Global sports company PUMA has developed ULTRAWEAVE, its lightest-ever performance apparel technology engineered to deliver the game’s fastest football jersey.
The new technology makes an on-pitch debut on Tuesday, worn by the Italy men’s national team in their Nations League semi-final fixture against Spain. The ULTRAWEAVE jersey will also be worn by the Italy women’s national team in their upcoming fixtures.
ULTRAWEAVE, which was created following years of vigorous wear testing with PUMA athletes, is an ultra-light weight fabric that is engineered for optimised performance.
The jersey has a base chassis weighing only 72g, with extreme weight reduction achieved through a lightweight woven fabric featuring a four-way engineered mechanical stretch that will make PUMA players and teams faster and more dynamic.
Football is defined by marginal gains. When the game is on the line every gram counts. As part of the brand’s Faster Football movement, PUMA aims to push boundaries, innovate, and bring fresh products to football.
ULTRAWEAVE is a unique combination of fabric, pattern construction and applications (trims) that give the garment it’s unique properties, delivering the most ultra-lightweight and comfortable performance apparel PUMA has ever made in their mission to be the fastest sports brand in the world.
The lightweight woven fabric features a two-dimensional ripstop structure that stays durable while enhancing player movement and drastically reducing weight. Further weight reduction is achieved through a specially crafted pattern that reduces the conventional design of four to eight panels into just two main panels – reducing the number of seams and stitches in the jersey.
Additionally, the ULTRAWEAVE jerseys feature a new print technique for team/federation and PUMA logos, which is lighter and more breathable than traditional transfers.
ULTRAWEAVE retains performance, durability and breathability measures with thermo-regulating properties to ensure optimal performance in extreme conditions. The dryCELL recycled polyester jersey is fast drying and reduces water retention, which allows for optimal performance when wet or dry.
Speaking at the reveal of ULTRAWEAVE, Stefano Favaro, creative director Teamsport at PUMA said: “Our athletes wanted something lighter and faster to help them achieve marginal gains needed at the highest level.
“This resulted in four years of testing and development to achieve the lightest football jersey we have ever made. Sport is defined by split seconds. Therefore, we identified apparel as a product that we could evolve to a new level.
“We felt we could give our players and teams a tangible performance benefit over 90 minutes. During a game players cover an average of 10 to 13.5km with high intensity action every 60 seconds. To perform at your optimal level during a game, the apparel needs to adapt and evolve. Through ULTRAWEAVE, we are able to reduce apparel and kit weight and restrictions to improve performance.”
The new technology has been applied to the Italy home jersey for the very first time for Italy’s upcoming Nations League semi-final against Spain. The special material has been incorporated in the existing Renaissance home jersey pattern as PUMA debuts its lightest-ever jersey on pitch in one of the biggest games of the season.
