By Anne D'Innocenzio
The Associated Press

One of the hottest trends in clothes this spring isn't apparent until the garments come out of the washer and dryer.

Stain-resistant and wrinkle-free shirts, pioneered by companies like Levi Strauss & Co.'s Dockers brand and Liz Claiborne Inc., are being marketed by a growing number of retailers ranging from mass-market chains like Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to merchants such as Paul Stuart.

More consumers are demanding clothing that's hassle-free, and a wide variety of retailers and manufacturers are responding.

"You are going to see the lowest of the low to the highest of the high," said Marshal Cohen, senior industry analyst at NPD Group Inc., a market research company in Port Washington, N.Y.

Cohen estimates that about 25 percent of apparel is now made up of easy-care fabrics, and he expects that figure to grow to 50 percent in the next few years - even though these garments tend to be more expensive than similar merchandise without care-free features.

"If it is not wrinkle-free, I just don't buy it," said Rebecca O'Meara, from New Orleans.

She said she's purchased wrinkle-free shirts and stain-resistant pants from retailers including Lands' End, J.C. Penney Co. Inc. and Target's discount division.

Several big-name newcomers launched hassle-free clothing lines:

• Wal-Mart has T-shirts, tanks and shorts for men under the Hanes brand that release stains when washed, its first foray into care-free clothing. It also now offers wrinkle-resistant, short-sleeve shirts under its own store brand, Puritan.

• Gap Inc. launched a stain- and wrinkle-resistant collection of shirts and pants for men.

• Shirt maker Phillips-Van Heusen Corp. began selling stain-repellent dress shirts under its Geoffrey Beene, Van Heusen and Arrow brands, accounting for 20 percent of its styles.

• Paul Stuart, whose suits average $1,200, now has stain-repellent tailored suits as well as jackets and pants that are sold separately.

The trend was made possible by new fabric technology from companies such as Greensboro, N.C.-based Nano-Tex LLC, whose customers include Eddie Bauer, Gap, Old Navy and Perry Ellis.

Nano-Tex uses different chemical processes to give fabric its care-free qualities. With garments that repel liquid stains, for example, the process includes heating the fabric to bond polymers, or molecules, to each fiber. That forms a barrier around the fibers without compromising the feel of the garment, allowing for wine and other liquid stains to simply roll off.

Fritz Winans, group president of Liz Claiborne brands, estimated the treatments add about $6 to $10 on average to the price of a garment, but he said consumers are willing to spend the extra money.