Cloth
Reading a fabric label
Nylon, polyester, elastane, and cotton: what each does in training clothes.
The common fibres
Polyester is light, dries quickly, and holds its shape. It is the usual cloth of a training tee, and it can hold on to odour.
Nylon, also labelled polyamide, feels smoother and is common in leggings. Elastane, also labelled spandex or Lycra, is the stretch: a few percent in a tee, far more in leggings and sports bras.
Cotton is soft and absorbs moisture, then dries slowly. It suits a heavy oversized tee or a hoodie better than a long hard session.
Weight and opacity
Some shops state a weight in grams per square metre. A higher number usually means a thicker cloth. Leggings in pale colours can be more see-through than the same style in black, so it is worth reading the shop’s description and its returns terms.
In the shops
Leggings in the shops
Current pieces are not shown here just now. The shop has the full list.