LYCRA® SPORT Fabric Selected for Fila’s First Women’s Body Toning Apparel

The Fila Body Toning System (BTS), featuring LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric, is a collection of engineered body toning workout apparel for the women's fitness industry.

Wichita, KS - October 20, 2010 - INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated producers of fibres and polymers, and Fila, a leading manufacturer of sport and leisure footwear and apparel distributed worldwide, announce the release of the Fila Body Toning System (BTS). The BTS, featuring LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric, is a collection of engineered body toning workout apparel for the women's fitness industry that shapes the body and dramatically improves workout efficiency. Following in the footsteps of the successful toning footwear category, BTS apparel is designed to increase muscle exercise by as much as 50%, an extraordinary improvement in the efficiency and recovery of an existing workout. This highly technical program is another important step in the expansion of LYCRA® SPORT fabric as a leading performance technology in the active wear industry.

BTS utilizes double-layered panels of INVISTA’s LYCRA® SPORT fabric engineered to compress active muscles, a novel design approach that represents a new era of interactive sports training and fitness apparel.

Fila’s Body Toning System was made possible and enhanced by the team at INVISTA including R&D scientists who engineer developments in LYCRA® fibers and fabrics. Based on years of performance textile research at INVISTA and its Applied Research Center, LYCRA® SPORT fabric represents the active application of stretch fiber technology and was selected by Fila as the ideal foundation for the Body Toning System. It meets INVISTA’s demanding fabric testing performance standards designed to satisfy sports activities that require a combination of light weight, muscle support, breathability and freedom of movement.

According to Julien Born, global segment director for Active and Outdoor segment at INVISTA Apparel, “LYCRA® SPORT fabric provides Fila an outstanding fabric with a well-balanced level of performance that is ideal for the unique demands of the Body Toning System. We look forward to advancing our collaboration with Fila and to further develop the women’s toning market.”

The collection, including a resistance tank, short, tight capri, capri, pant and long tight, also provides 41% more support than traditional athletic leggings made from polyester or elastane, effectively smoothing targeted areas and reducing the appearance of cellulite. Flat seaming construction allows for greater comfort and range of motion.

“Body toning apparel is a natural progression of the recent successes in the toning footwear market,” said Jon Epstein, President of Fila USA. “We are thrilled to be on the leading edge of this fitness revolution with the first marketable application of an apparel toning collection for the women’s performance fitness market.”

“The Body Toning System stands to completely change the perception of the clothing that we work out in, for both men and women,” said Freya Tamayo, Fila’s Director of Design. “This women’s collection is such an exciting development in the fitness industry, making exercise apparel an integral part of a woman’s workout that affects her both inside and out. Fila looks forward to working with INVISTA to further refine the collection and to develop new BTS applications for many different sports.”

The Body Toning System is currently commercially available in the United States at Dick’s Sporting Goods stores and athletic specialty stores.

About Fila

Established in Italy in 1911, Fila is a leading manufacturer of sport and leisure footwear and apparel distributed worldwide. The internationally respected company, having gained world class recognition in tennis apparel, has developed brand recognition by marketing products with a high design and style content that are endorsed by professional athletes from around the world.