How does it work?
When a beam of light from headlights, a flashlight, a lighting lamp or any other source reaches a surface covered with many silvery prisms or microglass beads, it is refracted and returned to its original point.
The shape of the retroreflective components ensures the return of the light beam to its source as a result of multiple refractions, and not reflection, as when a sunbeam bounces from the floor onto a wall.
Retroreflection ≠ Reflection!
There are several methods of applying retroreflective elements to clothing:
1. Sewn-on
Retroreflective strips and individual elements (chevrons) are sewn onto the garment during the manufacturing process.
2. Heat transfers
Small retroreflective images and repeating elements are transferred from a film backing onto parts of future garments or onto a specific area of finished garments using a special high-temperature press. With this method the retroreflective print is bonded to the material not only at the edges but across the entire surface – ensuring its excellent durability.
3. Printed designs
A printed retroreflective pattern is applied with a special dye containing retroreflective components during the fabric dyeing stage across the full width and fixed to it. Retroreflective prints on fabric can be made in any pattern and any color – this allows combining protection in low-visibility conditions with truly stylish designs.
Heat and printed transfers become one with the fabric after application. Unlike sewn-on elements, they do not require their own backing and are therefore lighter and more flexible. Applying the print does not involve piercing the fabric and does not compromise the structure of the material, so the print is especially recommended for products that protect against moisture.
Modern technologies make it possible not to be limited to silver-colored retroreflective elements. The TRAVERS collection uses a black heat transfer in jackets and trousers, which looks like a decorative element but helps indicate a person’s presence in low-visibility conditions.
Fabrics with an all-over retroreflective printed design are used in functional NOKSFILD softshell jackets, TRAVERS softshell and the TRAVERS windbreaker.