‘Ready for action’ as the saying goes - this is definitely true for the collection shown here, from Karl Mayer. It has been created to provide plenty of room for manoeuvre with no loss of comfort and “invites the wearer to run, jump and burn off energy..”

“These fashionable items can fulfil all the requirements of functional sportswear. They are stretchable and breathable, dry quickly when the wearer perspires, and create a sexy silhouette. These are the perfect characteristics to make the wearer feel and look good - and none of these properties are adversely affected by the continuous seamless production techniques used to produce the garments,” Karl Mayer says.

The one- piece garments were produced on Karl Mayer’s highly efficient DJ 4/2 EL model from the company’s Seamless Smart series. “The unique gauge of E 32 was used to produce a fabric with exceptional characteristics that have never been achieved before. These include an exceptionally soft handle, a gentle drape, and an extremely fine surface,” the German company says. “The filigree stitches were worked into the fabric to produce a graduated density, thus creating zones of different transparency. This produces visible matt/shiny effects and incorporates functional characteristics in the textile to create different breathable and compression zones,” the company adds.

“Whereas, for example, the dense knitted segments in the leggings, which stretch from the stomach to the bottom, shape the body perfectly and provide support for the bust in the top parts of the ensemble, the more transparent strips in the torso are responsible for efficient climate management by controlling the temperature and moisture conditions,” Karl Mayer says.

Multi Speed facility

The technology behind the ability to work different stitch densities is the Multi Speed facility on the DJ 4/2 EL. Multi Speed is one of the variants in Karl Mayer’s Motion Control feature which controls all of the main motions on the machine, except the electronic guide bar drive. Karl Mayer says the tested and perfected technology exactly controls the following functions via electronic drives: motion of the main shaft for inching speed and rapid motion; control of the yarn quantity of the individual warp beams via different yarn let-off programs, with and without feeler roller function; control of the fabric take-up and control of the batching devices.

Additional features of the DJ 4/2 EL machine include electronic guide bar control for rapid pattern changeover, and the new single tension fingers for equalising tension variations in the jacquard yarns when processing non-stretch yarns. When working many articles, the use of single tension fingers enables the two-component yarns normally used, which are expensive and have only limited uses, to be replaced with standard yarns – in this case with elastane and polyamide. The elastane creates a tension force in the fabric, which guarantees a perfect fit in all the right places, says Karl Mayer.

The A-line tunic and the two-piece set consisting of the tank-top and leggings were produced entirely by Karl Mayer - from the design stage to production of the finished garments. “They show just how ‘sporty’ the DJ 4/2 EL is in rising to the challenge of creating new designs,” the company says.