Stretchiness, durability, and nice texture – Oakley, the company that places importance on functionality has been using Solotex® for 15 years.

Established in 1975, Oakley is a sports performance equipment and lifestyle brand headquartered in California, USA.

While showing its unique presence in the sports industry with high-performance eyewear that puts eye protection in any situation first, this company entered the markets for apparel, footwear, and watches at full scale in 1998 and established a solid position as a brand that does not compromise performance.

Oakley, which is well known for high functionality, has used Solotex^® as a key material for various items on a continuous basis for more than 15 years. Why do they continue to use Solotex^® across many brand categories? We interviewed Mr. Suzuki and Mr. Furukawa, who handle Oakley products at Luxottica Japan Co., Ltd., to hear their story.

Oakley is very popular among a wide range of people due to its high functionality. Please describe your commitment to materials and other factors.

Oakley is engaged in manufacturing based on material, which is considered the most essential factor in creating sportswear.

In deciding on the material, we select the best after considering all the elements of functionality, design, and pricing of products, and at the same time, we make an effort to maximize performance by incorporating patterns and details that are suitable for the properties.

Oakley uses Solotex^® in many categories. When did you begin and how did you come to use it?

We began to use Solotex^® in 2007 for golf wear where stretchiness is essential.

Not only golf wear but traditional sportswear often used polyurethane, but it had the major disadvantage of deteriorating easily. We explored ways to elasticate fabric without using polyurethane through repeated trial and error, and we found Solotex^®. We were attracted to its stretchiness and durability as well as its nice texture.

In 2011, we adopted Solotex^® for the workout wear category and then expanded the use of this material to jackets and pants in the lifestyle category capitalizing on the fashionable quality of the texture.

Please tell us what you particularly consider or focus on when designing golf wear.

The concept of Oakley’s golf wear is “Break from Tradition.” Since golf is a traditional sport, we really take care to make distinctive golf apparel.

Though the silhouette is often tight and slim, we pursue uniquely elaborate designs so as not to interfere with movement when playing golf, including the use of 3D patterns that focus on body movement and the elimination of seams.

By using stretchy, highly functional fabrics like Solotex^®, we would like to continue to offer stylish, more comfortable golf apparel.

Please introduce products using Solotex^® to us.

First, we will introduce items from the White Line collection for high-end golf apparel. This is the Skull Synchronism Hoody Jacket 2.0, which pursues the ultimate comfort of synchronization with the body, especially for golf.

Since the four-way stretch Solotex^® used for this is light in weight, soft in texture, and water repellent, it reduces any unpleasant feeling when playing golf, and at the same time, it is highly fashionable in terms of textural quality. This item works all year round.

Seams are reduced as much as possible by adopting pressure bonding for the sides, the bottoms of the sleeves, and the armholes on the back, and the 3D silhouette made by three-dimensional cutting is slim but allows easy movement, enabling high performance.

The redesigned hood prevents flapping when playing golf because it can be zipped all the way up for a stylish appearance. The white lines placed in many places offer not only reinforcement but also an adult sporty look. Wearing this hoodie jacket with pants made of the same material enables users to enjoy a stylish coordinated look.

Next, we will look at the Enhance Multi Tapered Pants 2.7 from the Active Lifestyle collection that is designed for a wide range of occasions from business to light sports activities.

The material of these pants combines sweat-absorbent and quick-drying Calculo^® with Solotex^®. Since the material absorbs sweat quickly owing to the water-absorbing capability, it is always comfortable and dry to the touch.

The lineup of the three Straight, Tapered, and Wide silhouettes enables a variety of coordinates. With a center crease, users can put them on for a stylish look and work comfortably in business settings.

Using the same material for the Enhance Multi LS Outer Shirt 1.0 from the Active Lifestyle collection.

This shirt is stretchy and dry to the touch. Though designed as an authentic shirt, this one has pockets on each side, so it is comfortable for both on- and off-duty use.

Following the recent social trend, we tailored this item to the needs of greatly increasing customers who want to bring the comfort of sportswear into business settings.

The Active Lifestyle collection is very useful in business settings and remote work. Next is the Oakley-NeoStandard collection that develops the future standard.

This is the RS Shell Consistent L/S Shirt, an innovative stretch shirt designed in pursuit of synchronization with the body, called Radskin, which means the best skin. This four-way stretch fabric is soft in texture and light in weight, which provides a very elegant look with comfort.

With irregular patterns adopted for the sleeves: set-in sleeves on the front and raglan sleeves on the back, this shirt is very easy to move in. In addition, it has many functions despite the simple look, including the longer hem inspired by a commuter style, a larger pocket designed as an eyewear holder, and the reflector logo on the front and back.

This is the Skull Z-3D 9/10^TH Tapered 14.0, tapered pants that achieved four-way stretch along with a sweat-absorbent and quick-dry function by dobby-woven Solotex^®.

Though these pants look normal, they use unique parts on the inner thighs to enable a wider range of movement. Silicon tape is applied to the entire reverse side of the belt, and the pocket pieces use a functional material that keeps the skin dry so that the pants can be worn comfortably.

The pants also have golf-specific features, such as a ball pocket, a tee holder, and a coin pocket where users can store markers, for playing golf in a smart manner.

You have offered products using Solotex^® for 15 years; how have the responses from customers and staff members changed?

When we began using the material, we had to explain Solotex^® to our customers, saying, “This is a material called Solotex^®,” but now, customers who see tags often identify it, saying “This is Solotex®, isn’t it?” Among customers who truly understand the advantage, there are many regular ones who say, “I will buy it because it is made of Solotex^®.”

In what form will you want to use Solotex^® in the future?

We want to use Solotex^® blended with natural fibers, such as cotton.

We are interested in blending Solotex^® with fibrous materials that offer different properties. We would like to try making products that aim at a synergy effect gained by blending Solotex^® with, for example, a finely woven windproof material or a fabric used for a flight jacket.

In addition, if highly stretchy inner cotton or boa blended with Solotex^® were to become available, we would like to use it for insulation and outer layers.

Satisfying both good textural quality and functionality, Solotex^® is a very fascinating material. We look forward to the future potential of this material, too.