Dimensions staff member tests out 37.5 suit during walking challenge

On Thursday, June 28, 36 Dimensions staff from Castle Donington and Long Eaton took on the Lyke Wake Walk Challenge with one member of staff in particular wearing a 37.5 suit.

The Lyke Wake Walk is a 40 mile hike across Yorkshire moorland, which must be completed in under 24 hours. Fabric technical assistant Paul Mellor undertook the challenge in 30°C heat wearing a 37.5 suit, complete with shirt, trousers, socks, tie, blazer and cap.

37.5 Technology is cutting edge, designed to be responsive to the wearer, cooling when it’s hot and warming when it’s cold. The temperature of the Lyke Wake Walk fluctuated between 8°C at the coldest point in the night, to 31°C. In 2017 Felix Mayerhoefer ran the Hamburg marathon wearing a 37.5 suit, and set a new Guinness world record. Tests have shown that when athletes wear 37.5 garments their performance is improved by 26%.

Mr Mellor said: “Working in the technical team we see a lot of fabric innovations we love to try before offering them to our clients. After seeing an article in the Dimensions magazine about a man running a marathon in 37.5 fabric, I thought that hiking 40 miles in a 37.5 suit in both the freezing cold and blistering hot would be the perfect opportunity to put the fabric to the test ourselves.

“In all honesty I was probably the most sceptical out of the team. I’d said beforehand I was getting a little concerned, so just in case I also packed a shorts and T shirt! I was aware that it’s not a magic fabric, so if I got too hot I wanted to have other options but luckily I didn’t need them.

“During the night part of the walk, the temperature was low and my colleagues were wearing jumpers, scarves and snoods. I didn’t need to wear anything else, my suit kept me at a nice temperature. In the heat the suit wicked moisture away from my body and left me feeling cool.”

An impressive feature of the fabric is that recovery time is sped up after a period of exhaustion and Mr Mellor was pleasantly surprised by these findings and remarked that he was keen to get going after rest breaks and didn’t feel as exhausted as he expected.

Mr Mellor added: “In short, I really do think that 37.5 Technology really lives up to its claim. This is really exciting for my team especially as we are always looking for the next innovation in fabric. I honestly wouldn’t hesitate in recommending a client to use 37.5 Technology for a reactive workwear.”

Currently Dimensions has bespoke 37.5 uniforms being trialled by a leading UK bank, and two international travel and transport companies.