Garments including elastic composite fabric

Abstract

Included is a stretchable fabric composite laminate, which includes two outer layers of fabric with a bonded inner layer of elastomeric fibers. The stretchable fabric composite laminate is attached to the garment fabric as an edgeband or strap or within an edgeband or strap to provide a more comfortable garment or greater fit range.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A garment including at least one layer of a garment fabric and a stretchable fabric composite laminate;
 said stretchable fabric composite laminate including two outer layers of fabric with a bonded inner layer of elastomeric fibers;   wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate is attached to said garment fabric.   
     
     
         2 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate is attached to said garment fabric by bonding, adhering, sewing, laminating or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         3 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said elastomeric fiber comprises melt-spun elastomer. 
     
     
         4 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said elastomeric fibers are selected from the group consisting of spandex, elastomeric polyolefin, natural rubber filament, and synthetic rubber filament, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         5 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said garment is selected from the group consisting of tops, bottoms, hosiery, seamless garments, headwear, intimate apparel, swimwear and gloves. 
     
     
         6 . The garment of  claim 5 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate is included at an edgeband of said garment. 
     
     
         7 . The garment of  claim 6 , wherein said edgeband is selected from the group consisting of an armband, a cuff, a collar, a waistband, a legband, a headband, and a hem. 
     
     
         8 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said garment includes a component which includes said stretchable fabric composite laminate. 
     
     
         9 . The garment of  claim 8 , wherein said component of said garment is selected from the group consisting of a brassiere wing, a shaper panel and a strap. 
     
     
         10 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said garment includes two or more layers of said garment fabric and said stretchable fabric composite laminate is located between said layers. 
     
     
         11 . The garment of  claim 10 , wherein said two or more layers are formed by folding a single piece of fabric. 
     
     
         12 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate is attached to said garment fabric by an adhesive between said garment fabric and said stretchable fabric composite laminate. 
     
     
         13 . The garment of  claim 10 , wherein the adhesive comprises a discontinuous application. 
     
     
         14 . The garment of  claim 13 , wherein said discontinuous application is selected from the group consisting of dots, vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, a grid, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The garment of  claim 14 , wherein said adhesive is selected from the group consisting of a hot melt adhesive, a cyanoacrylate, an epoxy, polyvinyl acetate, a plastisol, a thermoplastic, silicone, a polyurethane aqueous dispersion, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate is laundry-durable. 
     
     
         17 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate has a width of about 0.20 cm to about 30.0 cm, including from about 0.30 cm to about 10.0 cm. 
     
     
         18 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said two outer layers of nonwoven fabric included in said stretchable fabric composite laminate are of substantially equal width; and
 each outer layer of said stretchable fabric composite laminate has an inside surface and an outside surface with respect to the stretchable fabric composite laminate; and
 said inner layer of elastomeric fibers includes at least 8 threadlines/inch (3.15 threadlines/cm); and 
 the elastomeric fibers have a linear density of about 400 decitex or greater. 
   
     
     
         19 . The garment of  claim 18 , wherein the elastomeric fibers have a linear density of 800 decitex to about 2500 decitex. 
     
     
         20 . The garment of  claim 18 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate has a retractive force of about 0.22 lb/inch (38.9 g/cm). 
     
     
         21 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein said stretchable fabric composite laminate includes an adhesive in an amount of about 10% to about 35% by weight of the stretchable fabric composite laminate. 
     
     
         22 . The garment of  claim 21 , wherein said adhesive only partially covers the inside surface of at least one outer layer and penetrates to the outside of each outer layer to an extent less than about 10% based on the surface area of each outer layer. 
     
     
         23 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the stretchable fabric composite laminate has a calculated flatness factor of not more than 4.4.