A fabric has enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing. The fabric can be denim for denim apparel such as jeans. Software and lasers are used to finish apparel made of the fabric to produce a desired wear or distressing pattern or other design. The fabric allows for relatively fast color change in response to the laser, color changes in hue from indigo blue to white, many grayscale levels, and maintains strength and stretch properties. A method used to make the fabric includes spinning, dyeing, and weaving yarns in such a way to obtain the desired enhanced response characteristics for laser finishing.

An article of manufacture for providing a wearable face and hand proximity detector is disclosed. The article includes a bracelet to be worn on a user's wrist and a necklace to be worn around the user's neck. One of these devices includes a signal transmitter that may be received by a receiver element in the other device. The received signal being detected provides an indication that the user's hand is nearing the user's face. When the signal is detected, an alarm is generated. The alarm may be an auditory signal or a physical vibration that may be felt by the user.

Apparel for monitoring optimal body shell temperature during physical activity. The apparel uses thermochromic dyes and thermochromic inks to indicate changes in body shell temperature as physical activity commences and progresses. The thermochromic dyes and inks reveal when the body shell temperature has reached a temperature indicating optimal muscle performance, and inform the wearer of the apparel whether to increase or decrease the intensity of the physical activity to establish or maintain the optimal body shell temperature.

Articles of wear having one or more textiles that include a low processing temperature polymeric composition and a high processing temperature polymeric composition, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The low processing temperature polymeric composition and the high processing temperature polymeric composition can be selectively incorporated into a textile to provide one or more structural properties and/or other advantageous properties to the article. The textile can be thermoformed to impart such structural and/or other advantageous properties to the article of wear. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Articles of wear having one or more textiles that include a low processing temperature polymeric composition and a high processing temperature polymeric composition, and methods of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The low processing temperature polymeric composition and the high processing temperature polymeric composition can be selectively incorporated into a textile to provide one or more structural properties and/or other advantageous properties to the article. The textile can be thermoformed to impart such structural and/or other advantageous properties to the article of wear. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present disclosure.

Protective garments are disclosed having an inner lining with high lubricity and high strength characteristics. The inner lining, in one embodiment, contains spun yarns combined with para-aramid multifilament yarns. The spun yarns may also contain flame resistant fibers, such as meta-aramid fibers, FR cellulose fibers, or mixtures thereof. The para-aramid filament yarns provide excellent strength characteristics to the fabric. In addition, in some embodiments, the multifilament yarns may enhance the fire resistant properties of the fabric. In one embodiment, the para-aramid filament yarns may have less than five twists per inch, such as from about 1 twist per inch to about four twists per inch.

An upper for an article of footwear, the upper including a base layer defining a least a portion of the upper and polymer threads stitched to the base layer. The polymer threads may include a core composed of a first material and a coating composed of a second material, where the melting point of the first material is higher than the melting point of the second material. The polymer threads may be bonded to the base layer by the coating of the polymer threads. The polymer threads may include one or more polymer thread sets stitched in pattern(s) on area(s) of an outer surface of the base layer to provide targeted characteristics to area(s) on the upper. In some embodiments, the polymer threads may be bonded to the base layer with heat and/or pressure.

A system and a method for an energy harvesting and storage apparatus including a flexible substrate, an energy harvesting device disposed on the flexible substrate, the energy harvesting device is configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, an energy storage device disposed on the flexible substrate and in electrical communication with the energy harvesting device and configured to receive and store the electrical energy from the energy harvesting device.

A system and a method for an energy harvesting and storage apparatus including a flexible substrate, an energy harvesting device disposed on the flexible substrate, the energy harvesting device is configured to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, an energy storage device disposed on the flexible substrate and in electrical communication with the energy harvesting device and configured to receive and store the electrical energy from the energy harvesting device.

An article of apparel is disclosed that includes zones with a textile having a structure than changes or is otherwise modified by a physical stimulus, such as the presence of water or a temperature change, to modify a property of the textile. The zones may be along a center back area and/or side areas of the apparel, and the textile may increase in air permeability when exposed to water. In some embodiments, slits are formed in the textile.