Articles and methods of using and making adaptive garment portions are provided. An adaptive garment portion is one that has shifting surfaces with apertures that shift from an aligned to an offset orientation depending on environmental conditions/stimuli. For example, a first surface material and a second surface material may be coupled by a responsive material portion. The responsive material portion may physically change in response to a change in environmental conditions internal or external to the garment (e.g., thermal energy, moisture) and/or stimuli (e.g., light energy, electrical energy, magnetic fields). The physical change in the responsive material portion facilitates the planar shift of the first surface material relative to the second surface material.

A dynamic vent-slit structure for a lower body article of apparel is provided. The article includes a pelvic portion for covering a pelvic area of a wearer when the article is in an as-worn position, and a plurality of slits in a repeating fashion, wherein a spacing between two adjacent slits in linear alignment is less than a length of a slit in non-linear alignment with the two slits and that is offset from the two slits such that the slit in non-linear alignment overlies the spacing between the slits in linear alignment, and the slit in non-linear alignment is parallel to the slits in linear alignment. The slits may be positioned in one or more groupings or aligned in different directions to open in response to different directions of stretch or movement, to provide dynamic or motion activated venting in the article.

An article or garment comprising a micro hook-and-loop closure system is provided herein. The article comprises at least one extremity-covering portion. The distal end of the extremity-covering portion comprises a first textile at an outer-facing surface and a second textile at an inner-facing surface. The second textile includes micro hook or micro loop materials that releasably mate with complementary micro hook or micro loop materials of the first textile in order to place the micro hook-and-loop closure system in a closed configuration. The placement, size, and shape of each of the first and second textiles, as extending from a distal end toward a proximal end of the article, enable the article or garment to be expediently and comfortably donned and doffed.

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.

An article or garment comprising a micro hook-and-loop closure system is provided herein. The article comprises at least one extremity-covering portion. The distal end of the extremity-covering portion comprises a first textile at an outer-facing surface and a second textile at an inner-facing surface. The second textile includes micro hook or micro loop materials that releasably mate with complementary micro hook or micro loop materials of the first textile in order to place the micro hook-and-loop closure system in a closed configuration. The placement, size, and shape of each of the first and second textiles, as extending from a distal end toward a proximal end of the article, enable the article or garment to be expediently and comfortably donned and doffed.

The invention addresses the problem of providing a flap-equipped knitted fabric including a flap part, which is configured such that the flap part moves when wet, allowing for changes in the air permeability or appearance of the flap-equipped knitted fabric, and also a textile product. As a means for resolution, for example, in a flap-equipped knitted fabric including a ground structure part and a flap part, the flap part is pouch-shaped, and the flap part contains a conjugate fiber obtained by joining a polyester component and a polyamide component in a side-by-side manner or an eccentric sheath-core manner, thereby making the flap part movable upon wetting.

Aspects herein are directed to a vented upper-body garment that includes a plurality of panels that extend across a back aspect of a torso region of the garment, around first and second sides of the torso region, and at least partially across a front aspect of the torso region. Respective edges of the panels overlap each other to form vent openings that facilitate the flow of air into and out of the garment.

Aspects herein are directed to an article of apparel having a vent opening formed by overlapping the edges of a first panel and a second panel. A plurality of discrete overlay film structures are applied to the second panel adjacent to the vent opening. When the article of apparel is exposed to an external stimulus, the film structures undergo a reversible increase in dimension in at least the z-direction which cause the second panel of material to undergo a reversible decrease in dimension in the direction of a longitudinal axis of the vent opening thereby causing the vent opening to dynamically transition from a closed state to an open state.

Aspects herein are directed to articles of apparel formed from a base textile and including a plurality of discrete overlay film structures affixed to the base textile at one or more locations on the article of apparel. When exposed to an external stimulus, the film structures undergo an increase in dimension in at least the z-direction and the base textile undergoes a decrease in dimension in one or more of the x-direction and the y-direction.

Aspects herein are directed to articles of apparel formed from a base textile and including a plurality of discrete overlay film structures affixed to the base textile at one or more locations on the article of apparel. When exposed to an external stimulus, the film structures undergo an increase in dimension in at least the z-direction and the base textile undergoes a change in dimension in at least the z-direction to produce stand-off nodes.