Asahi Kasei’s nine-partner showcase at PERFORMANCE DAYS illustrates how elastane is evolving from a hidden commodity ingredient into a differentiator for performance, circularity and fabric engineering.
Asahi Kasei’s ROICA stretch-fibre business will bring together nine textile partners from Europe and Japan at PERFORMANCE DAYS Munich on October 13–14, 2026, demonstrating applications spanning breathable knits, seamless garments, wool blends, technical tricot and three-dimensional performance fabrics.
The participating companies include Borgini Jersey, Brugnoli, Cifra, Penn Solutions, Reda, Sitip and Tiba Tricot from Europe, alongside Japanese specialists Imai Kigyojo and Kawada Knitting Group.
Stretch becomes an engineered function
The collections show how stretch is being combined with other performance requirements rather than specified in isolation. Borgini Jersey is presenting breathable meshes and 3D structures for moisture management and reduced fabric cling, while Cifra is applying its Warp Knit Seamless technology to reduce material waste and enable more complex garment constructions. Reda combines 17.5-micron Merino wool with ROICA for lightweight stretch jerseys and woven fabrics.
Sitip and Tiba Tricot are targeting sportswear and technical applications requiring recovery, breathability, thermal properties and dimensional stability.
Two routes to lower-impact elastane
A major focus is ROICA V550, engineered to partially degrade under conditions specified in ISO 14855-1. Asahi Kasei explicitly states that 100% degradation has not been verified. The fibre also holds Cradle to Cradle Certified Material Health Gold status.
ROICA EF takes a different approach, incorporating 58% pre-consumer recycled content and carrying OEKO-TEX Standard 100 Class I certification. Asahi Kasei’s published LCA indicates about a 30% lower cradle-to-gate carbon footprint than conventional ROICA, based on FY2019 data.
Competitiveness takeaway
For activewear, knitwear and denim exporters, the opportunity is to move beyond conventional elastane specifications toward engineered stretch systems combining recovery, recycled content, moisture performance and verifiable environmental attributes.
The higher-value opportunity lies not in buying a different stretch yarn alone, but in developing complete fabrics around it—using knitting structure, fibre blends and finishing to deliver measurable performance that brands can specify and market.
