Find out how Stretchline is helping to shape the future of the textiles industry for the world’s biggest brands
What do some of the world’s most renowned retail brands have in common? They all work with Stretchline as a trusted partner.
With a rich history that can be traced back to the mid-1800s, Stretchline has become a world leader in the narrow fabric textiles industry. Combining decades of experience with ambition, a hunger for innovation and product advancement, the company’s portfolio continues to expand and diversify. Today, its products are also found in automobiles, wearable technology, and medical applications – solving challenges others couldn’t.
Stretchline’s vision to redefine the textile industry goes beyond its position as the world’s largest manufacturer of narrow performance fabrics. Over the past decade, the company has embraced its role as a true yarn transformer, partnering with global brands to develop products that begin at the yarn stage. From raw yarn (POY) to finished products, Stretchline adds value by texturizing, twisting, covering, and dyeing yarn to meet specific fit, feel, or design requirements. This ensures brands have complete accountability and traceability down to the yarn level, no matter where their garments are manufactured.
“Initially, we specialized in narrow elastic manufacturing for lingerie, hosiery and other intimate apparel, but over the years, we’ve expanded our offerings to serve a wider range of markets and applications, such as drawcords, tapes and braids,” begins Barry Head, European Sales and Marketing Director at Stretchline. “They’re still a major part of our business – around 50 per cent – but we’ve also grown to manufacture products for sportswear, activewear, loungewear, and other emerging markets.”
Brand solutions
Stretchline is one of the largest narrow fabric manufacturers in the world, with operations across six countries in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Producing around 1.5 billion meters of fabric a year – enough to circle the globe 30 times.
“Our largest customers include leading names in intimate apparel and activewear,” Barry shares. “We’ve also developed seven in-house brands that offer unique solutions for our clients, from fashion brands to supermarkets. Each of our brands were created as a solution to a specific problem at the time. While these brands may not be widely known outside the industry, chances are, if you have ten people in a room, half of them are wearing something made by Stretchline without realizing it.”
Innovation is one of the main pillars of Stretchline, one that the company is continually investing in. The business employs nearly around 4,000 people globally, with over 100 working on research and development alone. It also works very closely with certain UK universities in pursuit of further innovation. With a high level of expertise under its belt, Stretchline has been able to provide solutions to some of the most perplexing textile challenges.
“We’ve developed a product called Fortitube, a specialized wire casing for underwire bras,” Barry explains. “Traditionally, bras come with care labels that say, ‘Hand Wash Only,’ but many people still put them in the washing machine. This often leads to wires popping out, damaging the drum or the washing machine. Fortitube solves this issue with its puncture-resistant casing system, uniquely engineered with fusible yarns. This added durability means bras made with Fortitube can be machine washable if constructed with other suitable materials. It not only enhances comfort when paired with softer yarns but can also extend the lifespan of the garment, offering better value for money. Today, Fortitube is used in around 350 million bras a year.
“We’ve also incorporated a penetration barrier within the woven construction through various patented technologies,” Barry continues. “Our latest innovation is called ArcaForm. While we successfully addressed the issue of creating a specific wire casing for the metal wire in bras, we recognized that many people still didn’t want a rigid metal piece of wire against their body. So, we were looking for solutions that could provide an alternative to what we’d already developed in Fortitube. With ArcaForm, you get the performance, comfort and support of an underwired bra, with more flexibility and movement that metal wires simply can’t provide.”
New innovation hubs 
Sustainability is another key pillar of Stretchline. The business continually innovates to reduce its environmental footprint by pioneering new products and materials. One of these innovations is Fit-J, another of Stretchline’s brands, crafted with a unique, recyclable elastomer.
“Most people are familiar with traditional petrochemical-based elastanes, but the challenge with these materials is that, unless the garment can be reused, it typically ends up in landfill because the elastic components cannot be separated and recycled,” Barry explains. “To address this, Stretchline has partnered with a leading company that extrudes an innovative spandex that is 100 percent recyclable.”
Several major retailers have snapped up this state-of-the-art, sustainable product, including one of Europe’s largest lingerie brands, which has launched a recyclable product containing Fit-J.
Stretchline has also launched its Stay4Sure brand, featuring innovative silicone technology for products such as hold-up stockings and strapless bras. This material has had a significant impact on the hosiery industry and is now featured in stockings sold by major UK retailers.
“When we first developed Stay4Sure, it was designed for hold-up stockings,” Barry tells us. “With what we called the ‘traditional’ type of silicone, you relied on compression around the top of the leg to keep the stocking in place. With Stay4Sure, we’ve created a soft silicone gel solution. We apply two coatings: the traditional coating, which is an industrial-type silicone because of its strong mechanical grip on the fabric, and then we layer with the soft silicone gel on top and cure it. This gel is the only part that touches the skin, ensuring both comfort and secure hold.”
Looking ahead, Stretchline is excited to drive further development and innovation. A key focus for 2025 is the launch of four new collaboration and innovation hubs in the US, UK, Sri Lanka, and China. The future of Stretchline is not just inspiring but dynamic as it continues to transform the industry one thread at a time.