Performance Fabric
Alberto’s performance fabrics — water-repellent, breathable, quick-drying high-tech materials with maximum stretch and UV protection. The new Lou in Regular Fit, the slim Move, and the Rob Revolutional™: business on sight, sport underneath.
SHOP PERFORMANCE
‹ Ceramica / Dressy · Lou · Move · Rob · All Dressy · All Casual
Performance is a fabric category, not a cut. What makes an ALBERTO pant a performance pant is the cloth it is built from — high-stretch Italian jersey or technical polyamide, engineered to repel water, resist UV, dry fast and go in the washing machine. The cut on top of it is a separate choice. These fabrics are tailored into flat-front trousers, in slim and regular cuts, that look like dress pants rather than like athletic wear.
Performance suits the man who is moving all day. Flights, client visits, a car, a site, a restaurant — the fabric stretches through all of it and arrives uncreased. Because every model is cut with a flat front and side-entry pockets, they read as tailored trousers, not as joggers with a crease.
They are also the answer for anyone who finds conventional dress pants restrictive. The stretch content here is far beyond a normal trouser: the Rob Revolutional runs 29% elastane, which is closer to activewear than to tailoring, while still holding a slim, structured line.
It is worth being clear about how ALBERTO names things, because it is the thing most people get backwards. Lou, Move and Rob are models — a cut and a fit. Revolutional is a fabric. A model can be made in several different fabrics, and a fabric can be cut into several different models. The Rob, for instance, is also made in technical cottons elsewhere in the line; that Rob is not a performance pant, because the fabric is not a performance fabric.
So when you are choosing here, you are choosing a fabric first and a cut second. Four properties define the performance fabrics, and each is engineered into the fibre rather than sprayed on as a finish, so none of them wash out.
Water repellent — rain, spills and dew bead and roll off rather than soaking in. Fast drying — a rinse in a hotel sink is dry by morning. UV resistant — the fabric resists sun degradation, so deep colors stay deep instead of fading over a season. Machine washable — no dry cleaning, ever.
On top of that, both fabrics are non-crease and shape-retaining. The stretch is not just give; it is recovery, which is why a slim pant with this much elastane does not bag out at the knee after two wears.
Revolutional is a high-performance jersey knit from Italy — breathable, lightweight, and extraordinarily elastic at 71% polyamide and 29% elastane. Jersey is a knit rather than a woven, which is where the freedom of movement comes from, but ALBERTO's construction keeps it reading as a trouser rather than as a legging.
The practical effect: it moves like knitwear and hangs like a dress pant. It is the softest thing in the range against the skin and the one to choose if restriction is what has put you off slim trousers before. It is used in the Rob model.
The second performance fabric is a technical polyamide at 89% polyamide and 11% elastane — a tighter, more structured hand than Revolutional, with a distinctive deep, matte finish rather than any sheen. It is the more water-repellent of the two and the more formal-looking. It is cut into the Move and, new this season, the Lou.
Matte is the important word. Technical fabrics usually give themselves away with a slight gloss; the Move's finish is flat enough to pass as a fine woven trouser across a table.
ALBERTO was founded in 1922 by Dr. Albert Dormanns in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and has remained a trouser specialist in the same family into its fourth generation. It has never diversified into shoes, bags or fragrance — which is why the fabric development runs unusually deep for a company its size.
Performance sits alongside Ceramica for dress pants, FX4 DRY Cooler® for golf, Dynamic Superfit for stretch denim and Tencel for warm weather — each a named platform rather than a seasonal fabric choice. A single pair passes through up to forty production steps and more than thirty components.
In the United States, ALBERTO is carried by specialty menswear stores across the country, each stocking a selection of the line. The full range is at alberto-pants-usa.com, operated from Naples, Florida by Mondo Uomo Inc — a menswear specialist that has sold the brand across a counter for decades.
Having chosen a fabric, you choose a cut. Three models carry the performance fabrics today: the Lou in Regular Fit, and the Move and Rob in Slim Fit. All have a flat front, side-entry front pockets and button-through back pockets. The model determines the shape, the pocket layout and the waistband construction — not the performance.
New this season, the Lou takes the same matte technical polyamide as the Move and cuts it in ALBERTO's Regular Fit, for those who like a little more room. It has a stretch waistband with elastic at the side seams and welt back pockets with a button. At $335, available in tan, navy, charcoal and black.
The Move is the more structured and more formal of the two: the matte technical polyamide, cut slim with narrow bottoms and finished with the Dynamic Stretch waistband. At $335 it is the premium piece in the range, and the one to choose if the pant needs to hold its own in a business setting. Available in black, charcoal, grey, navy and off-white — deep, flat colors that photograph and wear like a dress trouser.
The Rob model in Revolutional jersey is the softer, stretchier and more casual-leaning of the two, at 29% elastane. ALBERTO describes it as a "casual dressy look," which is accurate: it is dressier than a chino and easier than a suit trouser. At $275 it is also the more accessible entry into the range. Available in black, navy and tan.
Waistband construction belongs to the model, not the fabric — and the single most-noticed detail in the range is the Move's Dynamic Stretch waistband. The elastic is built into the back of the waistband rather than running all the way around, so the front stays flat, clean and structured — exactly like a tailored trouser — while the back gives as you sit, drive and move.
This is the opposite of a pull-on pant. There is no gathered elastic, no drawcord, nothing visible. From the outside it is a flat-front trouser with a proper closure; the comfort is hidden. It is the reason customers who try a Move tend to buy a second color, and the reason it works for a long flight and a meeting on the same day.
The Move and the Rob are cut in Slim Fit, ALBERTO's closest cut; the Lou is cut in Regular Fit. Slim Fit sits lower on the waist and runs slim from hip to hem, with roughly a 12–13″ leg opening at size 32/32 — the narrowest in the ALBERTO range.
| Fit | Rise | Leg opening | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slim Fit | Lower | 12–13″ | Move · Rob · Jump |
| Regular Fit | Just below the waist | 13.5–14″ | Pipe · Lou · Rookie |
| Modern Fit | Higher — natural waist | ~15″ | Stone · George · Pro-D |
Slim here does not mean tight. This is the whole point of building a slim pant in a high-stretch fabric: the silhouette is close, and the fabric does the accommodating. If you have tried slim trousers in a rigid cotton and disliked them, the experience is not comparable.
The useful thing to know about ALBERTO generally: find your fit once, and every future pair fits. The fit families hold across every collection and season.
Performance runs from $275 to $335 in the United States. Pricing is consistent across colors within a model, and every U.S. order ships free with no minimum.
| Model | Fabric | Composition | Fit | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Revolutional | Italian performance jersey | 71% polyamide · 29% elastane | Slim Fit | $275 |
| Move | Technical, water-repellent matte | 89% polyamide · 11% elastane | Slim Fit | $335 |
| Lou | Technical, water-repellent matte | 89% polyamide · 11% elastane | Regular Fit | $335 |
ALBERTO Performance sits in a gap between two things most men already own: the cotton chino that looks right but does not move, and the athleisure tech pant that moves but reads casual. Both have their place, and the honest comparison is worth making.
A good cotton chino is cheaper, breathes naturally, and has a texture and honesty that synthetics do not. If the trouser lives at a desk and gets pressed on Sundays, a chino is perfectly sufficient and costs a third as much.
An athleisure tech pant — the four-way-stretch commuter trousers sold by activewear brands — matches ALBERTO on stretch and often beats it on price. What it usually gives away is the finish: a visible sheen, an athletic taper, elasticated details, and a silhouette that reads as sportswear the moment you stand next to someone in tailoring.
| ALBERTO Performance | Cotton chino | Athleisure tech pant | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stretch | 11–29% elastane | 0–2% | High |
| Finish | Deep matte, no sheen | Natural cotton | Often visible sheen |
| Water repellent | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| Wrinkles | Non-crease | Wrinkles readily | Non-crease |
| Care | Machine washable | Machine washable, needs pressing | Machine washable |
| Reads as | Tailored trouser | Casual trouser | Sportswear |
| Sizing | Waist × inseam | Waist × inseam | Often waist only |
| Price | $275–$335 | $70–$150 | $100–$180 |
The case for Performance is narrow and specific: you want the movement of a tech pant with the finish of a tailored trouser, and you are willing to pay for the combination. If either half of that is negotiable, one of the other two is the better buy.
Performance pants are sold in waist and inseam — waist 29 through 36, with inseams of 30, 32, 34 and 36 inches. You choose your leg length rather than inheriting it, and no hemming is required.
All three models fit true to size. Because the fabrics carry so much stretch, there is a temptation to size down — resist it. The stretch is there for movement, not to compensate for a size. If you are between waists, take the larger.
If you already own an ALBERTO, the care label inside the waistband carries the article number, style name, fabric and fit. Move is article 1445 and Rob Revolutional is 1935. For help, call Naples at (239) 331-1255.
This is the range ALBERTO built for travel, and it is the best argument for the price. Both fabrics pack completely flat and come out of a case with no creases at all — not "recovers in an hour," but ready to wear. Both wash in a sink and dry overnight. Both repel the coffee, the rain and the airline seat.
The Move's hidden stretch waistband is what makes it the specific answer for long flights: it gives across a nine-hour sit and then looks flat and pressed when you stand up. One pair genuinely covers a week — flight, meetings, dinner, wash, repeat.
All three models are worn far more often for ordinary weeks than for travel. The matte finish and flat front mean the Move passes in any business-casual office, while the Rob's softer jersey suits a client-facing day that ends somewhere social.
They also have a following among people who are on their feet or in and out of a car all day — the stretch, the water repellency and the wash-and-wear care add up to a trouser that takes a hard week and looks the same at the end of it.
Machine wash cool with like colors and skip fabric softener — it coats the fibres and dulls both the water repellency and the matte finish. Hang to dry or tumble on low; these fabrics dry very fast and heat is the enemy of elastane.
Neither model needs ironing. If you want to touch one up, use a warm iron on the reverse only — a hot iron directly on polyamide will glaze the surface and take the matte finish off permanently.
ALBERTO is carried by specialty menswear stores across the United States, though assortments vary from shop to shop — most carry a handful of styles and colors. The complete Performance range, in every model, size and color, is at alberto-pants-usa.com. The website is run from Naples, Florida by Mondo Uomo Inc — a luxury menswear retailer in business since 1992 and an authorized ALBERTO partner. Everything sold is new, authentic and covered by the manufacturer's warranty.
Every U.S. order ships free with no minimum, in five to seven business days, including to Puerto Rico, P.O. boxes and APO/FPO addresses. Second Day Air is $24.99 and Next Day Air is $45.99 in the continental United States; express orders placed by 1 PM Eastern, Monday through Friday, ship the same day when the item is in stock in the U.S.
Returns and exchanges run thirty days from the arrival date on unworn, unwashed pants with tags attached, started online with a prepaid label; a $10 shipping and handling fee is deducted from the refund. Fit and fabric questions are answered by people who sell these pants in person — call (239) 331-1255 or email info@alberto-pants-usa.com.
Revolutional is a high-performance jersey knit from Italy — breathable, lightweight and extremely elastic at 71% polyamide and 29% elastane. It is used in the Rob model.
The Move is a slim, flat-front technical trouser in a matte water-repellent fabric, with a hidden Dynamic Stretch waistband at the back for comfort.
Elastic built into the back of the waistband only. The front stays flat and tailored while the back gives as you sit — no visible elastic, no drawcord.
Yes. The Lou, the Move and the Rob Revolutional all repel water, dry fast and are UV resistant, and the properties are built into the fibre rather than applied as a finish.
The fabric, not the cut. Performance fabrics are water repellent, UV resistant, fast drying, machine washable and highly elastic — properties built into the fibre.
Move is a model — a cut and a fit. The performance comes from the technical polyamide it is made in. Revolutional, by contrast, is a fabric.
Different fabrics in different cuts. The Move is structured matte polyamide at $335; the Rob in Revolutional is softer Italian jersey with far more stretch, at $275.
Yes — machine wash cool, skip fabric softener, and hang or tumble dry low. Neither model needs dry cleaning or ironing.
Yes. They pack flat, come out of a case without creases, wash in a sink and dry overnight — which is what they were designed for.
The Move and the Rob are Slim Fit — a lower rise and a 12–13″ leg opening. The Lou is Regular Fit — just below the waist, with a leg opening of about 13.5″. All come in 30, 32, 34 and 36 inch inseams and fit true to size.
No. Both have a flat front, side-entry pockets and a deep matte finish with no sheen, so they read as tailored trousers rather than sportswear.
No. The stretch is for movement, not sizing. If you are between waists, take the larger one.
ALBERTO is a German trouser maker founded in 1922 in Mönchengladbach, family-run into its fourth generation, producing in Europe. The Revolutional jersey is woven in Italy.
Choose the Move if you want the more structured, water-repellent, business-capable trouser with the hidden stretch waistband. Choose the Rob Revolutional if you want maximum stretch and the softest hand, in a slightly more relaxed register — and at $60 less.
Both are Slim Fit, both are machine washable, both pack without creasing. If you are not sure which suits you, call Naples at (239) 331-1255 and we will talk it through. Every U.S. order ships free and returns run thirty days.
