotards made from it. Along with aerobics, jogging and the fashion for looking at all times as if you were just about to go to a jazz class at Pineapple Dance Studios, it summed up the sportswear-obsessed 80s. More importantly, it was one of the most radical inventions in textile history.

The discovery of Lycra, and of stretch fabrics generally, ‘was without a doubt the most significant development in twentieth century textiles,’ says textile historian Mary Schoeser. ‘You couldn’t imagine today’s fabrics without it. The body beautiful, Jennifer Lopez look exists in both couture and high street fashion, and tight clothing is an essential part of it. Before Lycra or elastane came along, haute couture was the only route to having a tailored fit. Lycra democratised all that. Whatever fabric it’s mixed with, it hangs on your body as if it has been personally made for you.’ An elastane yarn made from petrochemicals, Lycra is lighter than rubber thread and does not degenerate with exposure to body oils, perspiration, lotions or detergents. It can be thrown in the machine without losing its shape, it doesn’t rub the skin and it stretches to six times its length. The downsides? If you ignore that fact that Lycra is currently off planet fashion’s immediate radar, what with our obsession for all things floaty, draping, decorated and layered, then there aren’t any. It still appears in everything from Marks & Spencer tracksuits, Calvin Klein undies and Jaeger woollen suits to Levi jeans – and even Porsche sunroofs. Says Schoeser: ‘Just because it’s not fashionable like it was in the 80s doesn’t mean it’s not used. In fact, the opposite is true. One fifth of all garments are knitted and Lycra is incorporated to provide a buoyancy that stops them sagging. It’s still a very important element in textile design.’..

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