Ascend Form Portugal: Odor-Free Compression Base Layers Built on Zinc-Based Deodorant Finish
Ascend Form is a Portugal-based activewear label whose base layers 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 base layers programme
The challenge
The smell built up at the back and the underarm, 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 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 plated knit with 12% elastane and 190 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 base layers, 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 | Compression Base Layers |
| Base construction | plated knit with 12% elastane, 190 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 fabric held its odour value through 30 home washes with no measurable drop, and care wording was updated on the hangtag to protect the value. 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.” — Ascend Form Product Team
Inline inspection and packing before the base layers shipment
Key takeaway
Care instructions are part of the product. Stating the right wash conditions on the label is what keeps the measured value alive after the garment leaves the store. For Ascend Form, that turned a recurring complaint into a feature the brand could sell.
