Fabric Facts

De Soto Sport has always led the industry at combining technical fabrics and styling with accurate forecasting of colors and trends. The most dedicated endurance athletes around the world have sought our expertise in endurance sports, design, textiles, and sewing techniques.

"Natural Synthetics"

Many Brands use chemical treatments to add technology to fabrics. The fabrics developed by De Soto are not treated with any “enhancing” chemicals. These chemicals can irritate the skin and will wash out over time. You can trust De Soto fabrics will not be harmful to your body. Our technology is built into the fibers and will perform the entire life of the garment.

A Warning About Certain Lubricants and their Affect on Fabrics

Many athletic lubricants, especially non-liquid types, (like Body Glide, Vaseline, and chamois creams) work well for wetsuits, but not well for clothing. They tend to make clothing sticky, instead of slick and slippery, and usually result in chafing. They will also damage, stain and discolor all fabrics over time. We advise against using them, and their use will nullify our warranty.

Fabrics 

Skin Cooler™ 90  is an improved version of Skin Cooler SDS™. It replaced the mesh-style original with Skin Cooler™ fabric we introduced in 2005. Skin Cooler 90™ blocks 90% of the sun's UVB rays. It has a silky, cool sensation when you first put it on and when it gets wet. It has further been advanced to be more durable and aerodynamic. Skin Cooler™ 90  will keep you cool and comfortable mile after mile.

We use Skin Cooler Octovent™ on the front and sides panels on a number of our garments. It is created by knitting small octagonal patterns on sections of the garment that are shaded and in direct wind. The result provides exceptional cooling. You will find tops that combine Skin Cooler™ Octovent™ and Skin Cooler™ 90  to be cooler and offer more sun protection, while actually being 40% lighter in weight than previous models. 

When the human body gets hot, it sweats to cool itself. In the past, other brands have tried to help that process by developing fabrics that wick moisture away from the skin and expedite evaporation. Since 2005 De Soto has taken this concept a step further by using that moisture to create a cooling effect. Yes! We want you wet! Skin Cooler™ works by a series of channels knitted into light fabric. As these channels get wet, they absorb moisture and swell, which dissipates the heat making the fabric against your skin actually cooler. How much cooler depends on the following factors - airflow, humidity, ambient temperature, and moisture temperature. When you sweat, the garment’s temperature drops and creates an actual, physical cooling sensation. Skin Cooler 90™ offers this cooling effect while offering even more sun UVB protection and will never wash out.

Note: No garment should ever be a substitute so we always recommend you wear sunscreen underneath these, and all, products. It is crucial to keep in mind that a sunscreen's (whichever brand you may choose) SPF/UPF rating refers only to its ability to protect skin from UVB radiation. Because we know that UVA damage can be just as insidious, it is essential for the health of your skin that you use a sunscreen that contains the UVA-protecting ingredients of titanium dioxide or zinc oxide.

Do the colored fabrics, or sections with logos affect the cooling technology? No! You will notice the fabric on the inside is all white despite the outside color or logos of the Skin Cooler product The sublimation process we use to place logos or color on our fabric turns the ink into a gas that adheres only to the outside of the fabric. Therefore this ink is non-absorbent and does not affect the technical integrity of the product in any way. The colored parts of the products will keep you just as cool as the white. 

What about black?  Our solid black Skin Cooler garments which are yard-dyed black instead of sublimated. his is why the fabric inside is black inside and and out. The actual fibers are dyed before knitting it into fabric. We estimate the black might add between 1° and 3° F depending on the ambient temperature and humidity.   

Forza™ Compressor - This amazing fabric lifts and supports muscles to dampen the vibration caused by dynamic flexion and extension, as well as isometric flex during exercise. Research findings from extensive university studies show the Forza™ Compressor fabric used in our garments help to improve athletic performance by delaying the onset of fatigue by as much as 12%, and by giving an improved sense of body position. We assemble the garments of this fabric with proprietary articulated stitching techniques. This maximizes comfort and fit while minimizing constriction and drag. The result is the best fitting and highest quality product that money can buy. Consider each Forza™ garment as an “exterior ligament” for your body! De Soto was the first company to produce compression garments in 1997. Since then we have offered Forza™ products that have helped thousands of triathletes podium, as well as improve on their personal best.

Liftfoil3™ - This fabric created by Emilio De Soto is extremely technical. It’s manufactured in Italy and is a De Soto exclusive. It is neither available nor sold to other companies. Liftfoil3™ is a FINA approved hydrophobic and compressive fabric. It is hydrophobic because of a very tight Microweave™, so tight it limits absorption of water and/or sweat. Like our previous Liftfoil fabrics, we have incorporated Forza™ Compressor fibers into the Liftfoil3™. It lifts and supports the muscles; reducing and delaying onset muscle fatigue which is often experienced during endurance performance. Liftfoil3™ is knitted with coldBlack® technology. At speeds below 5 mph (8 kph) the best surface to flow though water is a smooth, hydrophobic surface like Liftfoil3™. Liftfoil3™ is designed to be worn very tight. When stretched on a moving body, Liftfoil3™ becomes thinner, so it absorbs less water. Because it compresses against the skin, it reduces passive drag, and acts as a foil to lift the body at the water surface. 

coldBlack® Technology Sun Reflector – UV Protector: Dark colors heat up stronger when exposed to direct sunlight compared to light colors. This no longer needs to happen! coldblack ® provides a special technology for textiles which reduces heat build-up and provides reliable protection from UV rays. coldblack ® technology offers two innovative benefits:

1. Effective heat management - Light colored textiles reflect visible and invisible rays of sunlight, meaning both heat and light. Dark colored textiles absorb both types of rays and therefore absorb heat. coldblack ® reduces the absorption of heat rays, particularly in the case of darker colors, and in all types of textiles. The result is tangibly - Better heat management! Textiles finished with coldblack ® heat up less in all colors compared to those without.

2. Reliable protection from UV rays - coldblack ® technology guarantees a minimum UPF 30 protection (blocks 70% of UV rays) when applied to any textile in any color without affecting the look or feel of the product. As a result, textiles with coldblack ® can make an effective contribution to protecting against harmful UV rays.

Note - You should be weary of brands that use any types of Teflon or waterproof coatings as these are just chemicals that are applied to finished fabrics. They will wear out after a number of uses. Those chemicals used by other companies have also yet to be proven by any reliable independent source to be perfectly safe against human skin for prolonged periods of time.

Mobius Comfort Compression  - A Mobius Strip is a surface with only one side and one boundary. Mobius™ (aka Mobius Comfort Compression) is our new form-fitting, yet non-binding compressive fabric. When blending fibers the created knit makes repeated mobius loops so that the same surface is on both sides of the fabric. You will notice comfort and support without constriction, opacity without unnecessary weight, and durability from a very smooth surface on both sides. We use Mobius™ on the leg bands of all our shorts. This is to ensure there is no excessive squeeze or binding on the legs. Not only is it extremely comfortable but it’s flattering too!

Polartec® Power Stretch® fabric is highly breathable and doesn’t restrict movement of moisture vapor. “Touch Points” on the fabric inner surface work to wick sweat off the skin to the outside of the fabric, where it rapidly evaporates. Body-hugging, 4-way stretch allows unrestricted movement. The tight knit makes this fabric wind resistant, and provides warmth without the weight of traditional insulating fabrics.

Microlock™ Stitching and Microflat™ Stitching are innovative and proprietary combinations of thread and two-pass-stitching techniques. These techniques, invented by De Soto, provide the most durable seams in existence, yet yield an eloquent appearance.

400-Mile™ Pad - A high quality pad designed specifically for De Soto by one of Italy's most reputable pad companies. It is soft yet dense, seamless in the middle, anti-bacterial, and it actually stretches with the short to conform better between your body and the saddle. We offer the 400-Mile Pad in men’s and in women’s specific cuts.

400-Mile™ Clasico™ Pad and Clasico ™ Integrated Pads - The pad is the short. The short is the pad. Instead of just sewing a pad into the short, we create the short by sewing the fabric to the pad all the way around the perimeter.  De Soto pioneered this concept design in 2012. It has proven to be extremely comfortable and preferred by customers. These pads stretch in all directions and completely eliminate all seams between your body and the saddle. All pads offer antibacterial properties that will not wash out. You might notice the pads for triathlon and road bikes are shaped differently. This is to accommodate a forward-rotated pelvic position when on a steeper seat angle bike (triathlon), versus a more conventional road bike position. All our pads are made with a proprietary foam that floats when it gets wet. The fiber absorbs very little moisture, making it a quick-drying pad. We advise hang-drying all of our triathlon and cycling shorts. All foam pads share the same technologies but have a gender specific cut to create the best fit possible.

Men’s Specific Pads

• Max Thickness: .157” (4mm)
• Min Thickness: .05” (1.25mm)
• Total Length: 11.25” (28.5cm)
• Front Max Width: 4.5” (11.5cm)
• Waist Width - most narrow point: 3.5” (8.5cm)
• Back Max Width: 6.5” (16.5cm)

Riviera Clasico - thickness 7mm

• Max Thickness: .275” (7mm)
• Min Thickness: .05” (1.25mm)
• Total Length: 11.25” (28.5cm)
• Front Max Width: 4.5” (11.5cm)
• Waist Width - most narrow point: 3.5” (8.5cm)
• Back Max Width: 6.5” (16.5cm)

400-Mile™ Clasico - thickness 14mm

• Max Thickness: .55” (14mm)
• Min Thickness: .05” (1.25mm)
• Total Length: 13.75” (35cm)
• Front Max Width: 6.125” (15.5cm)
• Waist Width - most narrow point: 5.375” (13.5cm)
• Back Max Width: 9.25” (23.5cm)

Women’s Specific Pads

Femme 400-Mile™ Clasico - thickness 14mm

• Max Thickness: 0.55” (14mm)
• Min Thickness: 0.05” (1.25mm)
• Total Length: 10.50” (26.67cm)
• Front Max Width: 5.25” (13.33cm)
• Waist Width - most narrow point: 4.25” (10.79cm)
• Back Max Width: 8.25” (20.95cm)

Femme 6mm Clasico - thickness 6mm

• Max Thickness: 0.24” (6mm)
• Min Thickness: 0.05” (1.25mm)
• Total Length: 10.5” (26.67cm)
• Front Max Width: 4.5” (11.43cm)
• Waist Width - most narrow point: 4.75” (12.06cm)
• Back Max Width: 7” (17.78cm)

Femme 4mm Clasico - thickness 4mm

• Max Thickness: 0.16” (4mm)
• Min Thickness: 0.05” (1.25mm)
• Total Length: 9.25” (23.45cm)
• Front Max Width: 2.5” (6.35cm)
• Waist Width - most narrow point: 3.75” (9.52cm)
• Back Max Width: 6.75” (17.14cm)

Trademarks owned exclusively by De Soto Clothing Company, Inc. 

FliBib™,Flisuit™, Clasico™, Mobius™, NanoSurf™, MicroSurf™, Forza Compressor™, Riviera™, Windansea™, Liftfoil™,  Microlock™, Microflat™, Skincooler™, Skincooler SDS™, Skincooler Octovent™, Palm Coolers™, Arm Coolers™, Leg Coolers™, Cool Wings™, Compressor Leg Sleeve™, Liftfoil™, Carrera™ Series, 400-Mile Pad™, Micro Series™, QTKini™, Playa Run Short™, Tuesday Run Short™, Transition Pack™, Tribib™, Bibjohn™, Triathlon Femme™, Dotted S™, Ceramico™, Forza Fino™, Waterlid™ Pockets.

Trademarks registered in the United States and in other jurisdiction for products available only from De Soto Clothing Company, Inc.
De Soto Triathlon®, DSS®, T1 Wetsuits®, First Wave®, Black Pearl®, Speed Collection®, Speed Vest®, Speed Tube®, are 

Malden Mills®, Polartec® Power Stretch®, and Polartec® Wind Pro® are trademarks registered in the United States and in other jurisdictions for fabrics available only from Malden Mills Industries, Inc.