Industry Talk

Building on the success of the first two IFAI Advanced Textiles conferences (in Berlin and Brussels), IFAI presented a third successful edition in Paris 16-17 June, in the modern Congress facilities of UICP (right next to the Eiffel Tower). The Industrial Fabrics Association International hosted 70 participants from Europe and the U.S. at the 2010 conference, which focused on major applications of technical textiles and investigated new technology solutions and

A base layer garment in a knitted net structure made from merino wool has won the Scandinavian Outdoor Award for Summer 2010. According to competition judges Woolnet from Norwegian sports underwear brand Aclima showed an “innovative approach in terms of material, form and durability”.      Aclima’s WoolNet is based on an open knit structure that allows the garment to breathe and keep the wearer cool and dry. The net construction also traps air that insul

The Yeh Group, a leading producer of functional knitted fabrics has announced plans to introduce DryDye fabrics which use an exclusive waterless dyeing process that the company says will save it millions of litres of fresh water annually. The announcement came at the recent OutDoor Show in Friedrichshafen, Germany and the Outdoor Retailer Show in Salt Lake City, Utah. Water scarcity and increased environmental awareness are world-wide concerns which are causing a shar

Cheese, chocolate and a chairlift over a flowering meadow taking visitors to the Swiss pavilion is apparently one the biggest draws at the World Exposition in Shanghai which runs to the end of October 2010. From May to July, more then 1.1 million visitors learned about Swiss traditions and Swiss developments visiting the pavilion. Bratwurst, rösti potatoes, raclette and fondue are said to be proving just as popular among the Chinese and international guests as the

Massif, a leading supplier of flame resistant, high performance apparel to the military, law enforcement and other high risk professions has chosen TEXbase to streamline their material development, colour approval and compliance processes. TEXbase is a ‘Software as a Service’ provider of collaborative Material Lifecycle Management (MLM) software. The company says that from concept to compliance its solutions allow businesses to reduce operating expenses a

Protective suit specialist TST Sweden has signed a licensing agreement with fibre manufacturer DSM Dyneema that will enable them to use the Dutch company’s distinctive trademark on their multilayer water-jet protective suits made with the ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene Dyneema fibre. TST says Dyneema is not only the strongest material, but also the lightest, to be used in suits to protect operators using water jets operating at up to 2000 bar i

The 2011 edition of the Techtextil North America Symposium will be held in conjunction with the western edition of Techtextil North America, March 15-17, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas. The symposium will parallel the theme of, “The Innovation Interchange”, and will run concurrent with the exhibition. This new region for Techtextil North America will further offer speakers a potentially new audience and exposure to new industries in the

Invista, owner of the Lycra fibre brand, reports that millions of hangtags have been ordered for the recently launched Lycra Sport fabric. The innovative fabric was launched to the industry in July 2009 and Invista reports that hangtags have been ordered to appear on garments in retail stores throughout the world this autumn, including from several leading brands. According to Invista, smaller scale retail launches took place earlier this year where garments with Lycra Sport

The annual Ethical Fashion Source Expo will take place on Wednesday 6th October, running in parallel with the well established RITE International Conference at Central Hall, Westminster, London. The Expo brings together international manufacturers, suppliers and cooperatives working to high ethical standards and the event includes a programme of seminars, introducing new products and exemplary supply and production systems. Organiser, The Ethical Fashion Forum, says tha

The growing demand for garments with wool are beginning to make merino a favourite for Outdoor apparel and in response  Mönchengladbach based Stöhr AG a manufacturer of combed wool yarns, and Leicester, UK based Wykes International Ltd., a yarn covering specialist, have developed a range of  ThermoCool-Merino composite yarns suitable for seamless outerwear production. UK based Sub Zero Technologies, thermal underwear and base layer brand has used the Thermo