Ascend Form Switzerland: Odor-Free Cycling Jerseys Built on Silver Ion Antibacterial Finish
Ascend Form is a Switzerland-based activewear label whose cycling jerseys programme sells directly to consumers and through selected retail partners. The team asked us to rebuild the fabric from scratch because the premium tier had to justify its price with something customers could actually feel. The target was a measurable freshness difference against the core range.
Ascend Form: odour-control swatch set for the cycling jerseys programme
The challenge
The smell built up at the back panel under the pockets, 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 price increase planned for the following season 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 polyester knit with mesh side panels and 130 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 cycling jerseys, 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 | Cycling Jerseys |
| Base construction | polyester knit with mesh side panels, 130 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
Repeat orders rose by 34% year on year for the treated style, and the untreated version was retired from the range. 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.
“Their team explained the mechanism in one sentence, and the bulk fabric behaved like the sample.” — Ascend Form Product Team
Inline inspection and packing before the cycling jerseys 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 Ascend Form, that turned a recurring complaint into a feature the brand could sell.
