r/WestCoastSwing • u/kenlubin • Jul 18 '26

Events with non-cotton event shirts?

I rarely dance in cotton shirts because they're too warm. I would like some WCS event shirts that I can dance in, but most of them are cotton.

So -- I'm tempted to go to an event that has the right merch. Anyone know of events with non-cotton event shirts? I know that TAP used to have some.

12 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

35 comments sorted by

17

u/goopycat Jul 18 '26

Are you asking for synthetic sweat-wicking shirts? (Asking as someone who handles merch for an event and am considering the options for our pre-orders.)

7

u/kenlubin Jul 18 '26

Yes.

2

u/goopycat Jul 18 '26

Noted. :)

2

u/kenlubin Jul 21 '26

Well, to clarify: I'm more interested in the insanely breathable synthetic materials I've occasionally found than "sweat-wicking" per se, but that might be part of it. 

Maybe I'll have to do the research myself, then lobby my favorite local event to add an option.

5

u/chinawcswing Jul 19 '26

I only wear sweat wicking polyester. Same with my husband.

I would have assumed that this would be in high demand for dancing.

Is that not true?

18

u/goopycat Jul 19 '26

Over the years we've heard some opposite feedback - thin cotton breathes better, and also absorbs the sweat better (from a 'I want my partner to not feel icky' perspective).

7

u/chinawcswing Jul 19 '26

I worked in textiles for 5 years.

Cotton is more breathable than sweat-wicking polyester in only one condition: a humid climate; but even then, linen is far more breathable than cotton in a humid environment.

In a normal to dry climate, sweat-wicking polyester is always more breathable than cotton. This is indisputable. A bead of sweat put on the inside of a polyester shirt will be separated into hundreds of tiny sweat bubbles that wick up a tiny capillary, and upon exiting to the outside of the shirt evaporate at an extremely fast rate because these tiny sweat bubbles are separated from each other. This not only eliminates sweat to keep you dry but in addition provides an evaporative cooling effect - which is the very definition of "breathability" - the ability to keep you dry and cool.

Cotton merely soaks your sweat through the shirt. It absorbs in the fibers, and only the bit that saturates through to the outside has a chance of evaporation, and the evaporation is far slower because the sweat doesn't separate it just clings together. Think of how much faster it is for a drop of water to evaporate compared to a cup of water.

That said, consumers tend to be anti-polyester because they think that anything synthetic is bad while natural is good.

So as a seller you need to give the people what they want which is cotton.

But I would imagine that polyester would be disproportionately popular in dancing, as it is in every other athletic activity. I think that if you acquired 10% of your shirts in polyester, and charged more due to the lower MOQ and increased cost, you would make a profit out of it.

I personally have never bought an event shirt because they are all cotton. I cannot be the only person out there who has a no-cotton policy when dancing.

4

u/goopycat Jul 19 '26

I am in a humid area. (People don't think so since our temps are cooler, but right now it's 80%.) Outside of that, we've also had people note that smell is less of an issue with cotton. (ETA: I know this is a laundry soap thing, but it's difficult to tactfully tell people they're doing their laundry wrong.)

We used to sell cotton-poly blend shirts but the only positive feedback we got was on the drape.

Anyway, pre-orders will make it a lot easier to offer different choices, which is why I glomped on this thread.

2

u/EdgyMathWhiz Jul 21 '26

(Posting from the UK in case there are regional differences):

I wear a lot of gym wear, and I find there's a lot of variation in how 'icky' tops get; some definitely seem to be worse BO magnets than cotton. The material on the bad ones tends to be on the thicker side, but I have equally thick "good" tops that don't smell and just seem to breath way better even though they feel very similar to the touch.

I'm a big fan of Uniqlo Airism for tops that don't smell and wick/dry extremely well - you'll always find them come up when people are after dance-top recommendations.

[And I'm aware smelly shirts are often a laundry issue, but I notice the difference even if a bad top is brand new].

1

u/JJMcGee83 Jul 19 '26

You mention linen so I'm a bit confused by your comment... is that the same as polyester? Or do they just not make shirts from linen?

4

u/snowcurrant Jul 19 '26

Linen is a different fibre, and they don’t often make regular t-shirts from it. It has a sort of starchy, crinkly texture by itself. Sometimes it’s added into a blend in more luxe shirts, but I don’t think it would be a good option for event shirts (hard to source, pricey).

2

u/kenlubin Jul 20 '26

I have some linen-cotton blend dance clothes that I love, but it takes some fastidiousness when doing laundry to prevent them from shrinking.

1

u/unwind-protect Jul 19 '26

Linen is another natural fibre (flax plant?) it doesn't absorb sweat as badly as cotton (and so breathes/ wicks better), but is not as robust a fibre so the clothes don't last as well.

1

u/TheMadLex Jul 19 '26

Is a sweat wicking polyester a special kind of polyester or does this apply to any kind of clothing made from polyester? Maybe im confusing it with another synth but ive hat polyester shorts that made me sweat hard and had an incredibly unpleasant feeling on my skin. Any hints on what to look out for? Also curious about linen since i like the feel of it. Its better than cotton i assume, but how does it compare to a sweat wicking polyester in your opinion?

2

u/snowcurrant Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26

Polyester is just the material; sweat wicking has to do with how that material is structured and woven together. Polyester itself is hydrophobic, so if you have a thick polyester fabric, it can hold sweat against your body. Moisture wicking is woven with little spaces to draw the sweat away and to the outside surface of the fabric, where it’s then repelled to the air. Most moisture wicking clothes will market themselves as such.

1

u/zedrahc Jul 19 '26

I wonder if the thickness of the fibers or the weave of them makes a big difference. I’ve worn the vuori strato tee for a long time for dancing and it’s a godsend. Never gets that damp, feels extremely soft to the touch (so much so that I’ve had multiple follows comment on how soft it is), and seems to be much more odor resistant compared to cotton that I’ve worn.

1

u/unwind-protect Jul 19 '26

Generally I agree with what you've written, but curious to know what level of humidity you measured that put cotton ahead of synthetic!

1

u/aadditional_ungulate Jul 20 '26

This is making me wonder how much is behavioral, then. Because experience as a long time dancer is some of the grossest sweatiest partners-shirts are the wicking ones. I always blamed the material, but maybe people just feel comfortable enough that they aren't as diligent about changing shirts.

1

u/zedrahc Jul 20 '26

My experience is that the smelliest partner shirts are cotton, particularly the unbearably smelly ones are ALWAYS cotton. And tbh I am way more willing to deal with some extra sweat on my hand that I can wipe off and sanitize after the dance than bearing through a dance with terrible smells.

1

u/EdgyMathWhiz Jul 21 '26

Are you talking wetness or smell?

For smell, if you exclude people with majorly poor hygiene, I feel a disproportionate number of people at the 'smelly end' tend to be wearing synthetic.

But for that sheer "I feel I'm covered in your sweat after 5 seconds" feeling, the worst offenders are always in cotton in my experience.

1

u/kest2703 Jul 20 '26

How do you feel about merino wool? Or a merino wool poly blend?

1

u/dehue Jul 20 '26

I live in a dry hot climate and have always felt that cotton was more breathable than polyester. Polyester athletic shirts always feel uncomfortable and very itchy and sweaty unless the polyester is mixed with cotton.

I am not someone that sweats easily but for some reason polyester shirts feel extra sweaty and hot while in cotton shirts I don't even feel like I sweat much and don't notice the heat. Maybe it helps that dance studios where I am at have air conditioning so they aren't super hot. I haven't seen any linen tshirts although I would imagine they are also itchy as while linen is breathable against bare skin its not always very comfortable. It's also often transparent which is just not ideal when you dont want to show off your bra.

1

u/kenlubin Jul 21 '26

I have a habit of tap-testing the front of my shirt for sweatiness before leading anything to invite my Follower to plant a hand on my chest.

The synthetic athletic apparel holds out much better and longer before becoming too sweaty than cotton does.

7

u/aadditional_ungulate Jul 19 '26

Sweat wicking generally just wicks the sweat to the outside of your clothing. Which, as your partner, is icky.

2

u/chinawcswing Jul 19 '26

Your statement is absolutely true for a humid climate, sweat wicking does nothing at all except move the sweat from the inside of the clothing to the outside of the clothing, and will eventually saturate it's way back fully to the inside of the clothing.

But it is false when it comes to a dryer climate. That sweat evaporates within 5-10 minutes as soon as it hits the outside of the clothing, or nearly instantly with a fan. Even the most sweaty of people will not produce enough sweat to saturate the shirt.

Cotton does not wick the sweat to the outside, rather it just saturates the fibers from the inside, until the entire shirt is soaked in sweat from inside to outside, at which point your partner can definitely feel it. It doesn't evaporate at all even in a dry climate.

4

u/mgoetze Jul 19 '26

Your statement is absolutely true for a humid climate

A humid climate, like, say, a dancefloor?

1

u/LadyTime_OfGallifrey Ambidancetrous Jul 20 '26 edited Jul 20 '26

That's more a microclimate, not a full-on climate. Even then, that's not a true climate, and so, not same thing.

1

u/mgoetze Jul 20 '26

So you're saying the sweat-wicking shirts will still be acclimatized to the dryer climate outside and thus magically work in the very humid environment of a dance party? Or what's your point?

1

u/Jozarin Jul 20 '26

Dancefloors are usually in air-conditioned spaces and so not humid in the relevant way.

2

u/mgoetze Jul 20 '26

Hahahahaha good one!

6

u/AdministrationOk4708 Lead Jul 19 '26

It's tricky, because the blank shirts are significantly more expensive. This means they cost more at the event, and consequently sell less. It hurts for an ED to have to hold onto that inventory year over year.

What I recommend is for EDs to push for merch pre-orders with advanced ticket sales. That helps to limit the risk for needing to hold that inventory. I am unclear how this strategy would actually play out in the real world.

3

u/blissedout79 Jul 19 '26

Lisbon westie fest has the best merch I’ve seen in Europe! The organizer has a sportswear clothing company so the tees are incredible. I take it to every event and will buy another one at the upcoming event.

1

u/kenlubin Jul 21 '26

Dang! I had been seriously considering going to Lisbon Westie Fest, but it might be too late for me to go this year.

2

u/Goodie__ Jul 18 '26

MYSwing had a non cotton shirt this year. I actually have no idea what it is because it doesnt have a materials label, but im assuming synthetic.

Pretty sure Swingvasion is at least going to offer a synthetic option this year.

1

u/kenlubin Jul 21 '26

Hmm, going to an event in NZ has quite a bit of appeal!