Mesh in activewear: why it ventilates and how to wear it

Mesh is the fabric that shows the most and gets explained the least. Most people know it ventilates. Fewer know where it should sit, what separates good mesh from bad, and that it can be worn to the office. Here is what we have learned from sewing mesh into the Edge collection.

What does mesh do in activewear?

It releases heat where the body produces most of it. The inside of the thighs, along the legs, along the sides of the torso. A dense fabric keeps the heat in, mesh lets it pass. The difference is not noticeable at rest. It is noticeable at minute twenty, when leggings in dense fabric start to cling and the ones with mesh still feel dry.

Where should the mesh panels sit?

Where movement is greatest and the skin is warmest, not where they show best. Edge Mesh Leggings with pockets have the panels along the sides of the legs, straight and narrow, so they ventilate without becoming a window. Edge Mesh Sculpting Tights have the same idea in a sculpting style without pockets. Edge Long Sleeve Mesh Top puts the mesh details on the upper body, where a long-sleeved top otherwise gets too warm.

What separates good mesh from bad?

The feel against the skin. Cheap mesh is scratchy and chafes when the fabric moves, and it stretches out and sags after a few washes. Mesh that is woven tight and smooth is silky, moves with the stretch and goes back. All three Edge Mesh pieces are sewn in ECO Circle, a polyester that is mostly recycled, with four-way stretch, moisture-wicking and quick-drying.

Does mesh turn see-through?

The panels are made to be, on a small scale. That is the point. But they sit where it does not matter: along the side of the leg, not over the seat or the front of the thigh. The rest of the leggings is dense, with a high sculpted waist and heart-shaped seam at the back, and stays in place through the session.

How do you wear mesh outside the gym?

As a detail, not as a theme. Mesh leggings with a long black jumper or the Edge Blazer look like a deliberate choice. The mesh top under a blazer in the evening works because the sleeves cover fully and the mesh is only hinted at. What decides it is that the rest of the look is calm. One thing in mesh. Not three.

Which size should you choose?

Your usual. Mesh Leggings with pockets come in XS to XXL, Mesh Sculpting Tights in XS to L, the top in XS to XXL. The Mesh Top has a slim fit that shapes without pressing, go up one size if you want it looser.

How do you wash mesh?

Inside out, in a laundry bag, at 30 degrees, hang to dry. The laundry bag is not a suggestion, it is what protects the mesh from zips and velcro in the same machine.

All three belong to the Edge collection. See also leggings with pockets and black leggings.