High end to High Street
What do you say when people ask you for a brief explanation of what Naia is?
Naia is a cellulosic acetate yarn. It is wood-based and we source from sustainably managed forests, all of which have FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification. If you know non-profit organisation Canopy, which works to protect forests and promote sustainable sourcing of forest materials, we are one of only a few fibre manufacturers in its top category, the Dark Green Shirt category. Naia is also the only manmade cellulosic fibre in the world with a Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification.
Please explain the range of Naia products that you have brought to market so far.
Next year will be Naia’s tenth anniversary. We launched with Naia Classic, which has a composition of 60% wood pulp and 40% acetic acid. Over the last five years, we have introduced a circular set of portfolio options: Naia Renew, which has 40% recycled content; and Naia Renew ES (Enhanced Sustainability), which has 60% recycled content. Our aim is for that percentage to keep inceasing until we reach 100%. And, earlier this year, we added Naia Lyte.
Why is Naia Lyte an important addition to your range of products?
It is probably the greatest innovation we have had in our ten-year history. It shines a light on the possibilities we have for creating very exciting fibres and fabrics with Naia. Compared to earlier versions, Naia Lyte has the same qualities in terms of drape and lustre, but it comes with a much higher tenacity. It has greater strength and resilience, and that allows us to enter a whole new space in terms of applications with lighter-weight fabrics.
What is the importance of this for Eastman’s long-term ambitions for Naia?
What matters is sustainable fashion and what Naia can contribute to it. I believe sustainable fashion can and should be accessible to all. We position Naia as a sustainable brand, one that is versatile enough to have applications across a wide range of areas. These include ready-to-wear, casual wear, knitwear, denim and even home textiles. For a fibre to be truly sustainable, it needs to be available to all, a fibre that can play in the mainstream and not only in niche areas. To make a real impact, you have to have scale. Naia Lyte’s use in lighter fabrics will help make it accessible to all. We started at the high end; now we are on the High Street.
What has been the early market reaction to Naia Lyte?
The early market reaction to Naia Lyte has been very encouraging. Our mill customers have been particularly impressed by the beautiful lustre it brings to lightweight fabrics. Also mill trials have validated its enhanced tenacity, demonstrating that Naia Lyte is very well suited for lightweight fabrics and garments that require strong performance. Importantly, this enhanced tenacity opens up new possibilities for us. It improves the versatility of Naia, allowing it to be used in many different fabric constructions and applications.
How far away from becoming reality is your vision of having 100% recycled content?
I would say that all of the versions we have produced are already quite sustainable. This includes Naia Classic; as a first step, people are happy with it. We have also had great collaborations involving Naia Renew and Naia Renew ES with important brands such as Patagonia. But our innovation strategy is all about recycled content, increasing the percentage of recycled content and increasing the volume of that recycled content that comes from textiles. Our sincere aim is to divert waste from landfill and incineration, including waste that cannot otherwise be recycled by mechanical means. Our vision is that, ultimately, we will get to a scenario in which we have 100% recycled content.
Ruth Farrell spoke to Sportstextiles at the Intertextile Shanghai Spring 2026 exhibition.
