1. Spandex-covered yarn garments highlight the beauty of the human body’s curves.

The use of spandex yarn in apparel first emerged in the three cuffs—neckline, cuffs, and leg openings—of knitted underwear. Previously, knitted underwear was mostly made from pure cotton; after washing, its elasticity would fade, causing the cuffs to lose their shape and becoming neither warm nor aesthetically pleasing. Since the introduction of spandex, knitted underwear cuffs have adopted a weaving technique that incorporates bare spandex yarn directly into the fabric, significantly enhancing the elasticity of these cuffs. Typically, cotton-spandex, linen-spandex, and wool-spandex blends are used. As a result, fabrics containing spandex have become increasingly common and are now widely applied in elastic underwear, competition wear, bodybuilding apparel, and other garments. However, when bare spandex yarn is fed into the fabric, it is usually introduced via the weft direction. Consequently, most spandex-containing fabrics exhibit excellent elasticity in the weft direction but not as much in the warp direction, which can sometimes lead to reduced body-hugging comfort. With the advent of core-spun yarn technology, the bidirectional elasticity of garment fabrics has greatly improved. Garments made from such fabrics not only accentuate the natural curves of the human body—especially those of women who value beauty—but also offer exceptional comfort, elegance, and style. Currently, these fabrics are primarily used for high-end men’s and women’s underwear, bodybuilding apparel, sportswear, competition attire, and casual wear, with promising growth prospects that are set to further elevate people’s fashion standards. As for nylon-spandex and polyester-spandex core-spun yarn fabrics, they boast even better elasticity, superior abrasion resistance, and vivid colorfastness. They also exhibit strong resistance to washing and sunlight exposure, making them exceptionally durable. These fabrics are ideal for producing swimwear, competition uniforms, training gear, athletic wear, practice attire, cycling apparel, and other types of sportswear. Today, both globally renowned brands and other clothing manufacturers alike regard these fabrics as their top choice for producing sportswear collections, and their products are now sold worldwide.

2. Spandex-silk core-spun yarn woven into a moisture-wicking and sweat-absorbing fabric.

Thanks to silk’s excellent hand feel, high breathability, and strong moisture absorption, combined with spandex’s remarkable elasticity, garments made from core-spun yarn fabrics boast a very high product quality. This fabric has become the top choice for today’s fashion-conscious women. It offers exceptional wearing comfort, a smooth and silky hand feel that is gentle on the skin, superior breathability, outstanding sweat-wicking properties, and excellent moisture absorption—all while beautifully accentuating the natural curves of the modern woman’s figure. In particular, it provides an ideal fabric for summer clothing. As such, it will remain a key focus for current and future production and development efforts. In the United States today, there is a huge demand for core-spun yarns with spandex as the core, especially for sportswear designed for exercise. China, as a populous developing country, has been experiencing rapid growth in recent years. With the continuous improvement of people’s living standards, more and more individuals are joining the ranks of those who exercise and pursue physical fitness. Consequently, the demand for core-spun yarns will only continue to rise, and its development prospects are extremely promising. Overall, core-spun yarn products have an incredibly wide range of applications, greatly enriching people’s daily lives and enabling them to dress in more vibrant, colorful, beautiful, and comfortable ways. Moreover, these products are rapidly moving toward higher-end markets. We believe that in the near future, core-spun yarns will undoubtedly further enhance and beautify modern life.

3. Application of spandex-covered yarn in sock manufacturing

Core-spun yarn leverages the excellent elasticity and resilience of spandex, combined with the inherent advantages of other chemical fibers and natural fibers, thus retaining spandex’s original strengths while addressing its shortcomings. As a result, core-spun yarn boasts extremely promising development prospects. In the hosiery industry, spandex is used in the following ways: (1) Nylon-spandex core-spun yarn—currently, on the hosiery market, nylon-spandex core-spun yarn is the dominant type. It mainly includes traditional formal socks for men, women, and children, comfortable socks, athletic socks, and the increasingly popular ultra-thin, sheer socks. Among these, the largest segment comprises modern women’s stockings and pantyhose, as well as figure-shaping and hip-lifting socks that are particularly favored by fashion-conscious women, along with ultra-thin, sheer socks. All these products are made from core-spun yarns that organically combine spandex’s excellent elasticity with nylon’s high strength and abrasion resistance. These products enjoy strong sales and have very promising prospects, significantly boosting the development of nylon-spandex core-spun yarns. (2) Polyester-spandex core-spun yarn—due to its relatively low cost and durability, it still maintains a certain market presence. Currently, most of this yarn is used to produce simple, easy-to-wear socks, primarily in short and medium lengths, with lower product quality. Because polyester is difficult to dye and has poor moisture absorption, breathability, and abrasion resistance, its development has been limited. To further develop this type of yarn, it is necessary to improve polyester’s inherent wearing properties. (3) Cotton-spandex core-spun yarn—used to manufacture higher-end cotton socks. This yarn combines the excellent breathability, moisture absorption, and comfort of pure cotton fabrics with outstanding elasticity. However, its development rate is somewhat constrained by production costs and durability; moreover, its colorfastness to washing and sunlight exposure is relatively poor. With continuous improvements in manufacturing technology, higher-quality cotton-spandex core-spun socks will keep appearing on the market, steadily meeting consumers’ demands for both comfort and high-end style. (4) Wool-spandex core-spun yarn—along with rising living standards, people’s clothing preferences are increasingly trending toward higher-end products. The pursuit of high-end quality, comfort, and warmth has become a fashion trend, providing excellent opportunities and favorable conditions for the emergence and development of wool-spandex core-spun yarns. As a result, warm, breathable, moisture-wicking, and highly elastic wool socks made from wool-spandex core-spun yarn have been developed, and these products hold broad development potential. Two to three years ago, due to the high price of spandex filament, its usage in nylon stockings was minimal; nylon stockings relied more on changes in color and pattern to stay fresh and innovative. However, with the substantial drop in spandex prices in recent years, its use in nylon stockings has become increasingly widespread—especially in women’s stockings, where spandex has now become almost ubiquitous, and spandex-core stockings have begun to win consumer favor. Meeting consumers’ demand for comfort, the use of spandex-core yarn may expand to include entire sock bodies and pairs of matching socks, while avoiding the challenges posed by polyester stockings.

4. The proportion of spandex used in fabrics is steadily increasing.

In the early days, spandex was used primarily in swimwear, certain types of underwear, socks, ribbed cuffs, and some sportswear. However, in recent years, with rising living standards, shifting consumer trends, and advancements in spandex application technologies—such as core-spun yarns, knitting, and weaving—spandex usage has expanded rapidly across a wider range of products and applications. Spandex-based textiles have now become globally recognized fashion consumer goods. On one hand, new applications continue to emerge, including casual wear, children’s clothing, men’s apparel, wool sweaters, mid- to high-end outerwear fabrics, women’s spring and autumn wear, and medical products. On the other hand, the proportion of traditional products—such as socks, underwear, and sportswear—that incorporate spandex has significantly increased. Take China as an example: in the past, only a small fraction of T-shirts and underwear contained spandex; nowadays, most such products include spandex. Similarly, spandex has become widely adopted in outerwear, where stretch fabrics are now increasingly popular. In the sock industry, too, spandex is now commonly used. At the same time, the proportion of similar products containing spandex is also on the rise. Thus, spandex use has expanded both horizontally and vertically, and it can be said that spandex has become ubiquitous in clothing and apparel products.