Northlane Active Ireland: Odor-Free High-Waist Leggings Built on Zinc-Based Deodorant Finish
Northlane Active is a Ireland-based activewear label whose leggings programme sells directly to consumers and through selected retail partners. The team asked us to rebuild the fabric from scratch because the sustainability team rejected a biocidal finish that was on the first sample. The target was odour control that complied with the brand's restricted substance list.
Northlane Active: odour-control swatch set for the leggings programme
The challenge
The smell built up at the inner thigh and the waistband, where sweat sits longest during a session. The previous fabric was a standard synthetic knit with no odour strategy, so bacteria broke the sweat down on the fabric and the smell became permanent after a few weeks. An internal compliance review before bulk booking made the problem urgent: the brand needed a fix before the next bulk booking, not a new supplier search.
The fabric solution
We built the programme around Zinc-Based Deodorant Finish on a polyester/spandex knit base. The mechanism matters: zinc binds the fatty acids in sweat before bacteria can convert them into odour. Keeping the base at interlock knit with 22% elastane and 240 GSM meant the hand, the stretch and the cover stayed exactly where the design team wanted them, because odour control changed the chemistry and the construction rather than the silhouette.
Wear trial and fit approval of the polyester/spandex knit fabric
Development and implementation
- Week 1: brief agreed, sweat zone mapped, target set as odour reduction above 80% for ammonia and acetic acid by ISO 17299-2.
- Week 2–3: laboratory knits produced and tested; add-on level adjusted until the target was met with margin.
- Week 4–5: wear trial on finished leggings, assessed after eight hours of wear.
- Pre-production: wash durability confirmed at 20 home washes, care wording written as wash at 30-40 degrees and dry away from direct heat.
- Bulk: fixed recipe, consolidated dye lots, ISO 17299-2 repeated on every lot.
Specification delivered
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Product | High-Waist Leggings |
| Base construction | interlock knit with 22% elastane, 240 GSM |
| Odour-control system | Zinc-Based Deodorant Finish |
| Performance target | odour reduction above 80% for ammonia and acetic acid |
| Test method | ISO 17299-2 |
| Service life | 20 home washes |
| Added cost | USD 0.32 per garment |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100, REACH compliant inputs |
Results
The wear panel scored the new fabric two points cleaner on a five-point scale, and the brand rewrote its product page claim to match the test method. The odour value was re-measured on bulk fabric rather than on the approval sample, so the result reflects what customers actually received. The programme is now on its third repeat with the same recipe.
“The fabric still smells clean at the end of a double training day. That is the comment we get most often now.” — Northlane Active Product Team
Inline inspection and packing before the leggings shipment
Key takeaway
Sustainability and performance were not in conflict here. Choosing the right mechanism satisfied the compliance team without asking the customer to accept less protection. For Northlane Active, that turned a recurring complaint into a feature the brand could sell.
