Advanced engineered garment

An under body armor hybrid fabric garment, comprising:

• a first fabric portion comprising low stretch or no stretch fabric configured to cover an upper torso region of a user's body, the first fabric portion covering a first body region left exposed by the body armor and extending into a second body transition region covered by the body armor;
• and
• a second fabric portion comprising stretchable fabric configured to cover a lower torso region of the user's body underneath the body armor;
• wherein the second fabric portion comprises a double face fabric, and
• wherein said double face fabric comprises a first surface defining an inner surface of the second fabric portion having one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn having first inner pile height and one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn having contrasting inner pile height relatively greater than the first inner pile height, the one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn together with the one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn defining inner air channels between the user's skin and an opposed inner base surface of the fabric, thereby to facilitate ventilation and to reduce the number of contact points with the user's skin;
• and
• said double face fabric further comprises a second surface defining an outer surface of the second fabric portion having one or more first discrete outer regions of loop yarn having first outer pile height and one or more other discrete outer regions of loop yarn having contrasting outer pile height relatively greater than the first outer pile height, the one or more first discrete outer regions of loop yarn together with the one or more other discrete outer regions of loop yarn, defining outer air channels between an inner surface of the body armor and an opposed outer base surface of the fabric, thereby to facilitate ventilation and to reduce the number of contact points with the inner surface of the body armor.

A battlefield garment system, comprising:

• a body armor element;
• and
• an under-armor garment, comprising:
• a first textile fabric portion comprising low stretch fabric configured to cover an upper torso region of a user's body, said first textile fabric portion covering a first body region left exposed by the body armor element and extending into a second body portion covered by the body armor element;
• and
• a second textile fabric portion comprising stretchable fabric configured to cover a lower torso region of the user's body underneath the body armor elements
• wherein the second textile fabric portion has an inner surface defining one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn having first inner pile height and one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn having contrasting inner pile height relatively greater than the first inner pile height, the one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn together with the one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn defining inner air channels between the user's skin and an opposed inner base surface of the fabric, thereby to facilitate ventilation and to reduce the number of contact points with the user's skin.

A method of forming a hybrid fabric battlefield garment for use in cooperation with body armor, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a first fabric portion corresponding to an upper torso region of a user's body from low stretch or no stretch fabric, the first fabric segment configured to cover a first body region left exposed by the body armor and extend into a second body transition region covered by the body armor;
• forming a second fabric portion corresponding to a lower torso region of the user's body from stretchable fabric, the second fabric portion configured to cover a lower torso region of the user's body underneath the body armor;
• and
• joining together the first and second fabric portion to form the hybrid fabric battlefield garment,
• wherein forming the second fabric portion comprises finishing a first surface of the second fabric portion to form one or more discrete inner regions of loop yarn, including:
• forming one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn having first inner pile height, and
• forming one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn having contrasting inner pile height relatively greater than the first inner pile height, the one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn together with the one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn defining inner air channels between the user's skin and an opposed inner base surface of the fabric, thereby to facilitate ventilation and to reduce the number of contact points with the user's skin.

A method of forming a hybrid fabric battlefield garment for use in cooperation with body armor, said method comprising the steps of:

• forming a first fabric portion corresponding to an upper torso region of a user's body from low stretch or no stretch fabric, the first fabric segment configured to cover a first body region left exposed by the body armor and extend into a second body transition region covered by the body armor;
• forming a second fabric portion corresponding to a lower torso region of the user's body from stretchable fabric, the second fabric portion configured to cover a lower torso region of the user's body underneath the body armor;
• and
• joining together the first and second fabric portion to form the hybrid fabric battlefield garment,
• wherein forming the second fabric portion comprises combining yarns and/or fibers to form double face fabric, and
• wherein forming the double face fabric comprises:
• finishing an inner surface of the double face fabric to form one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn having first inner pile height and forming one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn having contrasting inner pile height relatively greater than the first inner pile height, the one or more first discrete inner regions of loop yarn together with the one or more other discrete inner regions of loop yarn defining inner air channels between the user's skin and an opposed inner base surface of the fabric, thereby to facilitate ventilation, and to reduce the number of contact points with the user's skin;
• and
• finishing an outer surface of the double face fabric to form one or more first discrete outer regions of loop yarn having first outer pile height and forming one or more other discrete outer regions of loop yarn having contrasting outer pile height relatively greater than the first outer pile height, the one or more first discrete outer regions of loop yarn together with the other discrete outer regions of loop yarn defining outer air channels between an inner surface of the body armor and an opposed outer base surface of the fabric, thereby to facilitate ventilation, and to reduce the number of contact points with the inner surface of the body armor.