Halden Works Portugal: Odor-Free Training Tees Built on Silver Ion Antibacterial Finish
Halden Works is a Portugal-based activewear label whose training tees programme sells directly to consumers and through selected retail partners. The team asked us to rebuild the fabric from scratch because a scented finish masked the smell for two washes and then stopped working. The target was a permanent mechanism rather than a fragrance.
Halden Works: odour-control swatch set for the training tees programme
The challenge
The smell built up at the underarm and the lower back, 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. A retailer review that questioned the wording of the claim 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 Silver Ion Antibacterial Finish on a nylon/spandex knit base. The mechanism matters: silver disrupts bacterial metabolism so the bacteria that create body odour cannot multiply. Keeping the base at lightweight single jersey with 8% elastane and 135 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 nylon/spandex knit fabric
Development and implementation
- Week 1: brief agreed, sweat zone mapped, target set as bacterial reduction above 99% after 10 washes by ISO 20743.
- 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 training tees, assessed after eight hours of wear.
- Pre-production: wash durability confirmed at 30 home washes, care wording written as wash at 30 degrees without fabric softener.
- Bulk: fixed recipe, consolidated dye lots, ISO 20743 repeated on every lot.
Specification delivered
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Product | Training Tees |
| Base construction | lightweight single jersey with 8% elastane, 135 GSM |
| Odour-control system | Silver Ion Antibacterial Finish |
| Performance target | bacterial reduction above 99% after 10 washes |
| Test method | ISO 20743 |
| Service life | 30 home washes |
| Added cost | USD 0.40 per garment |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100, REACH compliant inputs |
Results
The freshness claim passed the retailer's technical review first time, and no claim wording had to be softened before launch. 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.
“Two seasons on, the odour value is still there. That is why the style stayed in the range.” — Halden Works Product Team
Inline inspection and packing before the training tees shipment
Key takeaway
A wear trial cost two weeks and prevented a bulk mistake. Laboratory numbers predict performance, but only wearers find the complaints that reach customer service. For Halden Works, that turned a recurring complaint into a feature the brand could sell.
