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Owner of the Wranger and Lee brands, Denim giant Kontoor Brands will launch bold new science-based targets for both businesses next year. Kontoor confirmed its commitment with the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) to develop, validate and publish a target next year, reinforcing Kontoor’s commitment to sustainability. Kontoor also aims to set a greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction target at is aligned with the United Nations Paris Agreement.
The Science Based Targets initiative is collaboration between CDP Global, the World Resources Institute (WRI), Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the UN Global Compact (UNGC). The 2015 Paris Agreement committed 191 world governments to lower greenhouse gas emissions and limit the rise in worldwide temperatures to no more than 2 degrees Celsius. The agreement is widely expected to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon world economy.
The latest announcement reflects Kontoor’s commitment to sustainability across the enterprise and combat climate change as an active member and stakeholder within the greater global community.
Portuguese brand Duarte plans to launch its Spring/Summer 2022 collection developed in collaboration with C.L.A.S.S. ecohub. The streetwear collection offers 40 pieces that support a holistic view of the sustainable values aligned with style, performances, look and touch and Duarte identity.
The collection has 20 outfits. Majority of them are unisex, apart from some small specific details linked to sizes or ergonomics. They are colored in bright red and mustard yellow to coexist with denim, grey and pale azure tones, simultaneously blending in with the colorful prints. The textures are varied to create a sense of movement. Exclusively conceived by the designer, the prints on the collection recall urban landscapes and the appeal of big metropolis.
With the support of White and its WSM (White Sustainable Milano), Duarte’s creations will be featured online at WSM-White website, and showcased in a dedicated physical booth on September during Milan Fashion Week. The collection will also be presented on its new brand page on Renoon, an online platform devoted to Responsible Shopping. In addition, Duarte will be supported by IDEE Brand Platform in the development of commercial activities for the SS22 collection.
Huntsman Textile Effects, the leading global provider of high-quality dyes, chemicals and digital inks for textile related industries has been conferred ‘Top Exporter of the Year’ award by the Gujarat Dyestuffs Manufacturers Association (GDMA).
The award, which recognizes excellence in direct exports of dyes and dye intermediaries in 2018 to 2019, was presented by Ranjeeth Kumar, IAS, Commissioner, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Government of Gujarat at a ceremony in Ahmedabad recently, amid strict Covid-19 protocols. Huntsman operates a state-of-the-art global dyes and chemicals manufacturing unit in a designated industrial zone of Padra in Baroda, Gujarat. The facility is spread across 62 acres and offers direct and indirect employment to over 800 people.
The site is currently involved in a community outreach project with three surrounding villages, focusing on Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, and Animal Husbandry under CSR Initiatives.
The GDMA is an apex body of all Dyes & Dye Intermediate manufacturers in Gujarat, established in 1962. It represents 80% dyestuff manufacturers of Gujarat contributing approximately 60% of the total exports of the country. These units have a combined turnover of about Rs. 25,000 crore.
Uster will present a combined solution to control contamination in nonwoven materials at Index 2020, in Geneva, Switzerland from October 19-22, 2021. The first of these is the Uster Jossi Vision Shield N solution that helps textile brands overcome small contaminant particles hidden inside bigger bundles of materials. The solution is a result of surveys, close collaboration with international nonwovens companies and countless hours of field tests.
The solution can be easily installed as its slim design fits perfectly into existing lines – and readily copes with the high output of standard production lines. For best detection results, the fiber cleaner is tuned to identify the typical contamination types in nonwovens, including colored fibers.
The built-in spectroscopes of Uster Jossi Vision Shield N operate on a much greater wavelength range. This enables detection of contamination within the ‘invisible’ range of infrared and ultraviolet light, and even contamination fragments of the same or similar shade as the fibers themselves.
The second solution launched by Uster is the EVS Fabriq Vision N, the nonwovens quality assurance system which ensures a consistently high rate of fault detection using automated inspection during the production process.
Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N enables seamless integration of an inspection system into any production process – and ideally into nonwovens manufacturing lines – detecting contamination, holes, irregularities and any other defect. Installation is simple and flexible: a fixture bar bridges the full width of the process line, holding as many spectroscopes as required for the application.
Lenzing Group has incorporated the Refibra™ technology in carbon-zero Tencel branded fibers to address the growing demand for circular fashion and carbon neutrality. As per a Textile World report, through this the group aims to provide more innovative solutions for fashion brands to meet carbon reduction targets and consumers to enjoy sustainable products.
The initiative demonstrates Lenzing’s solid commitment to build a truly sustainable textile industry. The pioneering Refibra™ technology involves upcycling cotton scraps from garment production and transforming them into cotton pulp. The cotton pulp is then added to sustainably sourced wood pulp to produce virgin Tencel Lyocell fibers. This innovation reinforces Lenzing’s ongoing effort to the Science Based Targets (SBT) initiative and support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to limit global warming.
Lenzing’s long-time partner and international denim brand, Jack & Jones has also incorporated 38 per cent of carbon-zero Tencel Lyocell fibers in its latest range of jeans to offer long-lasting softness, silky smoothness, enhanced breathability, color retention and being gentle on the skin.
By offering carbon-zero Tencel fibers with Refibra technology, Lenzing provides the industry more sustainable material options right from the beginning of the product life cycle, bringing Lenzing one step closer to its goal of reaching zero carbon emissions by 2050. Moving forward, Lenzing will continue to work with industry partners to reduce the product’s carbon footprint and offset unavoidable emissions to ultimately drive decarbonization in the textile industry.
International Apparel Federation (IAF), ABIT, the national association for the Brazilian Apparel and Textile industry and Euratex have joined forces to hold international conferences to offer complementary insights into the huge transition the apparel and textile industries are going through. While the conferences of IAF and ABIT are based on similar themes, Euratex’s conference is based on ‘A new paradigm for the European Textile and Clothing Industry.’
ABIT’s international conference will take place on October 27 and 28 and focus on people, exploring data gathering; a transition to a design more guided by individualization and communication in a digital environment. IAF’s conference will focus on the intra supply chain dynamics, looking at how the relations between buyers and suppliers need to change. Meanwhile, Euratex’s conference will focus on the role of legislation shaping our industry’s actions.
IAF and Euratex will hold their conferences back-to-back in Antwerp, Belgium on November 8 and 9 respectively. For those visitors that might be held back by pandemic related restrictions to visit the venue in Antwerp, the conferences will be available online.
No longer selling suits in its stores, Marks & Spencer now bets on casual fashion to fuel growth.
M&S’ suit sales fell by 7 per cent.in 2019 as it sold just 7,500 suits – a fall of 80 per cent compared to the same period in the previous year.
The brand’s formal wear years during the year upto April declined by 15 per cent online and 72 per cent in stores compared to the previous year.
During the same period, sales of casual wear increased 61 per cent online.
M&S has stopped stocking suits across more than half of its 245 larger-format stores. Over 50 per cent of M&S’s bigger stores are no longer selling suiting, with tailoring available in just 110 of its 254 larger stores.
Instead, the retailer is focusing on categories such as chinos and shirts, which have higher sell-throughs.
Office wear has become decidedly more relaxed due to the rise of new work from home culture, as per the latest report by the Kantar Group.
Sales of suits in the UK have fallen by 2.3 million over five years. Men purchased 2 million suits during the year to July compared to 4.3 million for the same period in 2017.
Annual sales of men’s suiting fell from 469m pounds in 2016 to 159m pounds in past year to July.
Global leader in specialty chemicals for sustainable solutions, Archroma has launched a new online platform called The Safe Edge. The platform will provide the company instant access to product related regulatory and compliance certificates and information. The platform has been designed to allow brands, retailers and manufacturers of textile, fashion, packaging, paper, paints, to verify with just a few clicks the regulatory and compliance status of Archroma products, including regulations, ecotoxicological information and certifications, and brand requirements.
The Safe Edge covers standards, regulations and information such as air emission factors, animal origin, halal, kosher, plant origin, food contact, Blue Angel, bluesign®, Cradle-to-Cradle, chemical inventories, Composability EN 13432, conflict minerals, EU Flower/Ecolabel, GOTS, CONEG, ISEGA, Nordic Swan, Oekotex® Standard 100, California Prop 65, REACH, RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substance), Screened Chemistry, SDS, SVHC (Substance of Very High Concern), VOC (US), ZDHC (Zero Discharge Hazardous Chemicals), and brand standards (like Coats A&F MRSL, Decathlon RSL 2020, Jack Wolfskin RSL and The List IV by Inditex.
The Safe Edge is already accessible for manufacturers, brands and retailers in Europe and Asia, and will be launched in North America in September 2021, and in Latin America by the end of the year.
Coloreel has launched a new recycled polyester thread to be used with the groundbreaking embroidery technology that enables the thread to be colored as per demand. As per Textile World, the thread was launched in collaboration with world leading manufacturer Madeira. The 100-per cent recycled polyester thread can be used with the instant thread coloring technology for embroideries. This will enable customers to create more sustainable embroideries with thousands of colors, CMYK, RGB/HEX and PMS compatible.
The polyester thread has been created from 100-per cent recycled post-consumer PET bottles. It has passed through all industry standard quality testing and provides same fastness properties as virgin polyester thread and is certified standard 100 by OEKO-TEX®. The recycled thread will be sold in sets of 6 x 10 kilometer thread reels. With the ambition to further minimize impact, the thread cone is made from recycled plastics and will be packaged and shipped in recycled carton boxes.
German trade fair and event organizer Messe Frankfurt has announced dates for its home and contract textiles trade fair Heimtextil 2022. The trade fair will be held in Frankfurt next year from January 11-14, 2022 featuring 1,600 exhibitors from 50 countries. In addition to the extensive spectrum of products, the fair will offer an attractive range of information services and events to help visitors discover the latest market developments in the sector. In particular, it will present the Heimtextil Trends to offer in-depth insights into tomorrow’s furnishing themes.
The interior, architecture and hospitality zones will spotlight offers for architects and hospitality experts. The Heimtextil Sleep & More Conference will be a meeting place for representatives of the specialist bed trade with a high-grade program of lectures, discussions and product presentations .Another important focal point at Heimtextil 2022 will be presentations by Trevira and DecoTeam.” The range of products and information at Heimtextil 2022 will be rounded off by a blend of digital services. For example, the complete spectrum of Heimtextil Trends will be available for the first time in digital form – richly illustrated and visualised with the latest colors, designer features and short films. The Future Materials Library is also online with a first-class selection of sustainable material innovations. Also in planning are videos on demand about many of the items on the program and tours of the fair via audio guides.
