French Terry Joggers: Softest Joggers Ever Made

Is all the talk about joggers really true?

We often see joggers explained as pajama pants that are built for sports. The ultimate balance of athletic performance and luxurious leisure, this top-trending style certainly has a big reputation to uphold.

The sad truth is that not all joggers are created equal. Cheap traditional materials like polyester or traditional cotton aren’t up to spec in all the departments that joggers need to be scoring 10/10, which means that just picking up the first pair of joggers you find isn’t necessarily the best plan.

Thankfully, with modern innovations, powerful natural fabrics, and thoughtful design, high-quality joggers are out there. Today, our Tasc Performance guide is bringing one such style right to your doorstep.

What Is French Terry?

Even if you aren’t familiar with French Terry fabric by name, you’ve probably encountered it in the wild. French Terry fabric is used commonly in all kinds of clothes, especially sweatshirts, hoodies, sweatpants, and joggers.

Is French Terry the Same as Terry Cloth?

Though similar in name and how they’re made, French Terry and Terry fabrics are significantly different in terms of their essential qualities.

French Terry is what most of us would recognize as “the towel fabric.” It’s the looped fabric used in most bath towels, and it’s excellent at absorbing moisture (although it’s rarely as good at quickly drying). Terry fabric is relatively soft, but not to the degree most people would look for in their clothing.

French Terry is also a looped fabric, but the loops are much smaller and woven differently, so that the surface is much softer. It’s designed to wick moisture, rather than just absorb it. This means that French Terry absorbs and subsequently releases moisture with high efficiency, keeping you and the fabric dry.

When Should You Wear French Terry?

French Terry is a perfect material for athleisure clothing, since it can hold up to intense activities like exercise. Still, it’s also supremely comfortable for casual occasions where you’re just relaxing.

Is French Terry Wrinkle-Resistant?

The way French Terry fabric is woven — with plush loops on one side and a smooth surface on the other — naturally prevents wrinkles. Materials like bamboo also have natural wrinkle-resistant properties, so look for French Terry fabrics that incorporate other wrinkle-resistant materials into their blend.

Is French Terry Low-Maintenance?

Thanks to its wrinkle-resistance and easy-washing attributes, French Terry is a very low maintenance fabric. This makes it perfect for everyday attire, especially for those of us living fast-paced, active lifestyles!

Why Wear French Terry Joggers?

When it comes to joggers, there are quite a few options in terms of material. Fleece is perhaps the most popular, and with good reason!

Fleece is an excellent fabric when it comes to balancing insulation and breathability. It’s known as a super soft, warm material (comparable to the sheep’s coat it's named after). With the right materials, fleece has all the performance qualities you need.

Where French Terry joggers exceptionally shine is moisture-wicking. French Terry is a fabric designed specifically to absorb and then release moisture with high efficiency. If you’re expecting plenty of sweat while wearing your joggers, French Terry is one of the best materials you could go with, especially with a powerful natural fabrication like our BamCo® bamboo and organic cotton blend.

Ultra-Soft

There’s nothing quite like a super soft pair of joggers going about your day with you. It feels like you’ve got your favorite pajamas on, but without drawing the awkward looks that pajamas would. We call that a win-win.

Our Tasc Performance fabrications blend bamboo and organic cotton to bring the classic soft touch of cotton to your skin, while adding the smooth, luxurious feel of bamboo (often compared to silk in the way it feels).

While common, cheap joggers use cotton for a soft feel, cotton doesn’t provide all the performance qualities needed for top-quality athleisure styles. Chemically-treated synthetic fabrics are often used to reach some of these qualities, but those lower the level of softness, and raise serious sustainability concerns as well.

Breathable and Odor-Resistant

Sweat is a problem that faces anyone living an active lifestyle. As such, athleisure styles need to help you thermoregulate, and deal with sweat when it does happen.

French Terry joggers are an excellent choice thanks to the breathability of the material. This allows air to circulate in a balanced flow, letting out overheated air and replacing it with fresh air. The result is that you stay cooler while exercising but still enjoy the cozy feel while you relax.

However, even the best breathable fabric won’t completely stop you from sweating in a workout. When sweat does happen, it also brings with it odor. For traditional cotton and synthetic materials, these odors can get trapped deep in the fabric, even refusing to go away after being washed.

Thankfully, bamboo is a naturally odor-resistant material. Choosing bamboo joggers means choosing a pair that will stay fresh for many more wears and washes to come.

Moisture-Wicking

Moisture-wicking is the star of the show when it comes to French Terry joggers.

It starts with moisture absorption. Like Terry fabric, the looped weave helps moisture get drawn from your skin into the fabric. French Terry, however, has smaller loops and a smooth second side. The result is that, while the absorption power is slightly lower than Terry fabric, it dries much more quickly.

The balance is perfect for activewear like joggers. You want your sweat drawn from your skin, but not held in your clothes! That would simply lead to more discomfort, and may even inhibit your body’s natural ability to thermoregulate. This is especially true in the winter. Wet clothes can quickly chill in cold air.

In addition to the moisture-wicking power of French Terry, a material like bamboo greatly enhances the moisture management powers when used in fabrication. Plus, its moisture-wicking properties are 100% natural, which means no chemical treatments (which are harmful to the environment and can also harm your skin) are needed.

Eco-Friendly

Sustainability isn’t something to skip out on, even if it seems convenient now. The cost to our planet and the human communities around us is steep, now and even more so in our future.

At Tasc Performance, producing sustainable, high-quality fashion is our top priority. That’s why we’re so excited about powerful green materials like bamboo, organic cotton, beechwood, smart wool, and more.

We’re also taking strides to work sustainably through our factories. Our sewing facilities get 100% of their power from wind and solar generation, and the water used in dying our clothes is recycled at a 95% rate. Plus, we use biodegradable corn bags in shipping. Every step we can take to be more sustainable today could have immeasurable impact down the line. It all matters!

The Softest Joggers You’ll Ever Wear

For the softest joggers you’ll ever wear, with all the performance qualities of the best sportswear and all the comfort of your favorite loungewear, pick up a pair of our Varsity Brushed Lightweight Joggers for men or women.

For all things athleisure, sustainable fashion, and active lifestyle, keep coming back to our Tasc Life blog.

Sources:

Toxicity of Synthetic Fibres & Health | Austin Publishing Group

Breathability - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

Physiology, Temperature Regulation - StatPearls | National Library of Medicine