by Genevieve Scarano

Cotton USA is stepping up cotton’s capabilities and its latest apparel innovation may mean better performance in yoga for consumers who practice.

Cotton USA, a trademark of Cotton Council International (CCI), teamed up with Hologenix, maker of Celliant performance technology, to debut what it says is the first-ever yoga shirts and pants that improve blood flow for faster recovery times during exercise.

Displayed at the Première Vision show in Paris this year, the new yoga apparel features FDA-determined Celliant—a patented fiber technology that helps aid with recovery from strain by increasing blood flow and tissue oxygenation back to the body’s muscles.

“Our product is embedded with minerals that absorb your body heat, converting it into infrared energy, which is extremely useful for the human body,” Celliant’s Trenton Horinek explained. “The biggest benefit is creating blood flow, and we’re now an FDA-determined medical device so you can say on your packaging your product increases blood flow and energy, boosts performance and speeds muscle recovery.”

Brands and manufacturers that combine more than 50 percent U.S. cotton with the Celliant technology can use the Cotton USA Mark on their product packaging. A recent CCI global consumer study conducted in major consumer markets like China and North America, revealed that 80 percent of consumers prefer garments and home items that possess the Cotton USA Mark over generic 100 percent cotton. Two-thirds of consumers also indicated they would pay more for items with the Cotton USA Mark as opposed to those made with generic cotton.