Torrid LLC has secured a major milestone in the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear industry with a newly patented design for apparel. This innovation focuses on a recent patent, titled ‘Power mesh panels for tummy-covering garments’. The patent describes mesh fabric panels that provide a compressive force to a wearer’s mid-section and tummy-covering garments equipped with the mesh fabric panels are disclosed. The mesh fabric panels can be formed of a material having a suitable rigidity for providing the compressive force. The mesh fabric panels include left and right panels adapted to be stitched or otherwise affixed to left and right front sections, respectively, of a garment such as a pant, a dress, a skirt, shorts, swimwear, or the like. Each of the left and right mesh fabric panels includes a seam side edge adapted to be affixed to a corresponding seam side of a tummy-covering garment, a fly side edge adapted to be affixed to a fly facing of the garment, a waist edge, and a bottom edge. The left and/or right mesh fabric panel may be a dual layer panel.

Outstanding Invention: Swanson Reed’s Patent of the Month

Because it is an outstanding invention in the Textiles, Clothing and Footwear industry, this innovation was proudly awarded Swanson Reed’s Patent of the Month for January 2026. It represents a significant technical leap in garment construction, balancing everyday comfort with engineered structural support.

U.S. R&D Tax Credit Eligibility

The development of this patented technology aligns perfectly with the U.S. Research and Development (R&D) Tax Credit requirements by satisfying the IRS Four-Part Test:

• Permitted Purpose: The research was undertaken to create a new or improved product function—specifically, engineering garments capable of delivering a targeted compressive force to the mid-section without sacrificing overall wearer comfort.
• Technological in Nature: The development relied heavily on the principles of materials science and textile engineering to determine the precise rigidity, elasticity, and tension required for the mesh panels.
• Elimination of Uncertainty: At the project’s onset, there was technical uncertainty regarding the optimal material composition, how to successfully integrate these panels into varied garments (like pants, dresses, or swimwear), and whether the dual-layer system would hold up under continuous tension.
• Process of Experimentation: The company had to conduct iterative testing, evaluating multiple fabric prototypes, stitching configurations, and panel layering techniques to achieve the final, patented result.

3 Practical Applications Qualifying for R&D Tax Credits

1. Material Prototyping for Dual-Layer Panels: Iteratively designing and testing different synthetic yarn blends (e.g., varying ratios of elastane to nylon) to discover the exact combination that provides the necessary rigidity and compressive force without compromising the garment’s breathability or adding bulky layers.
2. Engineering New Attachment Methodologies: Developing and systematically testing experimental stitching techniques and seam integrations. This involves figuring out how to affix the fly side and seam side edges of the mesh panels to highly diverse garments (such as high-stress swimwear versus rigid denim) to ensure the seams do not rupture under compressive force during wear and aggressive washing cycles.
3. Tensile Strength and Fit Trialing: Conducting structured physical trials on garment prototypes to measure the distribution of compressive force across the left and right panels. This research evaluates how altering the cut, angle, and tension of the waist and bottom edges prevents rolling or bunching, requiring constant recalibration of the physical design based on test outcomes.