Welcome to our MEC Learning Journey! Embark on a step by step breakdown on how we research, develop and design materials and applications at MEC. By the end of this tour, we aim to give you a better understanding of our seamless process and the steps that are involved. In addition to a clear explanation of the correlation between yarn, machine and concept through our MEC tights as an example. We hope it sparks your creativity and inspires ideas for a future collaboration. Enjoy!

A bit of background first ….

You may be wondering where our visual design stems from. We use primary colors for our VI with the philosophy that each of these poses the potential to create new hues outside of the basic scope. The ribbed tubular design represents MEC‘s tech-innovative identity by visually emitting its three core elements: Yarn, Machine and Concept — which is essentially our unique textile development process.

We welcome you to share your vision using our space, virtually or in person, to further the future of materials together — that’s our mission.

To reinvent innovation, we aim to build textile solutions that surpass expectations, endure the test of time, and make a statement.

Through MEC’s Yarn & Machine Up product development process, we start by playing around with materials for inspiration, design mood boards and narrow down: who the target end user is, what their needs are, and what message our collaborators would like to bring to the market.

When developing the MEC tights, we wanted to combine our VI with the advantages of seamless technology by using Nylstar’s innovative yarns.

Here’s how.

Our creative process follows a reversed approach compared to the traditional. Design is driven by the data we collect and analyzed during our research phase. These include factors like: functional needs, capabilities in material development, and aesthetic exploration including the programming stage.

Here you can see our concept direction with the personalized design of our seamless MEC tights. We did this by connecting it to our VI from earlier in the journey. We played around with texture, colors, and yarns that have proven to deliver what the wearer needs.

After laying out the design direction for a new material, we select the suitable machine for fabrication. Santoni’s advanced technology can execute pattern and technical feature engineering, as well as structure formation with multiple types of yarns that produces in one go.

Our MEC tight was created on the Top2 Fast in 32gg — single-jersey technology that allows the fabric to feel like second skin that breathes and compresses where needed. It also only takes between 5 – 8 minutes to produce a pair. A competitive advantage when considering mass production.

Once the suitable machine has been selected, we decide which yarns possess the qualities we want the final product to have. Regardless of textile application, intention and longevity of the material are always at the forefront.

For our seamless MEC tights we used Recycled Yarns from Meryl/Nylstar — born from Nylstar’s commitment to reduce or eliminate the use of water, energy, and chemicals while promoting 100% recyclability in garment production. This environmentally friendly yarn maintains quality and all its performance features together while remaining exceptional to the touch.

As we come closer to the physical prototype, designers and technicians work together to bring the idea on paper, mood board, and yarn combination to life. This process of creativity-to-in-person transliteration isn’t just about aesthetic, it is also about securing functionality, comfort, and sustainable features.

Our seamless MEC tights went through pattern testing, body mapping and engineered fine-tuning before taking their final form — like all of our newly created materials. We aim to create an all-in-one seamless product.

When the ideal textile is created and has been molded to the end-user product, we have created a final prototype. — physical proof of concept from our ‘Yarn & Machine Up’ development process.

Because Santoni technology fabricates pieces in one take, it allows for detailed tailoring with avant-garde design while diminishing material waste. Ultimately, meeting exact end-consumer needs; ready for final bulk production.

As you can see, the MEC tights are now ready to be worn for yoga, to go running, or for an athleisure fit — serving purpose and looks.

MEC encourages seasoned and beginning industry creatives to work together in order to create the best for tomorrow’s textiles. Along with Santoni’s advanced technology, you’ll have a wide scope of creation that provides you with endless possibilities of material combinations. Allow your brand to discover the perfect fit for your prototype while meeting end-user needs.

Feel free to reach out to us for more detailed information on our development process, other works, or general inquiries on how to innovate the future!

Welcome to our MEC Learning Journey! Embark on a step by step breakdown on how we research, develop and design materials and applications at MEC. By the end of this tour, we aim to give you a better understanding of our seamless process and the steps that are involved. In addition to a clear explanation of the correlation between yarn, machine and concept through our MEC tights as an example. We hope it sparks your creativity and inspires ideas for a future collaboration. Enjoy!