Well - would a "hydrophobic" material really be "permeable" ? I mean - the fabric itself wouldn't be what was holding the water.
Well, the way I look at it, if I used a thread that itself was not permeable, say rubber for example, but wove it together so that in actuality there were tiny "holes" through which water could pass, I would say that the fabric could be called permeable. Now I'm sure FINA wouldn't allow a tech suit made of woven rubber, since rubber falls outside the textile category. But, as someone else mentioned, there are lots of man-made fibers that are woven into swimsuits, so why not carbon fiber. :D
Well - would a "hydrophobic" material really be "permeable" ? I mean - the fabric itself wouldn't be what was holding the water.
Well, the way I look at it, if I used a thread that itself was not permeable, say rubber for example, but wove it together so that in actuality there were tiny "holes" through which water could pass, I would say that the fabric could be called permeable. Now I'm sure FINA wouldn't allow a tech suit made of woven rubber, since rubber falls outside the textile category. But, as someone else mentioned, there are lots of man-made fibers that are woven into swimsuits, so why not carbon fiber. :D
