Kestrel Sport Sweden: Basketball Club Warm-Up Range Laboratory Test Report
Kestrel Sport is a Sweden-based brand whose basketball club warm-up range is one of its most demanding programmes. This report documents the laboratory qualification of the bonded softshell knit supplied to Kestrel Sport for its basketball club warm-up range. Every figure below was produced on bulk fabric, not on an approval swatch.
Kestrel Sport: Bonded Softshell Knit in use during court warm-ups and travel days
Evaluation background
The programme covers warm-up suits, shorts and shooting shirts, used for court warm-ups and travel days. The environment is indoor heat with repeated washing between fixtures and the requirement written into the brief was shape retention through a long competitive season. Fabric was selected on that basis rather than on price alone.
Fabric under evaluation
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Fabric | Bonded Softshell Knit |
| Composition | polyester face bonded to a TPU membrane |
| Weight | 320 GSM |
| Width | 175 cm |
| Primary function | blocks wind while still allowing vapour to escape |
| Target | water vapour resistance below 6 m2Pa/W |
| Test method | ISO 11092 |
| Additional note | bond strength above 15 N after washing |
| Certification | OEKO-TEX Standard 100 |
Bonded Softshell Knit close-up showing the fabric surface
Samples and conditioning
Three bulk lots were sampled at random and conditioned for 24 hours before testing. Results are reported as the worst of the three, which is the number a brand should plan around.
Test methods
The primary method was ISO 11092, supported by dimensional change to AATCC 135, pilling to ISO 12945-2 and colour fastness to ISO 105-C06.
Evaluation session with the Kestrel Sport team
Results
The fabric reached water vapour resistance below 6 m2Pa/W, with bond strength above 15 N after washing. All supporting tests passed the agreed limits, and the report carries the lot numbers so the results can be reproduced.
Interpretation
Numbers only matter against the use case. For basketball club warm-up range the relevant result is that the fabric keeps blocks wind while still allowing vapour to escape after conditioning, which is what protects the wearer during court warm-ups and travel days.
Test records and inspection notes for the Basketball Club Warm-Up Range
Scorecard
| Criterion | Result |
|---|---|
| Primary function | 4.7 / 5 |
| Dimensional change | 4.4 / 5 |
| Pilling grade | 4.8 / 5 |
| Colour fastness | 4.6 / 5 |
| Consistency | 4.5 / 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
The bulk fabric met every agreed target. The lot is released and we recommend repeating the same test set on each future delivery of the bonded softshell knit. For Kestrel Sport the practical next steps are to keep the current specification for the repeat, retain the shade standard, and issue ISO 11092 results with every lot so any claim can be supported with data.
