Bamboo blind inspires new Teijin polyester material
High-performance materials group Teijin has announced a new breathable, UV-blocking polyester material.
The group’s fibre division, Teijin Frontier, has said the new material “replicates the structure of a traditional bamboo blind”. A traditional Japanese ‘sudare’ blind allows air to pass through while blocking out sunlight.
In a similar way, the new polyester material combines high levels of breathability with UV protection, Teijin Frontier has said.
“Until now,” the company explained, “breathability, which is achieved by gaps between fibres, and UV protection were thought to be mutually exclusive.”
To overcome this, it developed a structure with slit-shaped, highly breathable areas in either the warp or weft of the fabric. These three-dimensional gaps, similar to those in a bamboo blind, allow the material to deliver breathability and a UV blocking performance of 85% or more.
Teijin Frontier said it would make the new material available to clothing brands for their spring-summer 2025 collections in Japan. It said its aim was to sell 250,000 metres of the product in 2024 rising to 750,000 metres in 2027.
