Series of ‘firsts’ show Naia’s scalability at Intertextile Apparel
US fibre and filament manufacturer Eastman has embraced the opportunity to showits latest developments to the Chinese market directly with a series of ‘firsts’ on display at trade fair Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics (Intertextile Apparel).
The materials company notably became the ‘first’ manmade cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producer to obtain Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification for recycled content in Naia Renew fibre last December.
Naia Renew is blended from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% GRS-approved waste from textiles, post-consumer carpet material and more. There are plans to up the proportion of recycled content in Naia Renew to 100% in the future, as Eastman’s global marketing communications lead, Karen Yang, told sportstextiles during the event.
Prominent displays included a wedding-appropriate, silky green gown (pictured, front right) by Californian eco-label Reformation, notable for its embodying the first-ever commercial order of Naia Renew ES, itself typically made from 60% recycled content. Reformation’s endorsement proves Naia Renew ES is no mere demonstration project, Ms Yang says. The fair also marked the fibre's official Chinese market debut.
Alongside the dress was placed a Patagonia-branded t-shirt (pictured, front left) blended from recycled polyester and Naia Renew, representative of the companies’ latest collaboration, announced in February, involving the upcycling of unusable Patagonia clothing waste into molecular building blocks for Naia Renew.
In recognition of the possibilities for Naia in denim fabrics, the supplier likewise exhibited a dedicated jeanswear rack, including an embroidered denim shirt by Italian fashion brand Miss Sixty: the staple fibre’s very first commercial application in denims.
Eastman introduced Naia Renew ES to the Chinese market during the three-day trade show.
Credit: World Trades Publishing.
