Lubbock trial promises fundamental change for denim dyeing
20/11/2017
The event was hosted in mid-November by Indigo Mill Designs (IMD) and the company will aim now to commercialise this technology under the brand name IndigoZERO. Representatives from across the apparel industry and numerous denim manufacturers were on hand for the event, along with early-stage funders Wrangler, Lee, and the Wal-Mart Foundation.
“Early in our research, we found that foam dyeing of yarn for denim gives significantly better results when combined with our IndigoZERO technology,” said Ralph Tharpe, founder and managing partner of Indigo Mill Designs, after the demonstration. “Zero rinse water discharge and the reduction of chemicals used in dyeing indigo dramatically improve the sustainability of this process, while reducing costs at the same time.”
One of the first steps IMD will take now will be to work with North Carolina-based dyeing technology provider Gaston Systems, and with early adopters, to build new machines capable of running the new process. Proprietary foam generation and application technology from Gaston Systems was built into the research machine at Texas Tech. Chris Aurich, Gaston Systems managing director, said the new system will result in a fundamental change in the way indigo is applied to yarn.
For his part, Dr Sudhakar Puvvada, who leads denim innovation work for Wrangler and Lee’s, said: “A large fabric mill uses millions of gallons of water every day to dye denim. IMD’s innovation can greatly reduce that amount and cut the energy needed for dyeing and wastewater treatment.”
Another potential benefit is that the foam-dying process will allow fabric mills to produce much smaller quantities, when desired, than with conventional processes, and smaller fabric runs will allow for greater design and marketing flexibility in the denim industry.
Share this story:
