Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers composed of polyamides (repeating units linked by amide links).

Trade Names

Lycra brand To distinguish its brand of spandex fiber, DuPont chose the trade name Lycra (originally called Fiber K). This popularized the brand as essential athletic wear because of its flexible and lightweight material.

Lycra is a brand name for elastane, which is a highly elastic synthetic fabric. Unlike many other types of synthetic fabrics, Lycra is highly resistant to heat, and it was quickly recognized as an excellent addition to heat-sensitive synthetics like polyester and nylon.

A synthetic material, nylon isn’t anything but a cool fabric to weather in the summer as it’s specifically designed to repel water.

DISADVANTAGES: Sticks to your body, doesn’t allow your skin to breathe easily, and is sensitive to heat. You can hand or machine wash spandex garments using warm water. Tumble dry on low temperature setting.

Spandex fabrics are mostly used in garments where comfort and fit both are required like hosiery, swimsuits, exercise wear, socks, surgical hose, undergarments, gloves, cycling shorts, wrestling suits, rowing suits, specialized clothing like zentai suits, motion capture suits, denims, etc.

Properties of Nylon

• Dense molecular structure.
• Extremely elastic.
• Resilient and durable.
• Abrasion-resistant.
• Water-resistant.
• Resistant to stains, UV rays, heat, and chemicals.
• Resistant to mould and mildew.
• Dries quickly.

Nylon is used for a variety of applications, including clothing, reinforcement in rubber material like car tires, for use as a rope or thread, and for many injection molded parts for vehicles and mechanical equipment.