MICO AND DRYARN. A HIGH PERFORMANCE SECOND LAYER

The Dryarn technology, up until now hghly prized for the manufacturing of technical underwear thanks to this microfibre’s exceptional heat-regulating properties, is now going to be used in Mico Sport’s “second layer” collections. Mico Sport has designed a collection of high performance, innovative sweaters for mountain wear that can be found on sale at the best sportswear shops in Italy and Europe for the new Autumn/Winter 2011/2012 season, combining comfort, practicality, protection and reliability in a single garment. Mico Sport chose Dryarn because this fibre offers the same insulation qualities as wool, is uniquely lightweight and at the same time allows the perspiration from physical exercise to escape to the outside. Up until today, the only solution for protecting oneself from the cold was to wear as many layers of heavy clothes as possible. Up until a few years ago, wool was the only fibre really able to protect the body from the cold, however it had the drawback of absorbing perspiration and therefore of creating an unpleasant sensation of dampness and then of cold, especially if worn during intense physical exercise. Polyester pile then replaced wool as it offered highter performance but still less than Dryarn in terms of body heat comfort, lightness and quality. For the benefit of all sports practitioners, mico is designing sweaters that can be worn directly against the skin or over a very lightweight undergarment (which should ideally be in dryarn). Dryarn® is the lightest fibre existing on the market today and, thanks to its low specific weight, enables the manufacture of extremely heat-insulating but very lightweight garments, far lighter than similar garments made in other fibres. A garment made in Dryarn® can weight 32% less than the same garment made in wool and 34% less than an equivalent garment in polyester. This lightness of weight combined with its heat insulation capacity, higher than that of wool, meas that wearers of Dryarn® need to wear fewer layers of clothes and much lighter undergarments, thus guaranteeing greater freedom of movement. Another significant advantage of the MICO sweaters is their ease of maintenance and durability. In fact, Dryarn is a very stable and easy-care fibre. It can be machine-washed, dries quickly and does not require ironing, and this ease of maintenance is combined with the fibre’s hard wearing qualities so that it still look brand new even after repeated washing.