Patent Publication Number: US-2021161219-A1

Title: Wetness indicator garment

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application having Attorney Docket No. 354529/170123US03CON, and entitled “Wetness Indicator Textile,” is a Continuation Application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/156,574, filed on Oct. 10, 2018, and entitled “Wetness Indicator Garment,” which in turn claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/573,863, filed on Oct. 18, 2017, and entitled “Wetness Indicator Garment.” The entireties of the aforementioned applications are incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT 
     Not applicable. 
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     Aspects of the technology described herein relate to a moisture indicator lower body garment. 
     BACKGROUND 
     A wearer of, for example, a full length lower body garment may not always be aware of the amount of moisture present in, for example, a grass field. By the time he/she is done walking through the field, the lower body garment may become heavy and uncomfortable close to the bottom edge portion of the lower body garment due to the absorption of large amounts of moisture. Garments in accordance with aspects herein remedy the shortcomings of conventional garments by providing moisture protection as well as a wetness visual indicator that signals the wearer and others in proximity to the wearer, that there is moisture present on the ground. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The technology described herein is described in detail below with reference to the attached drawing figures, wherein: 
         FIG. 1A  depicts a fabric or textile panel under dry conditions in accordance with aspects herein; 
         FIG. 1B  depicts a fabric or textile panel under wet conditions in accordance with aspects herein; 
         FIG. 1C  depicts a different fabric or textile panel under wet conditions in accordance with aspects herein; 
         FIG. 2  depicts a different exemplary fabric or textile panel under wet conditions in accordance with aspects herein; 
         FIG. 3A  depicts an exemplary lower body garment under dry conditions in accordance with aspects herein; 
         FIG. 3B  depicts the exemplary lower body garment of  FIG. 3A  under wet conditions in accordance with aspects herein; 
         FIG. 4  depicts an exemplary method for forming a garment panel in accordance with aspects herein; and 
         FIG. 5  depicts an exemplary method for constructing a wetness indicator garment in accordance with aspects herein. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     The subject matter of the present invention is described with specificity herein to meet statutory requirements. However, the description itself is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Rather, the inventors have contemplated that the claimed or disclosed subject matter might also be embodied in other ways, to include different steps or combinations of steps similar to the ones described in this document, in conjunction with other present or future technologies. Moreover, although the terms “step” and/or “block” might be used herein to connote different elements of methods employed, the terms should not be interpreted as implying any particular order among or between various steps herein disclosed unless and except when the order of individual steps is explicitly stated. 
     The technology described herein is generally directed to a wetness indicator fabric or textile and more specifically, to a garment comprised of the wetness indicator fabric or textile. The fabric or textile may be produced by a weaving or a knitting process or may comprise a non-woven material. The wetness indicator fabric or textile generally may comprise a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. Depending on which of the first surface or the second surface is configured to be exposed to an external environment, the exposed surface is provided with a water-repellant coating material applied in a pattern on at least a portion of the wetness indicator fabric or textile. The pattern of the water-repellant coating material applied on the fabric or textile is generally not visible when the fabric or textile is dry and only becomes visible when the fabric or textile material becomes wet. 
     The technology described herein further relates to a lower body garment and more specifically, a pair of long pants that when lower portions of, for example, the pant legs come in contact with and absorb some moisture (e.g., environmental or otherwise), a pattern becomes revealed on the lower portions of the pant legs. When the moisture is no longer in contact with the pair of pants and as it evaporates from the fabric or textile of the lower body garment, the pattern starts to disappear. Thus, aspects herein are directed to a wetness indicator garment useful for providing a visual indication to the wearer, and to others viewing the wearer, that wet conditions may be present. For instance, the wearer may be a golfer who is playing in areas of the golf course having high amounts of dew. The golfer&#39;s pants provide a visual indication of the amount or degree of wetness in these areas allowing the golfer, and his fellow golfers, to adjust their play accordingly. Further, in addition to providing the visual indication, the golfer&#39;s pants are protected from becoming saturated with moisture, which maintains comfort for the wearer in wet conditions, as will become more apparent in the description below with respect to the figures. 
     In one aspect, the lower body garment comprises at least one panel of a textile material having a first surface and a second surface, with the first surface being an outer-facing surface (i.e., facing an external environment) and the second surface being an inner-facing surface (i.e., facing a wearer&#39;s body). A portion of the first surface of the textile material is treated with a water-repellant coating material such as a durable water repellant (DWR) coating (the terms “water-repellant coating material,” “water-repellant coating,” “DWR coating,” and other similar variations may be used interchangeably herein). The water-repellant coating material is applied to form a pattern with coated portions and non-coated portions. The coated portions comprise a plurality of discrete shapes that are isolated from one another by surrounding interconnected non-coated perimeter portions. 
     In another aspect, the pattern comprises a plurality of discrete shapes, where a size of the discrete shapes is gradually decreased from a first area of the treated portion to a second area of the treated portion resulting in a size gradient. The first area is located between the bottom edge (e.g., the hem) of the lower body garment and the second area. In other words, the first area is positioned at an inferior aspect of the lower body garment and the second area is positioned superior to the first area. The first area may be configured to cover from about 2 cm to about 20 cm, from about 5 cm to about 20 cm, from about 7 cm to about 15 cm, or from about 2 cm to about 10 cm as measured from the bottom edge of the lower body garment. The second area may be directly adjacent to the first area and may be configured to extend up to from about 10 cm to about 60 cm, from about 15 cm to about 60 cm, from about 20 cm to about 55 cm, from about 10 cm to about 50 cm, or from about 15 cm to about 45 cm, when measured from the bottom edge of the lower body garment. As described herein, the term “about” is used to mean that the measured distance is within ±10% of a designated distance value. In other words, the DWR coating may be applied on to the lower body garment at lower body garment portions that are configured to align with portions of a leg of a wearer that are at, slightly above, or slightly below the knee of the wearer. 
     The larger shapes of the water-repellant coating may be provided in the first area closer to the bottom edge to provide coverage of a larger surface area than in portions that are further from the bottom edge in order to prevent the pant leg from becoming overly saturated when in direct contact with moisture from, for example, wet grass, a wet floor, rain, and the like. Therefore, the coated portions do not absorb moisture and thus stay essentially dry. However, the non-coated portions surrounding each discrete shape absorb moisture and therefore undergo a color change, becoming darker or deeper in color when compared to portions of the lower body garment that comprise the water-repellant coating. This may be especially apparent when the lower body garment is formed from a fabric that is lighter in color such as, for example, a light tan color, a light blue color, and the like. As such, the pattern of shapes formed by the water-repellant coating on the pant leg becomes visible. As described briefly above, once the moisture evaporates from the non-coated portions, the fabric or textile of the lower body garment dries out, and the pattern of shapes formed by the water-repellant coating material becomes invisible once again. 
     Another aspect in accordance with aspects herein is related to a method of constructing a wetness indicator lower body garment, the method comprising providing at least one garment panel for constructing the lower body garment. The method further includes applying a coating of a water-repellant material to a first surface of the garment panel starting at a first area of the garment panel, the coating being applied in a pattern comprising a plurality of discrete shapes. Each shape is surrounded by a non-coated portion of the garment panel that does not have the water-repellant coating, wherein a size of the discrete shapes in the plurality of discrete shapes may be the same throughout, or alternatively, the size of the discrete shapes in the plurality of discrete shapes may be gradually decreased from the first area to a second area of the garment panel. Further, the method includes forming the garment panel into a leg portion of the lower body garment, such that the first area corresponds to a cuff or bottom edge area of the leg portion and the second area corresponds generally to a knee area of the leg portion. 
     With reference to the figures,  FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C  depict an exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  in accordance with aspects herein. More specifically,  FIG. 1A  depicts the exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  under dry conditions, and  FIG. 1B  depicts the exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  under wet conditions. The fabric or textile piece  100  may be, for example, a stretch woven fabric, a knit fabric, a woven fabric, and the like. The fabric or textile piece  100  may be formed from polyester yarns, cotton yarns, rayon yarns, silk yarns, hemp yarns, nylon yarns, and the like, or a combination of these. Further, the fabric or textile piece  100  may also comprise interwoven or interknit elastic yarns such as elastane yarns in order to provide stretchability to the fabric or textile for comfort when the fabric or textile is formed into a garment. Furthermore, the fabric or textile may be treated with different coatings to provide additional properties to the fabric or textile such as, for example, moisture management properties. Additionally, the fabric or textile may also include performance yarns such as high tensile strength yarns, aramid yarns, and the like, for reinforcing the fabric or textile. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1A , the exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  comprises a first surface  110  and a second surface  112  opposite the first surface  110 , where the first surface  110  comprises a water-repellant coating material applied in a pattern, the pattern not being visible under dry conditions. In other words, under dry conditions, the first surface  110  of the fabric or textile piece  100  may present a first appearance, depending on whether the exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  is comprised of a solid color fabric or textile or a patterned or multicolored fabric or textile. 
       FIG. 1B  depicts the fabric or textile piece  100  under wet conditions, where  FIG. 1B  depicts a first exemplary pattern of shapes  122  revealed, as shown with reference to  FIG. 1C , many different patterns are available for the pattern of shapes, where  FIG. 1C  depicts a second exemplary pattern of shapes  132  revealed on a wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  102  that when dry, would have a similar or the same appearance as the fabric or textile piece  100  shown in  FIG. 1A . With respect to  FIG. 1B , in the presence of moisture  120  (e.g., dew, rain, snow, mist, and the like), the pattern of shapes  122  of the water-repellant coating material on the first surface  110  of the exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  becomes revealed. As described briefly above, the pattern of shapes  122  is comprised of a plurality of discrete water-repellant coated portions  124  where each of the discrete water-repellant coated portions  124  comprises a predetermined shape. Each of the discrete water-repellant coated portions  124  is surrounded or circumscribed by a portion of the fabric or textile material that is not coated with the water-repellant coating material. In other words, each of the discrete water-repellant coated portions  124  is surrounded by perimeter portions  126  that are not coated with the water-repellant coating material. 
     As shown in  FIG. 1B , the non-coated perimeter portions  126  are interconnected. To describe it in a different way, the perimeter portions  126  form a continuous path through which moisture may, for example, wick or travel. Therefore, as the exemplary wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  is exposed to moisture  120  such as, for example, water from rain, a puddle, a sprinkler, and the like, the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  absorbs the moisture  120  at the perimeter portions  126  and, depending on the amount of moisture absorbed, the fabric or textile piece  100  may undergo a change of color at the perimeter portions  126  to generate a second visual appearance different from the first visual appearance (i.e., when the fabric or textile piece  100  is dry as shown in  FIG. 1A .) In the case of fabric or textile materials that are generally light in color, the change in color due to wetness or exposure to moisture  120  is a color darkening effect, and thus, the perimeter portions  126  may become darker than dry portions and the discrete water-repellant coated portions  124  of the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100 , resulting in the pattern of shapes  122  being revealed (i.e., becoming visible). Then, when the moisture is allowed to evaporate, the pattern of shapes  122  becomes hidden again as the perimeter portions  126  dry and their color is restored to the original color of the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  when in a dry state as shown in  FIG. 1A . 
     It is contemplated that the water-repellant coating material is a type of durable water-repellant coating material generally known as DWR, however, any other type of water-repellant coating material suitable for use in accordance with aspects herein may be used. It is also contemplated that the water-repellant coating material may be applied on to the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  in any desired pattern comprised of any desired shapes having any desired size. It is further contemplated that different sections of the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  in accordance with aspects herein may comprise different patterns. 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 1B , the pattern of shapes  122  may include discrete water-repellant coated portions  124  and perimeter portions  126  having a uniform shape, a uniform size, and a uniform width throughout the treated portion of the fabric or textile. Alternatively, as shown in  FIG. 1C , the fabric or textile piece  102  having a first surface  104  and a second surface  106 , may comprise, on the first surface  104 , a pattern of shapes  132  that includes water-repellant coated portions  134  that are different sizes while the perimeter portions  136  remain constant throughout. For example, the water-repellant coated portions  134  in  FIG. 1C , become gradually smaller in the direction of the gradient  140  (i.e., each of the water-repellant coated portions  134  decrease in surface area in the direction of the gradient  140 ). In this particular example, since the shapes of the water-repellant coated portions  134  become gradually smaller following the gradient  140 , the total surface area covered by the perimeter portions  136  is increased with the gradient  140 , thereby allowing the fabric or textile piece  102  to have, for example, greater breathability in the area where the water-repellant coated portions  134  are smaller in size. In yet a different example, as will be discussed in further detail below with reference to  FIG. 2 , both the shape and size of the water-repellant coated portions, as well as the size (i.e., thickness) of the perimeter portions may be varied throughout. 
     The pattern formed by the fabric or textile portions that are coated with the water-repellant coating material and the fabric or textile portions that are not coated with the water-repellant coating material enable the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  to provide protection from the elements (i.e., moisture) without sacrificing breathability of the fabric or textile, and signals to the wearer and others in the wearer&#39;s vicinity that there is moisture in the environment. For example, when the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  is used to form a lower body garment that is configured to cover the full length of a wearer&#39;s legs, and the wearer is walking through wet grass, the garment may signal to the wearer and others in the wearer&#39;s vicinity that the grass is wet by absorbing moisture from the grass and revealing the pattern formed by the water-repellant coated and non-coated portions of the wetness indicator fabric or textile piece  100  where moisture has been absorbed. 
       FIG. 2  depicts a fabric or textile piece  200  that comprises a water-repellant coating material applied on to a first surface  210  of the fabric or textile piece  200  in a pattern  222 . The pattern  222  is comprised of a plurality of discrete water-repellant coated portions having discrete shapes that are provided in a size gradient  202 . In other words, water-repellant coated portions  224  in a first area  240  have a first shape and size, and water-repellant coated portions  228  have a second shape and size in a second area  250 . The shape and size of the plurality of discrete water-repellant coated portions  224 / 228  throughout the fabric or textile piece  200  is gradually decreased according to the direction of the size gradient  202 . In other words, the water-repellant coated portions  228  in the second area  250  are smaller in size or have less surface area per each shape than the water-repellant coated portions  224  in the first area  240 . 
     As well, following the size gradient  202 , the size or coverage area of the non-coated portions in the fabric or textile piece  200  is inversely proportional to the size or coverage area of the coated portions  224 / 228 . In other words, in one exemplary aspect, as the size and shape of the water-repellant coated portions  224 / 228  is decreased, the portions of the fabric or textile piece  200  that are not coated with the water-repellant coating material (i.e., the perimeter portions surrounding each coated portion) become gradually larger/thicker, or said differently, non-coated portions  226  surrounding the water-repellant coated portions  224  are smaller/thinner (or occupy less surface area) than non-coated portions  230  surrounding water-repellant coated portions  228 . 
     Continuing, just like in the fabric or textile piece  100  shown in  FIG. 1B , the non-coated portions  226 , the non-coated portions  230 , and all non-coated portions between the non-coated portions  226  and the non-coated portions  230  are interconnected. Thus, even if the moisture  220  is in direct contact with only non-coated portions  226 , for example, depending on the absorptivity of the fabric/textile, the moisture  220  will become absorbed and travel by capillary action to the rest of the non-coated portions, such as the non-coated portions  230 . The extent of the moisture  220  traveling by capillary action will also depend on the level of saturation of the non-coated portions  226  since, once saturated, further absorption of moisture will be slowed down. 
     No matter the actual shape(s) chosen for the pattern  222 , the size gradient  202  provided is advantageous because it allows the fabric or textile piece  200 , for example, to provide greater wetness protection in desired sections of the fabric or textile piece  200 , while allowing more breathability in other portions of the fabric or textile piece  200 . This is because, in some exemplary aspects, water-repellant coating materials may decrease the breathability of the fabric or textile when compared to the breathability of the fabric or textile in its original state without any coatings on it. 
     Returning briefly to  FIG. 1C , another way to achieve similar results is by varying the size of the coated portions (e.g., water-repellant coated portions  134 ) without varying the thickness of the non-coated portions (e.g., perimeter portions  136 ). Although the thickness of the non-coated portions (e.g., perimeter portions  136 ) is the same throughout the pattern, the effective total surface area covered by the non-coated portions (e.g., perimeter portions  136 ) is increased when the size of the shapes of the water-repellant coated portions  134  is decreased because there are more perimeters portions  136  circumscribing smaller shapes of water-repellant coated portions  134  within a given surface area. Thus, providing a pattern of water-repellant coated portions  134  with shapes that are gradually reduced in size or surface area according to a gradient (e.g. gradient  140 ), or simply reduced in size or surface area when transitioning from one area to another area of the garment, or fabric or textile piece, protection against wetness and breathability of the fabric or textile material is not compromised. Although not shown, it is also contemplated that the pattern in which the water-repellant coating material is applied may be comprised of more than one shape and the shapes may be geometrical, organic, letters, images, logos, and the like. 
     Returning to  FIG. 2 , as described above with respect to the fabric or textile piece  100  in  FIGS. 1A-1C , when the fabric or textile piece  100  is exposed to moisture  120 , the non-coated portions  126 / 136  absorb the moisture  120  and reveal the pattern  122 / 132 . Similarly, when the fabric or textile piece  200  is exposed to moisture  220 , the non-coated portions, e.g.,  226  and  230  absorb the moisture  220  and become darker in color, revealing the pattern  222 . 
     Moving on to  FIGS. 3A and 3B , an exemplary lower body garment  300  comprising a wetness indicator fabric or textile in accordance with aspects herein, is shown. The exemplary lower body garment  300  is shown as a pair of long pants or trousers comprising at least a torso component  310  that optionally includes a waistband  312 , a first pant leg  320 A and a second pant leg  320 B.  FIG. 3A  shows the exemplary lower body garment  300  in a dry state, and  FIG. 3B  shows the exemplary lower body garment  300  in a wet state. As shown in  FIG. 3A , the pattern  370  of the water-repellant coating material is not visible when dry, and as shown in  FIG. 3B , the pattern  370  of the water-repellant coating material becomes visible when water  330  comes into contact with the water-repellant coated portions of the pant legs  320 A and  320 B. As described above, it is desirable to provide the water-repellant coating material to areas of a garment that would be more prone to being exposed to moisture rather than providing the water-repellant coating material to the whole garment because the water-repellant coating material may decrease the breathability of the fabric or textile material of the garment. By providing the water-repellant coating material only to the areas that would be most likely exposed to the environmental moisture, the garments in accordance with aspects herein provide wetness protection without sacrificing breathability, which if compromised, may cause discomfort. 
     As better seen in  FIG. 3B , the water-repellant coated portions of the exemplary lower body garment  300  are limited to lower portions of the respective pant legs  320 A and  320 B and may extend up to portions of the pant legs  320 A and  320 B that are generally configured to align with a portion of the wearer&#39;s legs that are slightly below or slightly above the wearer&#39;s knees. As shown, in order to provide the greatest amount of protection where needed (i.e., closer to a bottom edge of each pant leg where hemming is usually provided), a water-repellant coating material may be provided as a plurality of discrete shapes  348 , where a size of the discrete shapes  348  may be gradually decreased from a first area  340  of the treated portions to a second area  350  of the treated portions, resulting in a size gradient for the plurality of discrete shapes  348 . The first area  340  may be configured to cover between 2 cm and 20 cm, between 5 cm and 20 cm, between 7 cm and 15 cm, or between 2 cm and 10 cm measured from the bottom edges  322 A and  322 B of the lower body garment  300 . The second area  350  may be directly adjacent to the first area  340  and may be configured to extend up to between 10 cm and 60 cm, 15 cm and 60 cm, 20 cm and 55 cm, 10 cm and 50 cm, or 15 cm and 45 cm, when measured from the bottom edges  322 A and  322 B of the lower body garment  300 . 
     In the lower body garment  300  shown in  FIG. 3B , the pattern  370  of discrete shapes  348  of the applied water-repellant coated material is provided according to a gradient  302  where the coated sections comprise a larger plurality of discrete shapes  342  in the first area  340  and a gradually smaller plurality of discrete shapes  344  in the second area  350 . The larger plurality of discrete shapes  342  are provided closer to the bottom edges  322 A and  322 B. The location of the larger plurality of discrete shapes  342  is advantageous since, for example, if the user were to be walking in wet grass, the water-repellant coating material covering a majority of the surface area of the first area  340  would mostly prevent the water  330  from penetrating through the thickness of the material forming the pant legs  320 A and  320 B and therefore, prevent or reduce the chances of the legs of the wearer from becoming wet. However, as described above with respect to  FIG. 2 , when the plurality of shapes of the water-repellant coating material become progressively smaller, as in the second area  350 , the exposed or non-coated portions  346  may become progressively wider, as shown in  FIG. 3B , or the total surface area of the non-coated portions  346  may be increased as in the example shown in  FIG. 1C , even with the width of the non-coated portions  346  staying constant. As shown in the exemplary lower body garment  300  in  FIG. 3B , the higher up the pant legs  320 A and  320 B, the plurality of discrete shapes  348  may become progressively smaller and smaller and more scattered. This scattering is advantageous because as the plurality of discrete shapes  348  become progressively smaller and scattered, the surface area of the non-coated portions  346  is increased at a faster rate. Therefore, the lower body garment  300 , for example, may provides protection from wetness where needed, without interfering with the breathability of the garment since the water-repellant coating occupies a progressively smaller surface area as the pant legs  320 A and  320 B extend toward the torso component  310 . In addition to providing the advantages of protection from moisture, the pattern  370  of the water-repellant coating material may give the lower body garment  300  greater visual appeal. 
     Additional aspects in accordance with the technology described herein are related to a method of manufacturing a wetness indicator fabric/textile material for forming a wetness indicator lower body garment such as, for example, the wetness indicator lower body garment  300  in  FIGS. 3A and 3B .  FIG. 4 , for example, outlines a method  400  for manufacturing a wetness indicator fabric/textile that includes the steps of, for example, providing a fabric or textile piece having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. As shown at step  410 , a coating of a water-repellant coating material is applied on to just one of the first surface or the second surface in a pattern of discrete shapes where each discrete shape is enclosed or circumscribed by a non-coated portion as shown at step  420 . At step  430 , a garment panel is formed from the fabric or textile piece. It should be noted that steps  420  and  430  may be interchangeable, as the water-repellant coating material may be applied after the garment panel is formed by, for example, laser cutting, die cutting, scissor cutting, and the like from a fabric or textile piece. Then, when the garment panel is used to construct a garment, the surface comprising the water-repellant coating material (e.g., the first surface or the second surface) is used as the external surface of the garment configured to face away from an interior cavity of the garment. As well, the water-repellant coating material may be applied on to a garment after the garment has been fully constructed, and is still within the scope of aspects disclosed herein. 
       FIG. 5  outlines a method  500  for constructing a garment that is in accordance with aspects herein. The method comprises the steps of providing a garment panel for constructing a garment, the garment panel having an outer surface configured to face away from an interior cavity of a constructed garment and an inner surface configured to face the interior cavity of the constructed garment, as shown at step  510 . Further, the method comprises applying to just the outer surface of the garment panel, a water-repellant coating material in a pattern of discrete shapes where each discrete shape in the pattern of discrete shapes is enclosed by a non-coated portion, as shown at step  520 . In other words, the interior surface does not comprise the water-repellant coating material. The garment is constructed using the garment panel, as shown at step  530 . However, as described above, the coating step may be performed prior to step  510  or after step  530  without departing from aspects herein. 
     In other words, in accordance with aspects herein, the water-repellant coating material is applied on to the surface that is to be used as the external surface, and is not applied on to the internal surface facing a wearer when a garment formed from the fabric or textile in accordance with aspects herein, is worn by the wearer. The internal surface may in some cases, be in direct contact with the wearer&#39;s skin therefore, not having the water-repellant coating material on the internal surface is advantageous because moisture that may be generated internally from for example, sweat from the wearer, is allowed to be wicked away from the body of the wearer. If the water-repellant material were to be applied on to both surfaces, the moisture wicking properties of the fabric or textile may become negatively affected. Thus, the fabric or textile in accordance with aspects herein comprises both moisture wicking properties on one surface and water-repellant properties on the opposite surface. As such with a garment constructed with the fabric or textile in accordance with aspects herein, a wearer&#39;s comfort is enhanced because moisture from, for example sweat, may be wicked away from the wearer, while environmental moisture may be prevented from penetrating the fabric or textile, at least at the water-repellant coated portions of the garment, when the garment is worn by the wearer. 
     Other treatments that may be applied on to the fabric or textile prior to applying the water-repellant coating material may include, for example, treating the fabric or textile with a wicking finishing coat on the inner surface to give the fabric or textile moisture management properties that help move moisture from, for example sweat, away from the wearer and into the environment by evaporation. The moisture transport may be done by, for example, denier differential mechanisms, capillary action, a hydrophilic gradient, and the like. As well, the constructed garment may be subjected to a silicone wash, at least in the portions of the garment where the water-repellant coating material is applied. The silicone wash may further improve the water-repellant coating material&#39;s properties by, for example, preventing wicking of external moisture from the outer surface to the inner surface of the fabric or textile. 
     Although the technology described herein is shown as being in the form of long pants or trousers, it is also contemplated that the technology described herein may be provided in upper body garments, body suits, or even other types of lower body garments such as, for example, a long skirt. In the case of upper body garments, the technology described herein may, for example, be provided at a hood portion, a shoulder portion, and the like, which would most likely be the most exposed, for example, in the case of rainy or snowy weather. As well, the technology described herein may also be applied to articles such as umbrellas, tents, bags, and the like. 
     It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are of utility and may be employed without reference to other features and subcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of the claims. 
     Since many possible embodiments may be made of the technology described herein without departing from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.