Amphico and Italian partners offer ‘optical mixed’ fabric
London-based start-up Amphico has teamed up with Italian mill Olmetex to produce an AW27/28 collection of more than 200 shades in 40-denier Aquafil nylon yarns without a single dye bath.
Its technology, Amphicolor, weaves colour through optical mixing, combining six solution-dyed yarns into an palette of thousands of colour combinations.
Digital simulation visualises the woven fabric outcome, allowing colour and design to be reviewed and approved digitally. Each fabric looks multi-coloured under a microscope, but reads as a uniform shade to the eye.
It claims advantages include a broader palette, lower MOQs (minimum order quantities), as well as lower water and chemical intensity.
Solution dyeing is a one-step process where colour pigments are mixed directly into liquid polymer before it is extruded into synthetic fibres. It uses roughly half the water and produces around 60% less carbon than conventional dyeing, according to the company.
Read about Amphico's laminates here
