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History

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Invention

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Spandex Fiber.

Dupont textiles scientist Joseph C. Shivers was determined to find a fiber to replace rubber in garments. However, he made a breakthrough in the early 1950s when he used an intermediate substance to modify Dacron polyester.[1] This modification produced a stretchy fiber that could withstand high temperatures. After nearly a decade of research the fiber was perfected in 1959. Originally called Fiber K, DuPont chose the more rich trade name Lycra to distinguish its brand of Spandex fiber.[2]

Joseph C. Shivers

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Joseph Clois Shivers Jr. was born on November 29, 1920 in Marlton, New Jersey. Shivers received a BS with Honors in 1942, a MA in 1943, and a PhD in organic chemistry in 1946 from Duke University.[1] During his time as a student, the world was engaged in World War II overseas. In part he contributed to the war effort by working with the United States government to develop a drug to counter malaria for troops fighting the war abroad.[3] He began his career in Textiles Fiber Department at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia in 1946. Initially, he was tasked to work on a project to develop synthetic elastomer to replace rubber, then the mainstay of foundation garments.[1] The project was unsuccessful and was later shelved in 1950. Shivers's invention of Spandex elevated his accreditation as a chemist and earned him a promotion to supervisor of DuPont Laboratory.

Achievements/Awards

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In 1998, the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists awarded Joseph Shivers the notable Olney Medal for Achievement in Textile Chemistry for his work by. The Olney Medal signifies outstanding achievement in textile chemistry, or in polymer or other fields of chemistry that are of major importance to textile sciences and fibrous materials.[4] Shivers was the 55th person to be awarded the Olney Medal For Achievement. He was presented the medal on September 23, 1998 in Philadelphia, PA and his address was titled, "The Search for a Superior Elastic Fiber".[1][3] Another award he received was the DuPont's Lavoisier Medal for technical achievement in 1995. He was awarded this honor for the part he played in expanding and changing the fiber industry forever. The gold medallion is the company's highest honor for scientists and engineers.[1] Shivers prestigious awards for extraordinary achievement have resulted in significant business deals and a lifelong impact on the fabric industry. In 2004, DuPont sold Lyra to Koch Industries for $4.4 billion and the Spandex market is estimated to surpass $5 billion by 2020.[5]

Role in Fashion

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French Ski team (2010) wearing Spandex.

In the post World War II era, DuPont Textiles Fibers Department, which was formed in 1952, became its most popular division, dominating the synthetic fiber market worldwide.[6] At this time, women began to emerge as a significant group of consumers due to their need for underwear and hosiery.[6] DuPont conducted market research to find out what women wanted from textiles, then began developing fibers to meet their needs. The "need" was a better fiber solution for women's girdles, which were commonly made of rubber at the time. DuPont became interested in developing a synthetic elastic fiber in the 1930s, which was perfected by chemist Joseph Shivers in 1959. Spandex's transformative nature allowed it to be incorporated into other garments besides girdles and undergarments. DuPont launched an extensive publicity campaign for its Lycra brand, taking advertisements and full-page ads in top women's magazines such as Vogue, Glamour, Harper Bazaar, Mademoiselle, McCalls, Ladies Home Journal, and Good Housekeeping.[6] Fashion's original style icon, Audrey Hepburn helped catapult the brand on and off-screen in the late 50's; models and actress like Joan Collins and Anne-Margret followed Hepburns aesthetic by posing in Lycra clothing for photo shoots and magazine covers.[7]

By the mid-1970s, girdle sales began to drop with the emergence of the Women's Liberation Movement. Girdles came to be associated with anti-independence and emblematic of an era that was quickly passing away.[6] DuPont was not ready to abandon a market that they were significantly reliant on. In response, DuPont reimagined Lycra as the aerobic fitness movement emerged in the 1970s.[6] This expansion furthered at the 1968 Winter Olympic Games when the French ski team wore Lycra garments to compete.[8] This popularized the brand as essential athletic wear because of its flexible and lightweight material. The fiber proved to be especially popular in mid-thigh-length shorts worn by cyclists.[8] By the 1980s, the fitness trend had reached its height in popularity and fashionistas began wearing shorts on the street.[9] Spandex proved such a popular fiber in the garment industry that by 1987 DuPont had trouble meeting worldwide demand. In the 1990s a variety of other items made with Spandex proved popular, including a successful line of body-shaping foundation garments sold under the trade name Bodyslimmers. As the decade progressed, shirts, pants, dresses, and even shoes were being made with spandex blends, and mass-market retailers like Banana Republic were using it for menswear.[9]

Major Spandex Fiber Uses

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The elasticity and strength (stretching up to five times its length), of spandex has been incorporated into a wide range of garments, especially in skin-tight garments. A benefit of spandex is its significant strength and elasticity and its ability to return to the original shape after stretching and faster drying than ordinary fabrics. For clothing, Spandex is usually mixed with cotton or polyester, and accounts for a small percentage of the final fabric, which therefore retains most of the look and feel of the other fibers. In North America it is rare in men's clothing, but prevalent in women's. An estimated 80% of clothing sold in the United States contained spandex in 2010.[10]

The types of garments which incorporate Spandex include:

  1. ^ a b c d e "Wayback Machine" (PDF). 2013-12-03. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  2. ^ "WHAT'S THAT STUFF? - SPANDEX". pubs.acs.org. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  3. ^ a b "Joseph Shivers", Wikipedia, 2018-11-11, retrieved 2018-11-26
  4. ^ "Olney Medal - AATCC Online". AATCC Online. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  5. ^ "Joseph C. Shivers Jr. | The National Inventors Hall of Fame". www.invent.org. Retrieved 2018-11-26.
  6. ^ a b c d e O’Connor, Kaori. "The Body and the Brand: How Lycra Shaped America." In Producing Fashion: Commerce, Culture, and Consumers, edited by Blaszczyk Regina Lee, 207-28. University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt3fhbbd.13.
  7. ^ "What Came First: The Yoga Pant Or The Skinny Jean?". Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  8. ^ a b The Sydney Morning Herald (2016-06-30), Lycra: a brief history, retrieved 2018-11-29
  9. ^ a b "Spandex - Fashion, Costume, and Culture: Clothing, Headwear, Body Decorations, and Footwear through the Ages". www.fashionencyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2018-11-29.
  10. ^ "Spandex Stretches To Meet U.S. Waistlines". NPR.org. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
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