REPREVEⓇ Fabric: Sustainable, Butter Soft, and Quick Drying!

The foundation of our sustainable future at LAYA Active starts with the fabric we choose to use. One of the things that’s been so exciting in this journey has been the research and learning involved to make the best choice for LAYA Active and what we’re up to. There is so much new technology emerging today, and it’s creating a path for a more sustainable future in athletic fashion. 

After doing our homework, we decided to use REPREVEⓇ fabric for all of our leggings and sports tops. What is REPREVEⓇ? Well keep reading and we’ll tell you all about how it’s made and how it’s changing the world of athletic wear and beyond! 

Let’s start with identifying one of the pain points here. Traditionally, the go-to fabric for athletic wear has been polyester for it’s lightweight feel, breathability, and sweat wicking properties. Polyester, however, is made from oil, which is a nonrenewable resource that is growing more scarce by the minute. Additionally, the production of polyester from oil produces a lot of nasty byproducts to the environment and communities around them like toxins and carcinogens. Yuck, no thank you! 

Enter a new alternative! REPREVEⓇ is a fiber created in 2007 by Unifi, a innovative textile company dedicated to sustainability and technology. How is it helping the environment? One major reason is that it’s made from water bottles! They collect thousands upon thousands of water bottles and put them through a cleaning and heating process to break down the polymers (little plastic bits) and transform them into soft, durable, moisture wicking fiber! 

Now, admittedly, that description is a simplified version of the technology they’re using, and you can get a more in depth understanding of it by checking out this video to see the full process in action. 

REPREVEⓇ is now used by many high performance brands that also have a passion for eco-friendly products like Patagonia, New Balance, and Prana… and of course, LAYA Active! They have been so successful in the production of REPREVEⓇ that so far they have recycled over 27 BILLION, with a B, water bottles. Check out the official REPREVEⓇ website here to find more brands that use them and to see the ticking counter of water bottles being repurposed.