Full. Circle.

A Black Sheep guide to fully fashioned garments.

By Black Sheep Cycling

December 13^th, 2016

Seamless sportswear has been available to the consumer for a numbers of years, with its use often being limited by a lack of manufacturing knowledge on how its use can benefit athletes. In the eyes of us at Black Sheep, this is much more than just a gimmick that proclaims to reduce chafing. Seamless garments and the process of fully fashioned, circular-knit or seamless manufacturing methods are enabling us to provide cyclists with a level of technical sportswear they could never have dreamed.

Seamless garments and the process of fully fashioned manufacturing is enabling us to provide cyclists with a level of technical sportswear they could never have dreamed.

Fully fashioned manufacturing refers to the process of a single and continuous knitting process that eliminates the side seams of the garment. The actual process of knitting the fabric is also the process of creating the garment. This is in stark contrast to what we use throughout the production of our LIMITED., ESSENTIALS. and the vast majority of our ELEMENTS. products. Here we use an intricate arrangement of pre-knitted and woven fabrics, brought together through an equally intricate network of flat locked and overlocked seams. We can go deeper but you’ll probably fall asleep.

The actual process of knitting the fabric is also the process of creating the garment.

This is not a matter of out with the old, in with the new. Until we are proven otherwise, there remains a great need for panelled sportswear with seams. It allows us to use multiple different fabrics in specific regions determined by body physiology, aerodynamics, abrasion from abusive athletes. Conversely, our use of seamless fully fashioned manufacturing is specific to just our ELEMENTS. Undergarments. Our goals were simple; comfort and softness, freedom of movement, and ventilation. Undergarments need to be treated the same way underwear design. We are dealing with the same subject; super-soft skin that is often subjected to ongoing rubbing, and high body temperatures.

Undergarments need to be treated the same way underwear design is treated. We are dealing with the same subject; super-soft skin that is often subjected to ongoing rubbing, and high body temperatures.

We have used an extremely fine and soft 100 percent polyester yarn. This provides our goal of comfort and softness, whilst also inherently providing significant elasticity for optimum fit. It’s this elasticity of fibres that also helps us achieve our second objective of freedom of movement. Cyclist hate nothing more that to have impaired shoulder rotation, or an undergarment that restricts their breathing. Finally, each undergarment is an intricate mesh matrix for unrestricted ventilation, something only possible when using fully fashioned method of production. By creating this arrangement of fibres we are providing a moisture management pathway for sweat to move from skin to the environment, and a small but vital thermal barrier that can respond to both heat and cold. This is the art of an undergarment where the very best are ones you want to wear in both summer and winter.

"Each undergarment is an intricate mesh matrix for unrestricted ventilation, something only possible when using fully fashioned production".

We treat all of this stuff really importantly. We want you to be informed and excited about the garments we create. We pride ourselves with pushing the boundaries of garment innovation and are not scared of putting down the science of what we do for everyone, including our competitors to see. It’s what we do next they should be scared of!