Whatever happened to reflective fabric?
11-21-12, 10:30 AM
#1
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Whatever happened to reflective fabric?
Does anyone else remember back in the late 1980s early 90s a company came out with a fabric that had reflective fibers woven into it? They were selling all kinds of clothing for runners and other pedestrians who might be out in the dark. In daylight the reflective fibers kind of disappeared into the weave of the fabric allowing them to make the clothing in darker colors, but when hit with headlights or other point sources at night the entire garment kind of glowed. I wasn't a rider at the time and didn't have much need for such a garment but I thought about them yesterday and Googled "reflective garments", "reflective fabric", and a few other variations with no luck. Lots of traditional Hi-Viz and reflective printing or detailing, but no reference to anything that sounds like the reflective running clothes I remember. The closest I came was a Chinese import/export company that sold bulk fabric that was "reflective" but had a very poor description and appeared to come in only bright colors.
Did the company making this product go under or does anyone know what it is called if they are still in business?
It would be kind of nice to have a jacket, jersey, vest, etc. that looked normal indoors or in sunlight but glowed in the headlights of an oncoming car.
Did the company making this product go under or does anyone know what it is called if they are still in business?
It would be kind of nice to have a jacket, jersey, vest, etc. that looked normal indoors or in sunlight but glowed in the headlights of an oncoming car.
11-21-12, 11:01 AM
#2
incazzare.
It's all still out there. Look at sites selling equipment for runners. You will find lots of jackets and other things with reflective patches.
Try here:
https://www.runningwarehouse.com/
Here's a good example of a garment:
https://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageMRA-NMFV.html
Try here:
https://www.runningwarehouse.com/
Here's a good example of a garment:
https://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpageMRA-NMFV.html
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11-21-12, 11:01 AM
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Does anyone else remember back in the late 1980s early 90s a company came out with a fabric that had reflective fibers woven into it? They were selling all kinds of clothing for runners and other pedestrians who might be out in the dark. In daylight the reflective fibers kind of disappeared into the weave of the fabric allowing them to make the clothing in darker colors, but when hit with headlights or other point sources at night the entire garment kind of glowed.
11-21-12, 03:16 PM
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Yup, Illuminite.
Purchased a cycling jacket (yellow) about 8-9 yrs. ago, the yellow jacket would reflect white at night.
The riding experience was in a word "steamy" ( breathability left something to be desired ).
At the time I purchased the jacket they were using near microscopic glass beads (half silvered) as the reflecting technology. This I believe inhibited the breathability of the fabric.
Purchased a cycling jacket (yellow) about 8-9 yrs. ago, the yellow jacket would reflect white at night.
The riding experience was in a word "steamy" ( breathability left something to be desired ).
At the time I purchased the jacket they were using near microscopic glass beads (half silvered) as the reflecting technology. This I believe inhibited the breathability of the fabric.
