Kestrel Sport Sweden: Swim School Programme Field Test Report
Kestrel Sport is a Sweden-based brand whose swim school programme is one of its most demanding programmes. Kestrel Sport runs its swim school programme across Sweden and asked us to prove the fabric in the field rather than in a brochure. This report covers a full season of real use with silver ion antibacterial knit.
Kestrel Sport: Silver Ion Antibacterial Knit in use during daily pool sessions for children and adults
Evaluation background
The programme covers training swimsuits, swim shorts and rash guards, used for daily pool sessions for children and adults. The environment is chlorinated water and repeated drying cycles and the requirement written into the brief was chlorine resistance with reliable shape retention. Fabric was selected on that basis rather than on price alone.
Fabric under evaluation
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Silver Ion Antibacterial Knit |
| Composition | nylon spandex with silver ion filament |
| Weight | 250 GSM |
| Width | 170 cm |
| Primary function | stops the bacteria that turn sweat into odour |
| Target | bacterial reduction above 99% |
| Test method | ISO 20743 |
| Additional note | performance retained after 30 home washes |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Silver Ion Antibacterial Knit close-up showing the fabric surface
Test scope
Twenty garments were issued to regular participants and tracked for eight weeks. Every item was used for daily pool sessions for children and adults and laundered under the same domestic conditions, so the only real variable was wear.
Conditions covered
The programme ran through chlorinated water and repeated drying cycles. That is the environment the fabric has to survive, and it is harsher than any laboratory chamber we could have built.
Evaluation session with the Kestrel Sport team
What we measured
Garments were inspected every two weeks for surface wear, seam condition, dimensional change and retained hand. Fabric was retested at the end of the period against ISO 20743.
What users reported
Participants logged comfort, drying behaviour and any irritation. The recurring comment was that the silver ion antibacterial knit stayed comfortable at the point where chlorine resistance with reliable shape retention would normally be lost.
Test records and inspection notes for the Swim School Programme
Scorecard
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Comfort in use | 4.8 / 5 |
| Drying behaviour | 4.6 / 5 |
| Surface wear | 4.5 / 5 |
| Dimensional stability | 4.7 / 5 |
| Value | 4.4 / 5 |
“Fifty washes later the fabric still performs. That is what convinced our buying team.” — Kestrel Sport Technical Team
Packed bulk rolls before shipment to Sweden
Verdict and recommendation
Field testing confirmed the laboratory picture. The silver ion antibacterial knit held its bacterial reduction above 99% across the whole season and we recommend it for the next programme without change. For Kestrel Sport the practical next steps are to keep the current specification for the repeat, retain the shade standard, and issue ISO 20743 results with every lot so any claim can be supported with data.
