TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to garment articles and in particular to fabric edges and fabric joints in garment articles and methods of manufacturing garment articles having fabric edges or joints.

BACKGROUND

The listing or discussion of a prior-published document in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge.

Garments and garment components are typically made with fabric materials. Examples of such fabric materials used to make garments/components include woven and knitted fabric, foam, laminated material & non-woven materials. In order to make a garment it is necessary to cut/trim the material being used. This will create an edge on the fabric. Therefore, the boundary of the garment will consist of a raw edge. The main problems with a raw edge are: not smooth, not aesthetically appealing, & it can lead to fraying and curling. There are a number of current solutions to address the above concerns of raw edge. These include the following. The edge may be covered with an additional fabric. However, this is costly and bulky as a separate fabric has to be used. A raw cut fabric may be used. This again is costly as the raw cut fabrics are expensive. Stitching may be added around the boundary. The threads used to make the seam can rub against the body during wear which makes the garment uncomfortable. The garment may be finished by folding the edge by stitching or by bonding. This changes the appearance of the garment/component making it bulky. A layer of elastomer may be applied and then cut through. This method creates an additional layer on top of the substrate, which prevents fraying. However, this method does not effectively seal the edge.

Given the above, there is a need for an improved product that addresses the problem while avoiding at least some of the disadvantages discussed above. SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a garment article comprises: a first fabric substrate; and an elastomeric material forming a layer over an edge of the first fabric substrate and extending beyond the edge of the first fabric substrate.

The elastomeric material may form an edge of the garment article and may act to seal the edge of the first fabric substrate and also enhance properties of the edge of the garment article such as the recovery, stretch and / or grip of the edge.

The elastomeric material may act to join the first fabric substrate to a second fabric substrate.

The elastomeric material may extend beyond the edge of the first fabric substrate by at least 0.1mm.

The elastomeric material may protrude above a first surface of the first fabric substrate. The elastomeric material may have a rounded surface that protrudes above the first surface of the fabric substrate.

The elastomeric material may protrude above the first surface of the first fabric substrate by at least 0.1 mm. The elastomeric material may protrude from the first surface of the fabric substrate by iess than 20 mm.

The elastomeric material may comprise silicone.

The garment article may be an underwear garment, a bra cup, a bra strap, a waistband, a bralette, a one-piece bra, a shapewear garment, a mask, an article of personal protection equipment, a sock, a hosiery garment and / or a sportswear garment.

In some embodiments, the elastomeric layer is provided over a three-dimensional surface. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure a method of producing a garment article is provided. The method comprises: cutting a first fabric substrate to form a cut edge; and applying an elastomeric material over the cut edge such that the elastomeric material forms a layer that extends beyond the cut edge.

The method may further comprise aligning the cut edge over a non-adhesive sheet material and wherein the elastomeric material is applied over the cut edge and the non-adhesive sheet material. The method may further comprise drying the elastomeric material and removing the non-adhesive sheet material.

The elastomeric material may be applied by extrusion. Alternatively, the elastomeric material may be applied by dispensing or screen printing.

The elastomeric material may extend beyond the edge of the first fabric substrate by at least 0.1mm.

The elastomeric material may protrude above a first surface of the first fabric substrate. The elastomeric material may have a rounded surface that protrudes above the first surface of the fabric substrate.

The elastomeric material may protrude above the first surface of the first fabric substrate by at least 0.1 mm. The elastomeric material may protrude from the first surface of the fabric substrate by less than 20 mm. The elastomeric material may comprise silicone.

The method may further comprise arranging a second fabric substrate in the vicinity of the cut edge and wherein the elastomeric layer extends over the second fabric substrate thereby joining the second fabric substrate to the first fabric substrate,

The elastomeric layer may extend over an edge of the second fabric substrate. Alternatively, a gap may be provided between the cut edge and the edge of the second fabric substrate. The elastomeric layer may be applied over a three-dimensional surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the following, embodiments of the present invention will be described as non-limiting examples with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG.1 shows a garment article according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.2 shows an example of a garment article according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.3A to FIG.3H show a process of making a garment component according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.4 shows a garment article according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.5A to FIG.5L show example garment articles according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG.6 shows a garment article comprising a first fabric substrate and a second fabric substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.7 shows a garment article comprising a first fabric substrate, a second fabric substrate and a third fabric substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG.8 shows applications of elastomer to join fabric substrates according to embodiments of the present invention;

FIG.9 shows the application of elastomer to a three-dimensional garment article according an embodiment of the present invention; and FIG.10A and FIG.10B show applications of elastomer to join fabric substrates according to embodiments of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a garment article comprising: a fabric substrate; and an elastomeric material forming a layer over an edge of the fabric substrate and extending beyond the edge of the fabric substrate. According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method of producing a garment article. The method comprises: cutting a fabric substrate to form a cut edge; and applying an elastomeric material over the cut edge such that the elastomeric material forms a layer that extends beyond the cut edge. According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a garment article comprising a first fabric substrate and a second fabric substrate, wherein the first fabric substrate is joined to the second fabric substrate by a layer of elastomeric material overlapping the first fabric substrate and the second fabric substrate. According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure there is provided a method of producing a garment article from a first fabric substrate and a second fabric substrate. The method comprises: arranging the first fabric substrate and the second fabric substrate on a surface with a cut edge of the first fabric substrate facing a cut edge of the second fabric substrate; and applying an elastomeric material over the cut edge of the first fabric substrate and the cut edge of the second fabric substrate, thereby joining the first fabric substrate to the second fabric substrate.

In embodiments herein, the word “comprising” may be interpreted as requiring the features mentioned, but not limiting the presence of other features. Alternatively, the word “comprising” may also relate to the situation where only the components/features listed are intended to be present (e.g. the word “comprising” may be replaced by the phrases “consists of” or “consists essentially of”). It is explicitly contemplated that both the broader and narrower interpretations can be applied to all aspects and embodiments of the present invention. In other words, the word “comprising” and synonyms thereof may be replaced by the phrase “consisting of” or the phrase “consists essentially of” or synonyms thereof and vice versa. The elastomeric material may extend beyond the edge of the fabric substrate by at least 0.1mm.

In some embodiments, wherein the elastomeric material protrudes above a first surface of the fabric substrate. The elastomeric material may have rounded surface that protrudes above the first surface of the fabric substrate. This rounded surface may be arranged to contact the skin of a wearer and provide grip to hold the edge of the garment article in place.

The elastomeric material may protrude from the first surface of the fabric substrate by at least 0.1 mm. The elastomeric material may protrude from the first surface of the fabric substrate by less than 20 mm.

In some embodiments, the elastomeric material has a substantially flat surface that is substantially flush with a second surface of the fabric substrate. Here “flush” is intended to mean “in the same plane or in substantially the same plane” Thus, a flush surface formed by the second surface of the fabric substrate and the flat surface of the elastomeric material running up to the edge or an infinity edge may be provided. This flush surface may face outwards when the garment article is worn. In other embodiments, the fabric substrate may be curved or molded and the elastomeric material may be applied to follow the curved surface of the fabric substrate.

The elastomeric material may comprise silicone. The garment article may be an underwear garment, a bra cup, a bra strap, a waistband, a bralette, a one-piece bra, a shapewear garment, a sportswear garment, an article of personal protection equipment (PPE), a hosiery garment, a sock, or alternatively a trim or other component of a garment.

FIG.1 shows a garment article according to an embodiment of the present invention. The garment article 100 comprises a fabric substrate 110 and an elastomeric material 120. The fabric substrate 110 may be any type of fabric such as a knitted or woven fabric. The elastomeric material 120, which may be for example silicone, is applied over an edge 116 of the fabric substrate 110. The elastomeric material 120 is applied over a first surface 112 of the fabric substrate 110. The elastomeric material 120 has a rounded surface 122 on which faces in the same direction as the first surface 112 of the fabric substrate 120 and has a flat surface 124 which faces in the same direction as a second surface 114 of the fabric substrate 110. The flat surface 124 is flush with the second surface 114 of the fabric substrate 110 and extends beyond the edge 116 of the fabric substrate 110. Thus, the edge 126 of the elastomeric material 126 which extends beyond the edge 116 of the fabric substrate 110 forms an edge of the garment article 100.

In embodiments of the present invention, an elastomeric layer is applied on and beyond the edge of a garment. This elastomeric layer becomes the functional edge of the garment and could seal the raw edge which makes the garment/garment article have an infinity edge.

In addition, the applied elastomeric layer is capable of providing added functionalities to the edge of the garment. For example, the elastomeric layer may provide additional grip which prevents the product from slipping down or riding up while worn makes the garment more conducive to wear as it stays in place. The elastomeric layer may provide a seal between the garment and the skin of the wearer, for example, the elastomeric layer may form the edge of a face mask which provides a seal with the facial skin of the wearer around the edge of the mask. The elastomeric layer may also enhance the stretch and recovery properties at the perimeter of the garment.

The first surface 112 of the garment article 100 may be configured as the inner side of the garment. On the inner side of the garment the elastomeric material 120 beyond the garment edge has a curved shape 122. Therefore, it is able to provide grip. On the outer side, which corresponds the second surface 114 of the garment article 100, the elastomeric material 124 has a flat edge 124 which makes the garment more aesthetically appealing. Further the developed new technique may enable elimination of the use of some of the components of a garment. For example, it would be possible to give additional grip for the bra cups, eliminating the use of bra straps. FIG.2 shows an example of a garment article according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the example shown in FIG.2, an elastomeric material 120 such as silicone is applied around the edge of the fabric substrate 110. The elastomeric material 120 extends beyond the edge of the fabric and has a flat side 124 facing downwards and a round side facing upwards 122. The elastomeric material 120 forms the edge 126 if the garment article.

A process of making a garment component according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIG.3A to FIG.3H. It is noted that the process relates to making a garment article in which an elastomer is provided around the complete circumference of a fabric substrate as shown in FIG.2, however, it will be appreciated that the process can also be used to make a garment article as shown in FIG.1. As shown in FIG.3A, a fabric piece 310 is cut to the required shape by making a cut 312. The fabric piece 310 is cut as precisely as possible without any seam allowances, clamping allowances or other such allowances.

Then, as shown in FIG.3B, the path 322 on which the elastomeric material will be applied is printed on transparent paper 320.

As shown in FIG.3C, the transparent paper 320 with the printed path 322 is placed and pasted on an illuminated printing bed 330. Then, as shown in FIG.3D, a single sheet 340 of non-adhesive sheet material or heat transfer paper such as Teflon paper is placed over the transparent paper 320 covering the area to be printed with the elastomeric material. In some embodiments, a flock transfer paper is used, this allows for the application of a flock to the elastomeric material during the process of manufacturing the garment article. As shown in FIG.3E, the cut fabric piece 310 is placed on the sheet 340 of non adhesive sheet material, aligning the edges of the fabric piece 310 with the printing path indicated by the transparent sheet below.

As shown in FIG.3F, the elastomeric material 350 is applied along the fabric edge. Approximately half the width of the line formed by the elastomeric material 350 is applied on the fabric piece 310 and approximately half is applied on the sheet 340 of non-adhesive sheet material beneath. It will be appreciated that the elastomer 350 may be applied with a different proportion extending from the edge to the portion overlapping the edge.

Then, the sheet 340 of non-adhesive sheet material with the fabric 310 and printed elastomer 350 on it are lifted from the transparent paper 320 and placed in a dryer 360 as shown in FIG.3G. The dryer dries the fabric and elastomer at a temperature of 100 degrees C to 200 degrees C. Alternatively, an elastomeric material that cures at room temperature may be used, in which case the drying step may take place at room temperature. Once the sheet 340 of non-adhesive sheet material with the fabric 310 on it comes out of the dryer 360, the printed fabric 310 with an elastomeric edge 350 is separated from the sheet 340 of non-adhesive sheet material as shown in FIG.3H. Thus, a garment article such as that shown in FIG.2 is produced. FIG.4 shows a garment article according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.4, the garment article 400 comprises a fabric substrate 410 and an elastomeric material 420. The elastomeric material 420 is applied over an edge 116 of the fabric substrate 410. The elastomeric material 420 is applied over a first surface 412 of the fabric substrate 410. The elastomeric material 420 has a rounded surface 422 on which faces in the same direction as the first surface 412 of the fabric substrate

420 and has a flat surface 424 which faces in the same direction as a second surface 414 of the fabric substrate 410. The flat surface 124 is flush with the second surface 414 of the fabric substrate 410 and extends beyond the edge 416 of the fabric substrate 410. Thus, the edge 426 of the elastomeric material 426 which extends beyond the edge 416 of the fabric substrate 410 forms an edge of the garment article 400. The elastomeric material 420 overlaps with the fabric substrate by an overlap 432. The elastomeric material 420 extends beyond the edge 416 of the fabric substrate 140 by an extension 434. The elastomeric material 420 has a protrusion height 436 above the first surface 412 of the fabric substrate.

The extension 434 is at least 0.1 mm and preferably at least 1mm. The protrusion height 436 is at least 0.1 mm and preferably at least 1mm. The protrusion height may be less than 20 mm. The overlap 432 is at least 1mm.

The elastomeric application described above may be applied to the edges of various garment articles in order to seal the edges or part of the edge of the garment article, to provide grip or a seal against the skin of the wearer, to modify the stretch and recovery properties of the fabric substrate and or to enhance the visual appearance of the garment article. Various example garment articles are described below with reference to FIG.5A to FIG.5L.

As shown in FIG.5A, the garment article may be a woman’s underwear garment article. The elastomeric layer may be applied around the waist edge 512 and / or around the leg openings 514 of the garment article 510 in order to hold the garment in place and to modify the elastic modulus of these areas.

As shown in FIG.5B, the garment article may be a bra cup 515 and the elastomeric material may be applied to the lower edge 516 and the upper edge 518 of the bra cup 515 to hold it in place, in addition the elastomeric material may also secure the filaments of spacer fabrics that make up the bra cup 515.

As shown in FIG.5C, the garment article may be a bra strap 520 or other accessory. The elastomeric layer may be applied to the edges 522 of the bra strap 520 to hold the bra strap 520 in place.

As shown in FIG.5D, the garment article may be a shapewear garment 525. The elastomeric material may be applied around waistband 526 to enhance the elastic properties of the waistband 526. The elastomeric material may also be applied around the leg openings 528 to hold the garment in place.

As shown in FIG.5E, the garment article may be a sportswear garment such leggings 530. The elastomeric material may be applied around waistband 532 to enhance the elastic properties of the waistband 532. The elastomeric material may also be applied around the leg openings 534 to hold the leggings 530 in place and to prevent the legs from riding up.

As shown in FIG.5F, the garment article may be a waistband 535. The elastomeric layer may be applied to the upper edge 536 and / or the lower edge 538 of the waist band 535 to grip clothing worn under the waistband 535. The elastomeric application may also modify the stretch and elastic properties of the upper edge 536 and the lower edge 538 of the waistband 535.

As shown in FIG.5G, the garment article may a men’s underwear garment article 540. The elastomeric material may be applied to the leg hems 544 and / or waistband 542.

As shown in FIG.5H, the garment article may be a bralette or one-piece bra 545. The elastomeric material may be applied to the edges of the straps 546 to hold the straps 546 in place and / or modify the elastic properties of the straps 546. The elastomeric material may also be applied the lower edges of the bra cups 547 to hold the bra cups in place and provide support. The elastomeric material may also be applied to the upper edges of the bra cups to modify the elastic properties of the fabric and provide support.

As shown in FIG.51, the garment article may be a mask 550. The elastomeric material may be applied around the edges 552 of the mask 550 to provide a seal between the wearer’s face and the mask 550.

As shown in FIG.5J, the garment article may be a personal protective equipment suit 555. The elastomeric material may be applied around the edge of the hood 556 and around the cuffs 558 to increase the elasticity of the fabric of the personal protective equipment suit 555 in these areas to fit closely to the skin of the wearer and also to provide a seal.

As shown in FIG.5K, the garment article may be a pair of gloves 560. The elastomeric material may be applied to the cuffs 562 of the gloves to provide a seal and to grip the wrists of the wearer to hold the gloves 560 in place.

As shown in FIG.5L, the garment article may be a pair of stockings 570 or socks 575. The elastomeric material may be applied around the top 572 of the stockings 570 or around the opening 576 of the socks to hold the garments in place when worn.

In some embodiments, an elastomeric layer joins two fabric substrates together. Thus, in an embodiment a garment article comprises a first fabric substrate and a second fabric substrate, wherein the first fabric substrate is joined to the second fabric substrate by a layer of elastomeric material overlapping the first fabric substrate and the second fabric substrate. Further in an embodiment a method of producing such a garment article is provided. Thus, in an embodiment a method of producing a garment article from a first fabric substrate and a second fabric substrate is provided. The method comprises: arranging the first fabric substrate and the second fabric substrate on a surface with a cut edge of the first fabric substrate facing a cut edge of the second fabric substrate; and applying an elastomeric material over the cut edge of the first fabric substrate and the cut edge of the second fabric substrate, thereby joining the first fabric substrate to the second fabric substrate.

FIG.6 shows a garment article comprising a7 first fabric substrate and a second fabric substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.6, the garment article 600 comprises a first fabric substrate 610 Oand a second fabric substrate 620 which are connected together by an elastomeric layer 650. The first fabric substrate 610 and the second fabric substrate 620 may be formed from different materials. The first fabric substrate 610 and the second fabric substrate 620 are placed side by side, but not touching each other and the elastomeric layer 650 is applied overlapping both the first fabric substrate 610 and the second fabric substrate 620. In the example shown in FIG.6, there is a gap between the first fabric substrate 610 and the second fabric substrate 620, however, as described below with reference to FIG.8, embodiments are envisaged in which there is no gap between the fabric substrates or in which the fabric substrates overlap.

FIG.7 shows a further example of a garment article formed by joining multiple fabric substrates. As shown in FIG.7 three fabric substrates are joined by applying an elastomeric material to join the substrates together. FIG.7 shows a garment article comprising a first fabric substrate, a second fabric substrate and a third fabric substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention. The garment article 700 comprises a first fabric substrate 710, a second fabric substrate 720 and a third fabric substrate 730. An elastomer layer 750 is applied overlapping the edges of the first fabric substrate 710, the second fabric substrate 720 and the third fabric substrate 730 to substrates together. It is noted that any number of fabric substrates may be joined in this way to form a garment article. The fabric substrates may be separated by any distance, for example, the fabric substrates may be touching or may be separated by a large distance for example 1m and the elastomeric material is applied over this gap to form the joint.

In the examples described above, there is a gap between the fabric substrates which are joined together by the elastomer layer. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG.8, the fabric substrates abut each other or overlap.

FIG.8 shows applications of elastomer to join fabric substrates according to embodiments of the present invention. In the first example shown in FIG.8, a first fabric substrate 810 and a second fabric substrate 820 are joined by an elastomer layer 850. There is a gap 840 between the first fabric substrate 810 and the second fabric substrate 820 which is covered by the elastomer layer 850. In the second example shown in FIG.8, the edge of the first fabric substrate 812 and the edge of the second fabric substrate 822 touch at a point 842 under the elastomer layer 852 which joins the first fabric substrate 812 to the second fabric substrate 822. In a third example the first fabric substrate 814 overlaps the second fabric substrate 824. The elastomer layer 854 is provided over an edge of the first fabric substrate 814 which joins the substrates together. There is an overlap region 854 in which the second fabric substrate 824 is under the first fabric substrate 814. In the examples described above, an elastomer layer is applied over a flat fabric substrate, or multiple substrates. In some embodiments, an elastomer layer may be applied over a curved or three-dimensional fabric substrate or substrates.

FIG.9 shows the application of elastomer to a three-dimensional garment article according an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.9, a first substrate 910 and second substrate 920 form a three-dimensional surface which in the example shown in FIG.9 is dome shape. The elastomer layer 950 is applied through an extrusion nozzle 900. The extrusion nozzle 900 may be coupled to a robotic arm configured to control the position where the elastomer layer 950 is applied. The robotic arm may be computer controlled based on image sensing to provide for high accuracy in the products made using this technology. FIG.10A and FIG.10B show applications of elastomer to join fabric substrates according to embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIG.10A, the elastomer may be applied in a discontinuous manner 1050 with gaps between the elastomer material. This may provide for ventilation of through a joint in a garment. The elastomer may be applied in a curved pattern 1052 or in a zig zag pattern 1054.

As shown in FIG.10B, the elastomer layer 1056 may join a first fabric substrate 1016 to a second fabric substrate 1026 in a configuration in which the second fabric substrate 1026 is surrounded by the first fabric substrate 1016.

Embodiments of the present invention provide for the possibility of generating appropriate modulus and recovery at the garment edge. This will also enable a customized fit. The elastomeric layer could be made to have a round shape on its surface. The elastomeric material may be applied along any shaped edge, such as straight lines, curves, jagged zig zag edges and other configurations. Color or other material may be embedded into the elastomer, for example to match the color to the fabric body or to allow contrasting designs to be incorporated into garment articles. Additional functional layers may be added on top of the elastomer edge, for example flocking. The elastomeric layer may seal internal layers of a garment, for example the elastomeric layer can seal the filament of a spacer fabric. The thickness of the thickness of the elastomeric layer may be customized to suit the end product. For example, the thickness may be selected to provide desired elastic modulus properties for parts of a garment. Embodiments of the present invention provide for combining materials which have different properties. For example, joining a woven fabric with a knitted fabric which would not be possible using traditional techniques.

Whilst the foregoing description has described exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that many variations of the embodiments can be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention.