As part of my series focusing on performance, this week I wanted to do a deep dive into our 4-way stretch fabric, which is quickly becoming a Client favorite. This spring, it has already found a firm place on the leaderboard as a go-to pant with a casual character and a clean look, making it easy to sell, easy to wear, and easy to care for.
The unique stretch character of this fabric is in its name, and in the fact that this fabric moves and stretches better than regular woven fabrics. Its knit-like construction gives it extra elasticity in any direction you wish to pull it. The return character of the knit holds its shape firmly, and the result is a fabric that moves with the body totally effortlessly whilst maintaining a certain clean appearance all day long. The other benefits of this weave are its breathability and wicking characteristics, which help immensely with coolness. Avoiding sweat isn’t always a pleasant thing to discuss, but it’s important for guys to know, especially for those who complain they run hot all the time.
One of the things I am loving about modern fabrics is that they can work across multiple categories. The 4-way stretch fabric is the perfect example, lending itself to multiple pant styles from 5-pockets and chinos to shorts. We are introducing this fabric quality it in our pull-on short this season for the perfect workout choice, or just a great weekend style that combines all those comfortable characteristics of athleisure and workout wear.
Another place that this fabric finds its home easily is on the golf course in our golf styles. Both our golf short and golf pant are perfect partners to this performance fabric, where its cool and stretchy character is absolutely needed under the heat of the golf season. It works perfectly with the movement of the body through all the swinging, putting, crouching and walking that the game requires.
It seems natural to extend the 4-way stretch fabric across the wide range of every pant style, and I particularly like how the new Chalk color way looks so clean and fresh. It reminds me of cricket whites that I saw at home in England last summer. The new Quarry is a paler grey color that looks equally fresh for spring, and is an easy go-to for pairing with the blues and greens in our SPORT COAT collection. I chose the new Blue Shadow color as another, lighter shade of blue that purposefully has a lot of grey in it to make it easy to coordinate. These new colors sit alongside our classics, or carryover as we call them, and I look forward to continuing to extend and add to this range as future seasons progress.
Completely new this season is that our 4-way stretch fabric is now available in suiting, which opens up a very affordable and youthful alternative for Clients in search of a more contemporary-looking suit. I particularly love it tailored with the deconstructed option, which I showed in some of the Key Looks. The deconstructed option enables the true comfort factor of this fabric to be spotlighted. When you add a half lining, the 4-way stretch sportcoat takes on a truly casual look, which I feel is the fabric’s natural “happy spot.”
I think if you want to tailor up a bit more with the soft construction option, the results will be a bit sharper and will look particularly clean as a navy or black suit. The pick stitch and the tailored details are all pulled from our regular suiting, and I love how they add sartorial character. Our suiting options, when combined with this ultra-modern fabric, are really unlike anything else in the custom-made menswear market.
