The LYCRA Company is a proud ingredient brand with a decades-long history of dreaming big. We’re powered by a team of experts across fields — scientists, thinkers, market leaders — all motivated by a shared passion: to make life more comfortable.
Our flagship innovation, LYCRA® fiber, was invented by pioneering chemical scientist Dr. Joseph Shivers in 1958, introducing comfort and stretch to an apparel industry long dominated by structured, restrictive designs, such as rubberized women's girdles.
In its 65+ years on the market, LYCRA® fiber has transformed the garment industry, helping to fuel the rise of activewear and athleisure and making everything from swimwear to denim to intimates more comfortable.
We revolutionized comfort in 1958, and we’re still doing it today.
BOUNDLESS INNOVATION
LYCRA® brand fibers have inspired years of innovation and motivated brands and mills to push the limits of what’s possible in textile science. They’ve changed the way we live, work, and play, making their way into department stores and high-end boutiques, onto runways and sports podiums, and even to the moon — Neil Armstrong’s spacesuit contained LYCRA® fiber when he walked on the lunar surface in 1969.
PERFORMANCE BRANDS
Over the years, the LYCRA® brand has been joined by other transformative fiber and textile innovations. There’s COOLMAX® brand, our cool-and-dry moisture-wicking fibers; THERMOLITE® brand, a range of lightweight warming fibers and insulations; SUPPLEX® and TACTEL® brands, two made-in-North America nylon fibers; and LYCRA HyFit® brand, our personal-care powerhouse. Together, these brands make up The LYCRA Company’s portfolio of game-changing innovations.
Today, The LYCRA Company remains as vital as ever in the textile marketplace, connecting mills, makers, and brands up and down the value chain and supporting the development of fabric and garment designs that enhance everyday life.
Our fibers and fabric solutions play a critical role in textile innovation, and with our global reach, high brand recognition, and consistent exceptional quality, our products and technologies elevate and enhance our partners’ designs. We’re focused on sustainability, too, constantly expanding our portfolio of innovations made with recycled and renewable materials and transforming our manufacturing processes to help reduce their impact on the planet.
With our trailblazing spirit and passionate team, we constantly innovate to meet the needs of tomorrow. Let’s work together on what comes next.
DISCOVER OUR BRANDS
Learn more about our family of performance fibers