the.com/spandex
the fabric that stretches truth, dignity, and your grandmother's couch with equal enthusiasm
means A synthetic elastic fabric, prized for its ability to stretch far beyond its resting size and snap back, used in athletic wear, swimwear, and form-fitting clothing.
from Spandex is an anagram of "expands" — a rare case of a word literally rearranged from what it does, coined in the mid-20th century by chemists who developed the polyurethane-based fiber. In Europe it often goes by "elastane," and the DuPont brand name "Lycra" became so famous it nearly swallowed the generic term whole.
- name origin
- Anagram of expands, because chemists had jokes
- stretch limit
- Can extend five to eight times its length
- invented 1958
- DuPont chemist Joseph Shivers created it
- trade name
- Lycra is spandex with better marketing
- hidden everywhere
- Lurks in jeans, socks, and surgical hosiery
lululemon athletica — canadian company founded 1998 that built a $4b+ brand on high-end spandex yoga pants
olympic rhythmic gymnastics — sport where competitors wear spandex-heavy unitards, featured at every summer olympics since 1984
lycra — dupont's trademarked spandex fiber invented 1958, still the dominant brand name for the material