Invista, owner of Lyrca brand, is celebrating the 60th anniversary of fiber, the original spandex fiber that revolutionized the fashion industry, with a donation to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
At last report, Invista operates a nylon plant in Seaford with a few dozen employees and a apparel administrative and research operations in northern Delaware
Joseph C. Shivers, a DuPont chemist, invented the fiber. Sixty years later, Shivers was recognized for his invention by the National Inventors Hall of Fame, where he was posthumously inducted into the Class of 2018.
“This is an exciting year for the Lycra brand as we pause to look back at how far we’ve come and look forward towards a bright future filled with innovative products designed to improve fabric performance,” said Dave Trerotola, president, Invista Apparel. “Throughout 2018, we will be developing engaging content for our media channels that celebrates our brand’s rich heritage.”
Originally invented to replace rubber threads that caused ladies’ foundation garments to lose their shape and fit over time, and made them hot and uncomfortable to wear, Lycra fiber outperformed the natural fiber it replaced by adding lasting comfort, fit and the ability to move freely.
The nearly invisible fiber can be found in virtually every apparel segment, including lingerie, underwear, denim, activewear, hosiery, socks, swimwear, and ready-to-wear apparel. It has also been the catalyst for the development of new multi-billion-dollar segments across shapewear, stretch denim and other apparel.
Lycra has since evolved into a portfolio of over 200 differentiated fibers.
Lycra was part of the sale of the nylon business in 2003 by DuPont to Invista, a part of the Koch Industries conglomerate. Over the years, Lycra has faced growing global competition, with DuPont focusing on fibers that do not use petroleum products.
Worldwide sales of Spandex, a family of fibers that include Lycra total about $4 billion.
Last year, Invista announced plans to sell Lycra and associated brands to a Chinese company for $2 billion.
