How Polyester Bounced Back - Works in Progress

It changed the shape of the filament. Instead of pushing viscous polyester through round holes to extrude cylindrical strands, it used cross-shaped holes to create filaments with channels. It called the resulting fiber Coolmax, promoting it for athletic attire (View Highlight)

With that technology in hand, Patagonia developed a line of base layers that Smith dubbed Capilene to suggest capillary action. In fall 1985, the same season Synchilla hit the market, Capilene completely replaced the company’s polypropylene underwear. ‘Those two innovations – base layer and fleece – completely changed the world’s opinion of polyester, not just the outdoor industry (View Highlight)

Textile fibers, including polyester filaments, are measured in denier (pronounced den-e-er in the U.K. and den-yer in the U.S. (View Highlight)