FW
Textile World, the leading trade magazine for the US textile industry, has awarded the 2014 Innovation Award to TenCate Protective Fabrics. TenCate is a manufacturer of high-performance fabric solutions that are used to make a variety of protective garments used by military personnel, firefighters, and other emergency response personnel. The company was selected to receive the award because of its long-standing commitment to innovation in the textile industry and its development of fabrics that are truly life-saving.
TenCate is a 90-year-old multinational company based in Georgia. It combines textile technology with related chemical processes. It develops and produces specialist materials with specific properties like protective materials for fire-fighting clothing, strong, lightweight materials in aircraft and materials that block UV radiation.
TenCate Protective Fabrics protect people on the job from the harmful effects of heat, flame and other related risks. The primary applications in which the products are used include structural firefighting, wild land fire fighting and many industrial areas such as chemical, petrochemical, electrical and molten processing. Textile World magazine and TextileWorld.com are leading resources for textile news and information - from textile fiber to fabric formation and finishing.
Coats and UK-based GSD (General Sewing Data) have entered a strategic alliance. GSD, supplies expert management solutions that analyse time, cost and production capability in the sewn products sector with a focus on maximising productivity and controlling costs. Coats is the world’s leading industrial thread and consumer textile crafts business. One in five garments on the planet is held together using Coats’ thread. Coats produces enough yarn to knit 70 million scarves a year. It is the second largest and fastest growing global zip manufacturer.
Coats and GSD will collaborate on offering their respective management solutions to maximise productivity and drive down costs in the manufacturing sector, with GSD providing time-cost benchmarking and Coats offering consulting and technical production expertise, for retailers, brands and their supply chain vendors.
A key element in this process will be to analyse working methods and manufacturing procedures, including machinery and associated equipment requirements, to provide internationally accepted and globally recognised GSD based Standard Minute Values (SMV). The SMV is invaluable to brands and manufacturers worldwide as it facilitates fact based decisions on multiple aspects of production, including unit cost, production targets, operator performance, factory efficiency, wage levels, location and ethical sourcing, as well as identifying thread demand and highlighting potential improvements in productivity.
www.gsdhq.com/, www.coatsindustrial.com/
The European Union has funded a project aimed at supporting the textile industry in Egypt. The Ted Med Cluster project will attract investments, transfer technologies and modern management methods and increase exports. It will work toward environmental sustainability at the basic level and better conditions and modalities of persons, goods and capital.
The EU is Egypt’s the first trade partner and the source of more than 60 per cent of direct foreign investments to the country. The countries participating in the program are: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Spain, Syria and Tunisia.
European partners in the project include the Italian Industries Federation, Spanish Textile Association and the Technical Centre for Textiles, which will cooperate with the Sustainable Textile Mediterranean Network to provide the technical assistance.
The Egyptian textile industry is known for its fine long fiber cotton. Egypt and the US are the only producers of long and extra long staple cotton. The textile industry is one of the most important sources of foreign exchange in Egypt. The industry accounts for 30 per cent of Egypt's industrial production, 15 per cent of its non petroleum exports and 30 per cent of local employment. Egypt has a number of competitive advantages, competitive labor costs and locally available raw materials.
Over the years, Thermore, the thermal insulation experts, has continued to dedicate a large share of its investments towards R&D of new technologies in apparel insulation. This year Thermore has unveiled a revolutionary EVOdown concept that delivers a compelling and effective down effect.
Over the years, the escalating cost of duck and goose down, issues of animal welfare and lack of quality control have forced the apparel industry to find alternatives. Commonly, blown-in fibers and fiber balls initially deliver similar softness and high-loft down like appearance. These fibers are blown inside the garment in a similar manner as down feathers are applied. However, this often comes with stability limitations, fiber clumping issues, heavy fiber migration and the development of cold spots, often after a relatively short care time.
EVOdowns inspired by the soft hand and lofty nature of natural blown-in down or fiber ball production techniques matches all this without compromising durability. Two external higher density layers encapsulate the free fibers in the middle. The result of this composite is to reduce clumping and fiber migration, ensuring a very consistent, high thermal performance throughout the entire garment. Thermore EVOdown maintains its structure over time and can be machine washed and dried.
EVOdown is offered in three weights to best suit every design requirement from ultra-light jackets to high-puff parkas. Best finish and performance results recommend EVOdown be quilted with test approved down-proof, ultra-light fabrics (<30 gr) in a pattern of 5cm or smaller for the 80g and 115g weights, and 10cm or smaller for the 170g weight.
Thermore was founded in 1972 in Milan and is a worldwide leader in the research, production and marketing of thermal insulation for apparel with operations in Europe, USA and Asia including production facilities in Thailand and offices in Hong Kong.
Thermore.com
Spanish company Jeanologia would be showcasing its new technology ‘Dynamic Laser & Eco’ that uses laser and ozone during first stages of production, at the Denim by PV Barcelona to be held from May 21, 2014. The laser dynamic and G2 dynamic machines transfers sustainable technologies to continuous fabric, saving water, energy and chemicals.
Over 20 years of experience and the prestigious WGSN Global Fashion Award for best sustainable design team in the world, Jeanologia has positioned itself as a world leader in the development of sustainable technologies for garments finishing. Currently, the company is working on applying its know-how in garment finishing to the previous stages of the manufacturing process.
The new technology is designed to treat all types of fabrics, from heavy to light, with any structure. It, allows laser engraved on the continuous fabric garments besides aging effects by using ozone. The technology replaces the printing technique, to laser engraving, thus ensuring three-dimensionality.
The company will also display the G2 Dynamic technology that allows aging onto continuous fabric simply through the use of air, featuring different wear and tear on the fabric base with time passed by effect, which would not be reproducible by applying chemicals on conventional processes.
Denim by PV Barcelona, in its first edition, has chosen Jeanologia to create the vintage space area trends with its exhibition ‘Truth & Light’, illustrating the major advances that have been made with laser technology. The exhibition uses art, history and fashion to illustrate the major strides made in laser technology in recent years.
www.jeanologia.com
A new report titled, 'The Fibre Year 2014' states that worldwide fibre demand in 2013 exceeded 90 million tons or 4.4 per cent more than 2012. The per capita use of textile materials for clothing, home textiles, carpets, and technical textiles was earmarked at 12.7 kg. Continuing its growth, chemical fibres increased 5.7 per cent to 54.4 million tons on the back of strong growth of polyester and polyamide, whereas the volume growth of cellulosic fibres amounted to 10.4 per cent or about 6 million tons.
On the other hand, cotton demand increased marginally by 0.9 per cent to 23.6 million
tons. For the first time, worldwide stocks went over the 20 million ton mark, covering 85 per cent of demand. Wool continued its growth in the fourth year with a growth of 1.2 per cent.
The annual textile survey points out that massive investment is creating overcapacities and enormous challenges which will have to be met by non-integrated enterprises, in China and elsewhere. Those hit in the first line will be interim products for Polyester (PES), Paraxylene (PX) and Terephtalasid (PTA). The overcapacities, according to the survey, will lead to uneconomical capacity ratios putting pressure on prices and influencing other fibre segments.
As per latest WTO figures the Chinese industry has been consolidating its lead in fiber capacity investments. Total Chinese fiber exports increased 11.4 per cent to $284 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $257 billion in 2013. Turkey and Bangladesh too saw aggressive growth. Vietnam saw good growth rate of better than 18 per cent to $20 billion. The Vietnamese industry will be in the textile sector through the TTP Trans Pacific Partnership negotiations led by the US.
The Fibre Year 2014, a world survey on textiles and nonwovens reports actual development of all important natural and chemical fibres as well as raw materials and nonwovens and with projections up to 2017. In addition there are 20 country profiles of leading producing and consuming nations, giving a true worldwide picture of the latest development in the textile industry, along with a chapter with an outlook and projections beyond 2020.
The American version of Techtextil took place May 13 to 15, 2014, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta. It was held in conjunction with the second edition of Texprocess Americas and the composites show JEC Americas. The combined events brought together raw material, equipment and technology suppliers, and niche start-ups in a collaborative atmosphere benefitting the technical textiles, sewn products, and composites industries. The international show included pavilions from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, China, and France. The Supply Chain USA, area of Texprocess saw a 50 per cent increase in number of exhibitors.
The Techtextil, Texprocess, and JEC exhibitions provided an eye-opening look at the innovative ideas being generated by the textile and sewn products industries to meet the challenges of rapidly-changing consumer demands and business conditions. Industry-transforming technologies were on display at the Cool Zone pavilion. Robotic sewing machines, 3D body scanners, and cloud-based technologies are changing the way the industry manufactures, communicates, and interfaces with consumers.
While US government cutbacks have adversely affected military programs, US textile mills are finding additional business in technically-oriented markets such as active wear, team sports, uniforms, health and medical, safety apparel, and the growing area of energy and petrochemicals.
The next Techtextil North America will be held in Houston, Texas, June 2 to 4, 2015.
https://techtextil-northamerica-us.messefrankfurt.com/atlanta/.../about_te
The American version of Techtextil took place May 13 to 15, 2014, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta. It was held in conjunction with the second edition of Texprocess Americas and the composites show JEC Americas. The combined events brought together raw material, equipment and technology suppliers, and niche start-ups in a collaborative atmosphere benefitting the technical textiles, sewn products, and composites industries. The international show included pavilions from Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, China, and France. The Supply Chain USA, area of Texprocess saw a 50 per cent increase in number of exhibitors.
The Techtextil, Texprocess, and JEC exhibitions provided an eye-opening look at the innovative ideas being generated by the textile and sewn products industries to meet the challenges of rapidly-changing consumer demands and business conditions. Industry-transforming technologies were on display at the Cool Zone pavilion. Robotic sewing machines, 3D body scanners, and cloud-based technologies are changing the way the industry manufactures, communicates, and interfaces with consumers.
While US government cutbacks have adversely affected military programs, US textile mills are finding additional business in technically-oriented markets such as active wear, team sports, uniforms, health and medical, safety apparel, and the growing area of energy and petrochemicals.
The next Techtextil North America will be held in Houston, Texas, June 2 to 4, 2015.
https://techtextil-northamerica-us.messefrankfurt.com/atlanta/.../about_te
During the last edition of Kingpins Amsterdam, Invista unveiled a summary of the results from its ‘Global Men’s Denim Study’. The study covered consumer insights from over 3,000 male participants in Germany, Italy, India, China, the US and Brazil. Designed for a better understanding of men’s purchase preferences related to denim, the study covered topics such as key attributes men look for in jeans, how satisfied they are with current offerings, and where they get information about jeans. Top line results showed that fit and comfort were the two most important attributes that men were seeking, yet 30 per cent of participants felt current jeans offerings did not fully meet their expectations.
In thermal comfort, over 80 per cent participants said they would be interested in jeans that would help them stay cool and dry in the summer or warm and dry in the winter. Less than 35 per cent participants felt current consumer selections addressed these needs. Out of a variety of commercial fabric brand names, the most preferred jeans concept for summer was the Coolmax brand, while the most preferred for the warm and dry concept was the Thermolite brand.
The study found today’s time starved consumers want garments that can simplify their lives, allow them to look good and feel comfortable under different circumstances. Offerings like Coolmax and Thermolite fabrics can help brands and retailers achieve this goal.
www.invista.com/en/index.html
This July's editions of Interfiliere and Mode City Paris will share a common entrance bringing the two shows closer together. Visitors will see expanded offerings for buyers across the value chain for intimates, home wear and beachwear sectors. Interfilière hopes to give visitors a good knowledge and assist communication between the different layers of segments, so buyers and designers can better understand and communicate their design and retail needs to knitters, lace makers, embroiderers etc.
In terms of visual inspiration for trends, the general forum will take the forum of an art gallery to complement the key art and literature inspired trends for color ways and textures for intimates and beachwear.
For Mode City the focus is on beachwear. With buyers now looking as far ahead as summer 2016, there is a wealth of inspiration. Having acquired the American Curvexpo New York and Los Angeles trade shows, Eurovet wants to bring Europe and North America closer, firstly by creating a focus on US and Canadian brands but also attracting and supporting buyers from North America with special events, conferences and made-to-measure activities for these. Mode City will be unveiling 60 new brands from around the world.
www.lingerie-swimwear-paris.com/en/
