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Biomimetic fibre inventor named Innovator of the Year

Veronika Kapsali is a co-director of MMT Textiles, the company which has developed INOTEK, a biomimetic fibre based textile technology.

3rd December 2014

Innovation in Textiles
 |  Dresden

Clothing/​Footwear, Sports/​Outdoor, Medical/Hygiene

Veronika Kapsali, Technical Director at the MMT Textiles. © MMT Textiles

Veronika Kapsali, Technical Director at the MMT Textiles, the producer of INOTEK biomimetic fibre, has been recognised with an Innovator of the Year award at the ITMA Future Materials Awards ceremony that took place on 26 November in Dresden, Germany.

Veronika Kapsali is the inventor and co-director at MMT Textiles, a research and development company that developed INOTEK, a biomimetic fibre based textile technology that uses moisture in clothing microclimate to create a mechanical response for advanced moisture management.

We reported in July 2009 that the UK based start up company, had invented and patented a method of constructing bio-responsive fibres and yarns so that they react to humidity levels in a micro-climate. The porosity of subsequent knitted, woven or non-woven fabrics increases with high levels of humidity or wetness in the micro-climate, facilitating the release of moisture, or decreases in low level humidity or dry conditions, improving insulation. This is referred to as ‘the pine cone effect’. -

Veronika Kapsali

Veronika has worked in the fashion sector since 1999 as a studio manager and freelance textile designer, before migrating to R&D. In 2004 she began to lecturer in textile technology and design development at the London College of Fashion while studying for her doctorate in Biomimetic textiles at the University of Bath’s Mechanical Engineering Department.

Veronika is a leading expert in the field of clothing comfort and biomimetic textiles, with a body of published work on the subject. She is a regular presenter at international conferences.

Veronika has also undertaken a variety of consultancy projects including trend research for the Materials Collection at the London College of Fashion Library, sourcing textiles for the Department of Agriculture in Western Australia, as well as comfort perception and the consumer for Unilever. She has also project managed an e-learning resource specialising in textile technology.

Future Materials Awards

Around 200 guests from across the industry were at the Awards’ grand ceremony, hosted by award-winning journalist Nadine Dereza. Organised by World Textile Information Network (WTiN), the inaugural ITMA Future Materials Awards celebrated innovation in the textile sector and recognised the essential work of the many businesses that support the industry.

DSM Dyneema scooped three awards including the top prize of Launch of the Year for its Force Multiplier Technology. Schoeller, the Swiss based manufacturer of smart textile technologies, succeeded in two Best Innovation categories. Most Innovative Small Company was awarded to Green Theme Technologies LLC, an independent developer of environmentally-friendly, dry-process finishing technology designed for plasma or thermal curing of textiles. Securing the Most Innovative Medium Company prize was Polartec LLC, a leader in performance fabric technologies.

Veronika Kapsali is the inventor and co-director at MMT Textiles, a research and development company that developed INOTEK. © MMT Textiles

From the other Best Innovation categories, Bonar scooped the Agrotextiles gong for its PhormiTex Eclipse flame retardant double woven screen. And Sanitized AG won the Textiles for building and construction category with its UV-Resistant Mold Protection.

MMT Textiles

MMT Textiles was incorporated in January, 2009. The company holds the IP and patent rights to an innovative new textile technology inspired by the natural response of pine cones to humidity in the climate.

INOTEK bi-component fibres are designed to react when exposed to elevated levels of relative humidity in a micro-climate. According to the manufacturer, INOTEK fibres close when conditions in the micro-climate are damp and open when conditions are dry, known as the pine cone effect.

Securing the Most Innovative Medium Company prize was Polartec LLC, a leader in performance fabric technologies. © MMT Textiles

INOTEK fibres are formed into INOTEK yarns and textiles utilising standard spinning, knitting and weaving production processes. When in yarn form, the closing of the fibres create microscopic air pockets in the textile. This is said to result in considerable and measurable changes to air permeability that significantly enhances user comfort.

Further reading

Pine cone effect to be used in moisture management fabrics

INOTEK: Adaptive moisture management fibre technology

www.futurematerialsawards.com

www.inotektextiles.com

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