Choosing the right material was one of the most important parts of designing our range of caps, and for good reason. It not only impacts the way the product feels, but also the way it looks and the life after it finishes sitting on your head.
What are the options?
There are so many different options, but before we even started looking at what to use - we looked at the different materials that could be used to making clothing, not just cycling caps. Our goal was always the same, make something that was super, super comfortable but didn’t compromise on performance. Alongside that, it was important that we chose a material that could go on to a second life after it’s days on your head were over. To this end, it became clear that we really shouldn’t use a mix of materials because it’s nearly impossible to recycle. A lot of hats mix cotton and polyester, which means that once it’s done with - it’ll be thrown in the trash. Not ideal.
Cotton
A significant number of hats are made of cotton (or, at least a percentage of the hat is cotton) and it’s a very widely used material for good reason. It’s got all the right properties, and has been in used across the world for… quite a while. The problem we found, is that it was very difficult to get the shape and form we needed. Alongside that, there are issues when it comes to wicking away moisture and really delivering the performance that we demanded. A great material, and one that we really liked… but it just didn’t quite offer what we needed.
Wool
Another really interesting option was wool, which we very, very nearly chose as the final material. It’s naturally a soft material which is also good at absorbing water (/sweat). The one challenge we found is that keeping the shape and structure we needed to fit, it didn’t quite live up to the task. What we’re hoping to investigate in more detail in the future is the use of merino wool, but only when we’re able to deliver the shape and comfort we’re looking for (without having to charge twice the price!).
Twill Fabric
The fabric we eventually chose is a twill-fabric, which is made from poly. It’s essentially the way that we could find the perfect blend between comfort, performance and shape to really make a cycling cap we could be proud to make and wear on any type of ride. We use a unique polyester blend which is made up of diagonal parallel ribs across the hat. The result is a hat that’s plush, comfortable but still maintains the performance we need.