A force for good
Since its launch two years ago, the Fashion for Good initiative has supported more than 60
innovators as they seek to develop solutions that help the apparel industry transition towards a
circular model. Its latest endeavour, an interactive museum in the centre of Amsterdam, aims to
encourage consumers to change their behaviour as well.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2019
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The rising tide of microplastics
A growing concern for the textile and apparel industry, microplastic pollution is the subject of
intense scientific research, not to mention media attention. Many questions remain as to how
textiles shed microfibres, what pathways they take to reach the world’s waterways and what
happens to them once they are in an aquatic environment.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2019
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How to spin a smart yarn
From electronics to sensors and from graphene to glass beads, new materials and functions are
being spun into yarns and threads for stitching, embroidery and textile manufacturing.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2019
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Strong bonds
Illinois-based Natural Fiber Welding has developed a method to regenerate and reconstruct
yarns. This process can endow a natural fibre with properties akin to those of a synthetic yarn
and could also expand the possibilities of textile-to-textile recycling.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2019
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Sustainability: United By Blue
Outdoor brand United By Blue is opposed to any kind of wasteful behaviour. As well as
fighting back against waste through company-organised clean-up activities, it has also found a
use for an often overlooked by-product of the bison meat industry.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2019
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Closing the clothing loop
Mechanical, chemical and biological recycling processes are being investigated in an effort to
tackle the titanic task of turning the mountains of textile waste generated each year at all levels
of the fashion industry, from manufacturers to retailers and to consumers, into new fibres.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2019
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Game Changers: Lutz Walter
As director of innovation and skills for the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (Euratex), Lutz Walter is well placed to offer insight into some of the challenges that the continent’s textile and clothing sectors look set to face in the coming years.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2019
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Textiles take to bio-manufacturing
From spider silks to innovative dyeing methods, bacteria are believed to be efficient and
sustainable ‘micro-factories’ that have the potential to manufacture the materials of tomorrow.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2019
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Biodegradable fibre ‘redefines’ sustainability
Newcomers: Primaloft Bio - High-performance materials developer PrimaLoft says it is “setting sustainability forward” with
the creation of a biodegradable fibre suitable for use in performance fabrics and insulation.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2019
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DWRs at a tipping point
The elimination of PFC-based DWRs is proving to be a long, step-by-step, fabric-by-fabric
process. While the initial 2020 deadline set by some brands is being pushed back to 2023, this
leaves extra time for R&D programmes that may yet yield new solutions.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2019
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Performance Days makes itself at home at Messe München
After many successful years at Munich’s MTC exhibition centre, Performance Days took a step into
the unknown in November with its move to Messe München, the exhibition’s new home.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2019
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GOTS sets organic apart
Sustainability: GOTS
The textile industry is not short of initiatives to promote and certify “better” materials. GOTS
has been working for more than a decade to convince brands that organic textiles are the
best there is.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2018
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Botanical performance
The move to replace non-renewable petroleum-based materials with more sustainable plantbased
ingredients continues to gain momentum. Occupying a middle ground between natural
and synthetic materials, biopolymers appear to strike the right chord for brands looking to
lighten their environmental footprint.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2018
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Against the flow
As the pressure mounts to reduce the clothing industry’s impact on the environment, solutions, new
and not-so new, are emerging to turn the tide on the wasteful use of water. Many stages of fibre
and textile manufacturing, dyeing and finishing require large quantities of the natural resource.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2018
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Growth out of adversity
Game Changers: Laura Colnaghi Calissoni
The unexpected death of her husband, Giuseppe, in 2005 and her decision to assume the leadership of the textile group that comprises Carvico, Jersey Lomellina and Eurojersey, did not prevent Laura Colnaghi Calissoni from continuing to compete at a high level in skiing and cycling.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2018
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Chance of a lifetime for natural fibres
Sustainability: Natural fibres
With public awareness increasing of the problem of pollution from synthetic microfibres, there
may never be a better opportunity for wool, cotton, linen and other natural fibres to win the
hearts of a new generation of consumers.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2018
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Rethinking business as usual
Innovation in technology and work processes is disrupting
the traditional sequence of events that bring a
product from idea to market. The need to reduce
lead times is driving a trend that is also
opening the way to new business models.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2018
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Home grown wool
The trend can be traced back to New Zealand brand Icebreaker or to Swiss Wool, a label
created by Lavalan. Now, the move to use locally-sourced wool is expanding to new pastures.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2018
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Performance around the clock
Looking for new fields—innovations initially developed for athletes are set to make an entrance
into sleepwear and home textiles.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2018
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Fibersort powers up
RISE TO THE CHALLENGE: FIBERSORT. Officially presented this past March, the Fibersort is a semi-automated machine that identifies
and sorts textiles by composition. Now close to commercialisation, it could increase the value
of used garments and facilitate the recycling of post-consumer clothing into new fibres.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2018
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Catalyst for change
GAME CHANGERS: MICHEL CHTEPA. Money talks. The Seaqual 4U managing director brings almost 30 years’ textile industry experience to his role at the recycled polyester fibre producer and says the market for recycled materials will only move forward when evidence of genuine demand from consumers emerges.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2018
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Recycled down, as good as new
With many brands introducing recycled down in their autumn-winter 2018-19 collections, demand
for the material is up, as is the price of virgin down. Some see this shift to regenerated down as
opportunistic, while others believe it helps reduce textile waste and is a rare example of upcycling
a post-consumer item into a highly coveted product.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2018
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A buzz around merino blends
Merino wool is highly prized by activewear brands, but it’s expensive. In the right hands, blends
of merino with core-spun synthetic fibres or with natural fibres such as cotton, Modal and
Tencel, can produce circular knit fabrics that tick all the boxes.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2018
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Designers asked to get creative with Flexweave
Reebok believes the possible applications of its Flexweave material extend beyond its original use in shoes. It has recruited prominent design groups to explore what it says is “limitless potential”.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2018
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Mighty oaks from little acorns grow
Chinese textile group Shandong Ruyi has agreed to acquire the apparel and advanced textiles
business of Invista, which includes the Lycra fibre brand. It is one of a number of acquisitions it
has made as it seeks greater control over its supply chain.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2018
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Loose ends
As more clothes are produced, more waste, or deadstock, is generated. Estimated to be up to
25% of supplies, this excess stock is attracting new attention and is increasingly seen as a
reservoir of resources.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2018
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Sustainability gets top billing at Titas 2017
Eco-friendly manufacturing techniques, fabrics and fibres derived from natural sources and a new project to recycle full garments: Titas 2017 provided plenty of examples of the Taiwanese textile industry’s commitment to sustainability.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2018
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The performance cotton challenge
The next natural fibre in line for a technical upgrade may well be cotton. From traditional suppliers to textile start-ups, many fibre and fabric manufacturers are picking up the challenge.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2018
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‘The greatest innovation of the 21st century’
Jamie Hunt, co-founder and director of product development for Australia-based 2XU, would like to see an industry standard for the term ‘compression’ to stop others using it incorrectly.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2018
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The bigger picture
Finch Designs recently became the first China-based company to receive the Project Just ‘Seal of Approval’ for its commitment to sustainability and transparency. All its swimwear is made using Repreve recycled fibres from Unifi.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2017
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Graphene’s many gifts
Often dubbed a miracle material, graphene possesses a unique combination of properties: thermal and electrical conductivity, strength, antibacterial and UV blocking. These are being put to the test in the first graphene-based textiles coming to market.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2017
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Spinning threads from green gold
The Finnish and Brazilian companies are developing a cellulosic fibre that uses a mechanical process to turn the fibre into yarn, doing away with the need for most chemicals, water and energy.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2017
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Mass microfibre migration
The microscopic fibres that garments of all types shed during manufacture and laundering are now regarded as one of the most insidious forms of pollution in the world’s waterways. Unfortunately for the outdoor industry, fingers are pointing to polyester fleece clothes as prime offenders. The issue is much more complex, as studies are showing.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2017
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Fibre production passes major milestone
Global fibre production is up and specialist European industry body IVC says manmade fibre manufacturers in Austria, Switzerland and Germany deserve to grow their market share, claiming theirs is the greenest and most innovative production in the sector.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2017
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Chain reaction
Warmer or cooler, faster wicking or additional air permeability, and now, possibly even shape-shifting, materials that adjust their properties to varying conditions are paving the way for the next generation of smart clothing.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2017
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Food waste and fashion
The agrifood and agri-processing sectors produce an abundance of waste material and fibrous residues that are being used as a new source of raw materials for fibres, plastics and chemicals.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2017
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Great balls of fibre
Rise to the Challenge: Freudenberg & Napapijri: Lightweight air-trapping microspheres have allowed outdoor brand Napapijri and its
performance materials partner Freudenberg to develop an effective and versatile alternative to
natural down.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2017
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Persistence pays off for Gore
A new Environmental Chamber at WL Gore’s headquarters in Maryland will help the company
test new ideas for using its membrane technology in footwear and apparel.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2017
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Eye on the horizon
Recent innovation in fibres, fabrics and films points to lighter, stronger and smarter solutions for
performance clothing.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2017
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Closing the polyester loop
Research into the recycling of plastic PET bottles into virgin-grade polyester for textile end-uses
continues. The new chemical and biotech techniques in development claim to be more flexible
and cost-competitive than mechanical processes.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2017
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Seamless outerwear by design
The weaving or knitting of patterned jacquard fabrics makes it possible to vary textures and
compositions in a single textile to make seamless multifunctional clothes. After baselayers and
shoes, the technology is now being applied to outerwear.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2017
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Leave no trace
When it comes to considering a product’s sustainable end of life, there are basically two
options: recycling or decomposing. Though the case for biodegradability is rarely brought up in
performance fabrics, the situation may change as synthetic fibres engineered to disintegrate in
controlled conditions come to market.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2017
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Cotton needs to be “hipper” to grow demand
Cotton is losing its share of the global fibre market and the industry has to become “much
younger, much hipper” if it is to reclaim some of the lost ground.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2017
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More than just hot air
Researchers from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) have teamed up with knitting machine
manufacturer Stoll to help athletes tackle cold winter weather.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2017
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Innovation debate at Intertextile Shanghai
The autumn 2016 edition of Intertextile Shanghai took place in October. At one of the many
events the organisers put on, WSA editor, Stephen Tierney, moderated a lively panel discussion
on the subject of innovation in performance textiles.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2017
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Rise to the Challenge: adidas and Fenc
Taiwanese partner helps adidas make waves: As adidas extends its use of recycled ocean plastic into performance products, the relationship it
has with Taiwanese company FENC looks set to become even more important.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2017
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Silk, the forgotten performance fibre
Riding on the success of athleisure and on the growing popularity of natural fibres in active
sportswear, the luxury fibre is making a discreet comeback in functional fabrics.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2017
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Saturation point
A functional baselayer strives to keep its wearer
comfortable and dry at all times. But what happens if it
becomes thoroughly soaked and saturated? The choice
of fibre and the fabric structure can make a difference,
depending on the activity and the environment.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2017
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Titas marks anniversary with biggest-ever event
It was evolution rather than revolution for many exhibitors at Titas 2016, but biomonitoring
garments, breathable neoprene and fabrics made from cinnamon extract indicate that the pace
of innovation in Taiwan’s textile industry shows no signs of slowing.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2017
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Brand Profile: Teton Bros
Teton takes on Mother Nature: Japanese apparel brand Teton Bros is on a mission to help outdoor enthusiasts overcome the
most challenging conditions on the planet.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2017
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Rise To The Challenge: Patagonia and Primaloft
Eco extras for the Nano Puff: Partners Patagonia and PrimaLoft have worked together to develop a new synthetic insulation
material that offers the required performance attributes while incorporating post-consumer
recycled content.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2016
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Net assets
Open-structured textiles play a key role in performance sports clothing. Added airflow speeds
up the evaporation of moisture and enhances thermoregulation. New developments in this
product category are raising the bar on what mesh fabrics can do.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2016
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Cellulose regenerated
An upswing in demand has cellulosic fibre producers increasing
production capacities while a handful of enterprising start-ups
is slowly making progress in recycling fabric waste into
lyocell-type fibres.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2016
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Game Changers: Joseph Gerber
A true inventor: In an unusual column for this series, we
speak to David Gerber about his father,
Joseph Gerber, the founder of Connecticut based
software and automation solutions
provider Gerber Technology
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2016
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Something in the air
Rise to the Challenge: Repreve and Eagle’s Nest Outfitters - A self-inflating airbed has given Unifi a new application for its Repreve recycled polyester
fibre and its partner ENO an opportunity to enhance the sustainability credentials of its
newest product.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2016
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Versatility in elasticity
It is well known that a little bit of elastane can go a long way in an item of clothing. Now
the yarn is incorporating new properties, from odour-management to heat-generation, and
including recycled content, to further boost its appeal.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2016
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A classic upgraded
Skin care and endurance-enhancing clothing are part of a high-tech revamp at French
clothing brand Damart.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2016
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Newcotton yarn process offers 80% water saving
Sustainability: Ecotec - Earlier this year cotton yarn manufacturer Marchi & Fildi launched what it says is the first
“smart” cotton yarn to be made in Italy.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2016
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The future of fashion
Rise to the Challenge: Space Textiles - Couture in Orbit, a project organised by the European Space Agency, tapped into the skills of
students from some of Europe’s top fashion colleges to generate clothing designs inspired by
space exploration.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2016
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Game Changers: Janice Wang, Alvanon
A fitting tribute: Alvanon first brought its sizing and fit technology to the global apparel market in 2001 and is
now famous for high-tech mannequins. Chief executive, Janice Wang, is proud of being (with
her brothers) a third-generation representative of a hands-on garment-making family. She is
equally proud of leading Alvanon’s wider efforts to help its clients in 89 countries use data to
improve their businesses internally and engage more effectively externally with existing and
new customers.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2016
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A new twist on cork
From the sidewalks to the catwalks, cork is in the
midst of a revival. Its insulating properties,
among other performance attributes, makes it a
surprisingly high-tech material whilst its low,
some say negative (in the best possible sense),
environmental footprint makes it a
compellingly sustainable choice.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2016
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Rise To The Challenge: Directa Plus, Vittoria And Colmar
Graphene makes an outdoor apparel breakthrough: Part of a famous list of accidental scientific discoveries and of a separate list of innovations that
have led to Nobel prizes, graphene made a long-awaited commercial breakthrough into the
sports and outdoor markets at the start of 2016 thanks to joint projects involving Italian
companies Directa Plus, Vittoria and Colmar.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2016
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Odour under control
Everybody wants synthetic baselayers and sports shoes that don’t smell, but usually prefer not to
hear about the microbes that produce smells or the biocides used to reduce them. Many antiodour
products are based on silver, which inevitably brings to mind nano, a term no brand wants
to be associated with. Many seek solutions that do not involve biocides. Legislation is complicated
and ever-changing. This is the tricky context that antibacterial textile additives face.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2016
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Sustainability: Restricted Substances
Green chemistry blues: The founder of Swiss certification group certification group Bluesign, Peter Waeber, has said
that, although everyone in the textile and apparel industry would like to have greener
chemistry, no one wants to pay for it. Improvements in the way companies across the supply
chain manage restricted substances are no solution to this fundamental problem, he fears.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2016
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Filling up with nature
Synthetic insulation materials are facing new competition as wool-based alternatives come forward.
Innovation is also found in the natural down category with several materials vying to change the rules.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2016
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Beyond biomimicry
By any measure silk is special. Technically, it is nature’s only continuous filament, and the only
natural fibre that is spun, not grown. Add to these unique traits the high tensile strength and
elasticity of the special type of silk that spiders spin and you have a highly coveted material.
Biotech laboratories around the world are making progress in reproducing this wonder silk and
some may even be close to commercialisation, all involving genetic engineering.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2015
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Breakthroughs in wearable technology
Which ideas will help make wearable technology more mainstream? We pick out three smart
garments that could soon help sports enthusiasts everywhere measure health and performance.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2015
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Innovators: Dr Gunter Pauli
Blue future: Dr Gunter Pauli generates genuine innovation everywhere he goes and is determined to
keep getting projects off the ground and keep generating jobs, including in textiles.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2015
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Finding inspiration on the show floor
There were a great number of interesting products on display at the recent outdoor and sportswear-focused events in Germany and the US. We pick out a handful.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2015
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20 in 20: Textiles and Apparel
20th Anniversary: 20 in 20: Textiles and apparel. In the 20 years since we began publishing WSA there have been many landmark moments in the field of innovation in outdoor and sports products. In the second of two articles, we look at 20 important developments in the last 20 years in textiles and apparel for athletic and sports. There is no order of preference and nor is the timeline important. These are simply stories centred around fibre, yarn, fabric and finished product developments that created headlines in WSA and beyond and helped define the shape of the performance apparel industry today.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2015
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Innovators: Anke Domaske
Milking the benefits: The search for a skin-friendly fabric led QMilk’s German founder to casein, a product whose uses are multiplying the more she researches.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2015
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A Retrospective Part 2
20th Anniversary: Two decades of change: In the second part of WSA’s 20th anniversary celebrations, industry insiders discuss how the magazine has kept them informed of market developments, and give us their views on the changing face of the outdoor and sports market, and what lies in store.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2015
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WSA - The Second 10 Years
A brief timeline in textiles and sports, Part 2.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2015
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WSA - The First Ten Years
A brief timeline WSA in textiles and sports.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2015
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Anniversary Perspective: 20 years on
Looking into the future market with the benefit of hindsight: In 1995, textile management consultant David Rigby outlined his thoughts on present and future markets for sports- and leisurewear in WSA’s first issue. Twenty years on, Alexandra Zakharova decided to focus on the same markets and review the factors that have contributed towards their growth. Using Rigby’s original article as a starting point, it has led her to consider multiple areas of activity and highlights the importance of the ‘Millennials’, especially women, for the sector’s further development.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2015
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20th anniversary: A retrospective
WSA hits the spot: As part of WSA’s 20th anniversary celebrations, some of the big players in the textiles and sportswear supply chains share their views on the advances of the past two decades and consider where we are headed, and explain how the magazine has helped inform them.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2015
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How materials measure up in the Higg Index
Central to the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s broad push to promote sustainable practices in
the apparel and footwear industries, the materials section of the Higg Index strives to gauge
the environmental impact of textiles and raw materials. This ambitious, innovative and
concerted effort to rate and compare textiles raises as many questions as it answers.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2015
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Maximising next-to-skin comfort
Thermo-physiological comfort is the main focus of performance baselayers. Each new
generation calls on increasingly sophisticated fibre and fabric constructions engineered to
keep the skin dry and the body warm. In this mature and highly competitive product
category, it is suggested that research should now focus on the sensorial properties of textiles
as a possible innovation strategy.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2015
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Rise to the Challenge: The North Face and Unifi
The North Face boosts green credentials: The US brand’s iconic Denali jacket is now utilising three of Unifi’s greenest processes, and it
has improved manufacturing output in the process.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2015
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Rise To The Challenge: Outlast-Kelheim Fibres
Partners show that PCM is fill-friendly: Thick viscose fibres cut short may not be the ideal vehicle for phase change material (PCM) in many garment applications, but partners Outlast Europe and Kelheim Fibres have found that these fibres work well in combination with down in a new fill product, Universe. The key is being able to pack in higher quantities of PCM.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2015
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Far-infrared: the science behind the magic
Far infrared (FIR) reflecting fibres and fabrics are said to provide a subtle form of warmth that affects blood flow, which in turn is believed to have cosmetic and energising properties. To win over sceptics, suppliers are now backing these promises with clinical studies.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2015
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Sustainability: Harris Tweed
Island storytellers attract global audience: In terms of performance textiles, Harris Tweed would seem not to rank very highly, although longlasting
and traditionally fashionable, and early attempts to scale Mount Everest certainly proved that
wool has a place in helping to survive inclement situations. Its continuing story illustrates an
example of sustainability and why authenticity is becoming increasingly important.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2014
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New shades of green in biosynthetics
Step by step, major fibre producers, including Invista and Toray, are investing in new
technologies that trade petroleum for renewable resources in the production of synthetic
yarns. This signals a possible shift from niche to mainstream for bio-based materials.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2014
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Sustainability: Parx Plastics
Star start-up to make ‘antibacterial’ easier: A start-up company based in the Netherlands and Italy has developed a technique to use zinc as a means of adding antibacterial functionality to any polymer. It has high hopes of sparking interest among sports apparel manufacturers.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2014
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Rise to the Challenge: JRC-Reflex and Massebeuf
A new spin on retro-reflection: Two very different fields of expertise, spinning and coating, were needed to create CRY (Coated Reflective Yarn), believed to be the world’s first round – not flat – yarn with retro-reflective properties. It is the newest product to be released by JRC-Reflex and was co-developed and patented with high-tech yarn manufacturer Massebeuf.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2014
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Blends bring new stories into merino wool
As the market for performance clothing made from merino wool matures, new blends with Tencel and Cordura, among others, seek to keep the natural fibre’s popularity alive and offset some of its shortcomings.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2014
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Thermal solutions explore new territories
From the high-loft puff jacket, with or without genuine down, to the slim, never-need-to-take-it-off thermal layer, the insulation category is breaking new ground with solutions that are as varied as they are versatile.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2014
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One giant leap for textile innovation
With the first new space suit design for 30 years under construction at NASA, one of the designers tells WSA about the importance of material developments. Across the Atlantic, Hohenstein Institute and Schoeller Textiles have embarked on a mission of their own: sending textiles into space to boost understanding on earth.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2014
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Sustainability: Forest to fashion
New additions to the lyocell family: Growing demand for cellulose-based fibres along with the evolution of the paper industry are attracting investment and research into new processes and raw materials for lyocell, a fibre many believe has some of the best eco-credentials.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2014
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Rise to the challenge: Kodak And Purthread
Kodak’s new moment: Fresh out of bankruptcy, the photographic specialist is developing a new future: supplying its antimicrobial expertise to Purthread to make ‘odour-free’ garments.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2014
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Fabrics: the next step in 3D printing?
In the brave new world of 3D printing, makers and tinkerers dream up, scan, code, digitise and print out objects of all sorts. Some experiment with flexible plastics and chain-mail fabrications. Many would like to print out a material suitable for clothing.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2014
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New wools in stock
Alpaca, yak and mohair are a few of the fibres vying for a position in performance clothing. Like merino, these alternative wools have good stories to tell, and they also have unexpected performance features.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2014
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Next-generation membranes
Just 3 nanometres thick and weighing a mere 5 g/m2, non-woven, electrospun membranes are setting new standards in lightweight protection.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2013
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Ask the expert: Recycling polyester
Fibre industry must hit the bottle: Our question-and-answer series on topics of interest to technical textiles and apparel professionals continues,with recycling polyester from postconsumer- use plastic bottles as the subject this time. Answering this time is Gail Baugh, a lecturer at San Francisco State University and at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, with a specialist interest in reusing existing apparel in mass production of new products.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2013
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Bridging the gap between performance and aesthetics
From ultra-slim summer insulation and far-infrared reflecting materials to patterned trimming, new textiles pack multiple features in ever more compact formats for innovative sportswear designs.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2013
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Ask the expert: Coolness in fibres and fabrics
Sweat is your friend: Our question-and-answer series on topics of interest to technical textiles and apparel professionals continues, with coolness in fibres and fabrics as the subject this time. On hand to answer our enquiries is Dr Jan Beringer, head of research and development in the department of function and care at the Hohenstein Institute for Textile Innovation in southern Germany.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2013
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CETI paves the way for next-generation textiles
With its cutting-edge spinning and nonwovens equipment, the CETI is the place where the
technical textile industry plans to develop new processes, products and markets to brighten the future of a region with a strong heritage in advanced textiles.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2013
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Ask the expert: Microencapsulation
Built-in benefits: Microencapsulation in textiles is the theme for this article, with the answers coming from Dr Jaime Rocha Gomes, a professor at the department of textile engineering at the Minho University in Portugal.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2013
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Flax: reaping the benefits
The fibre is being touted as the answer to a shortfall between cotton demand and supply. The Canadian company behind Crailar is targeting activewear applications, and its properties are also being harnessed in other areas of the sports sector.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2013
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Casting a new line in polyester
New market conditions are encouraging European polyester manufacturers to invest in
mechanical recycling, solution dyeing and local sourcing.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2012
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The age of plasma
Despite promising potential in terms of performance and reduced use of water and chemicals, the textile industry appears reluctant to shift from traditional wet finishes to plasma processing.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2012
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Ask the expert: Adding function to fibres
Right from the start: Our question-and-answer series with prominent textile academics continues, with Professor Raechel Laing, director of the Clothing and Textiles Centre at the University of Otago in New Zealand, answering questions on the subject of adding function to fibres.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2012
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The many facets of soft shells
Soft shells first appeared in the late 1990s and were initially promoted as a new,
multifunctional single-layer garment merging the thermal and outer shell of protective apparel. Since then, the concept has evolved into a vast and versatile family of fabrics and garments that defies categorisation.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2012
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New generation natural fibres
New developments in bamboo, flax and hemp fibres are being presented as ecological
alternatives to traditional cotton.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2012
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Rise to the challenge: Aitex and Tex-Petrel
Bamboo lining for sweet-smelling shoes: Textile technology institute Aitex and footwear component manufacturer Tex-Petrel, both from the footwear-manufacturing province of Alicante in Spain, have combined to produce a new shoe-lining material, Gootex. Based on bamboo fibre, the new product offers high levels of antimicrobial properties, plus a range of other benefits.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2012
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New heights for knits
Summer 2013 and Winter 13/14 knit fabrics address athletic sportswear needs from new
angles, providing physiological well-being or improved protection, from first to outer layers.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2012
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Ask the expert: Comparative fibre structures
Structural advantages: Dr Julie Soden, a specialist in constructed textiles and 3D
woven composites at the School of Art and Design at the University of Ulster, Belfast, gives her answers to questions on fibre structures.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2012
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New yields in castor oil polyamides
Castor oil has long been a non-food-crop source of biopolymers for fibres and plastics,
specifically Arkema’s Rilsan (PA 11) and Pebax. The options are now expanding as Toray and Radici are both working on polyamide 6-10, partially derived from castor oil, introducing a new eco-material that sports brands tend to eye favourably, and making progress in the textile industry’s often proclaimed intentions of ‘greening’ its processes.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2012
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Catalyst for cleaner air
A professor promotes apparel that can purify the air we breathe.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2012
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Sustainability: Recycling
Proof that the story is more than a yarn: Recycling fibres and fabric is far from a new idea, but current times and the global economic situation are combining to spark new initiatives and give extra impetus to existing ones.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2012
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Fresh solutions in the quest for coolness
Keeping athletes cool in the course of exercise or competition is the goal of a series of new developments in fibres, finishing and fabrics.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2012
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Sustainability: Qmilch
Casein makes a comeback: A German start-up is working on a new version of casein, a fibre derived from milk protein, introducing a new production method that, it claims, avoids some of the fibre’s traditional draw backs.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2012
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Why we can’t take weight off our minds
Garment manufacturers and brands continue to shout about their achievements in making
fabrics, components and finished products lighter. Product weight is now a mega-trend in
the industry.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2012
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Rise to the challenge: Aquafil and TCX
Riders stay comfortable under pressure: 2012 continues the series examining the work that ingredient brands carry out in partnership with clothing brands to make better clothing and footwear products for sports and outdoor activity. In this issue, we look closely at the joint efforts of Aquafil and TCX to put polypropylene microfibre Dryarn into technical underwear for motorcycle enthusiasts.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2012
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Encapsulating the future
From moisturising and slimming to healing, performance textiles are experimenting with new ingredients and techniques, opening the way to an emerging family of therapeutic textiles.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2011
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Predictions for 2012 and beyond
An experienced commentator on the performance textiles sector and applications in sports and outdoor apparel has spoken about a series of issues that he believes will prove important for companies in the industry in the year ahead.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2011
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Softer side of durability
A new collection of fabrics that Invista has launched under its Cordura brand have, the
company claims, a look and feel similar to those of natural fibres, making them suitable for ready-to-wear applications.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2011
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Seamless dreams
Lenzing has introduced Seamless, which combines its Tencel fibre with a new construction
technique that it says promises garments with high levels of comfort.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2011
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Ask the expert: Performance & comfort
Comfort zone: Performance apparel manufacturers and brands know that consumers are likely to come back for more if their clothes offer comfort as well as functionality, but how best to engineer comfort in is an ongoing discussion.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2011
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Ask the expert: Moisture management
No sweat: The textile industry has been addressing moisture management issues for some time, but the flow of new ideas and applications still threw up an interesting series of questions for our expert this time, Mark Hartmann.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2011
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Rise to the challenge: Nilit/Lincspun
A twist in the tale: A new yarn called Trinomax AQ is the fruit of a relationship that two manufacturers in different parts of the world struck up at an industry event two years ago. They say the difference Trinomax AQ will make to the sports apparel market will be “revolutionary”.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2011
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New yarn delivers real performance
A common commitment to innovation has allowed Luxilon and Sofileta to offer an award winning fabric that can cool athletes down.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2011
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Comfort can mean competitive advantage
Outlast Technologies has achieved a long-desired breakthrough in making its phase change
material (PCM) temperature-controlling technology available in polyester fibre. The
implications for extending the technology’s use in sports and activewear are clear.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2011
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Counting sheep
The ispo 2011 trade show highlighted the increasing popularity of using wool in performance apparel. With natural properties and eco credibility, wool is fast becoming a luxurious alternative to the most commonly used fibres.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2011
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Mapping the future
Sports clothes being made from more than a single type of textile material may not be new
but research into body mapping technology is revealing new possibilities for achieving
maximum performance and comfort.
WSA - Issue3 - May/Jun 2011
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The price is far from right
We live in interesting times. Record high prices for key raw materials are already making a big impact on the sports and outdoor supply chain but are giving some companies extra confidence in their quest to stand out from the crowd.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2011
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Rise to the Challenge: Tanatex And Tosi
New bleaching process is greener: A new, simpler process, developed by chemical firm Tanatex and one of its customers, offers hope of an easier, more environmentally friendly and more economical way of bleaching yarn without compromising on whiteness.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2011
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The next level of all-conditions comfort
After the launch of its Power Shield Pro waterproof breathable fabric last year, Polartec has stepped up the technology to produce NeoShell, offering higher levels of protection against the elements and greater air permeability.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2011
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Ask the Expert: Mike Sweet, Polygiene
In this new feature series, Ask The Expert, we will aim to answer readers’ questions on a list of hot topics in the world of textile innovation for sports and outdoor applications.
The six subjects Ask The Expert will cover in the course of 2011 are: antimicrobial properties in textiles; seamless technology; compression garments; developments in moisture management; combining comfort and performance and, finally, new fibres and fabrics.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2011
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The ‘Wellness’ stamp of approval
A sports apparel manufacturer in Germany was recently awarded a new label which was
developed to evaluate the comfort of clothes and the ease with which they can be looked after
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2011
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Rise to the Challenge: Coolvisions/The North Face
Shirts show promise of dyeable polypropylene: After 18 months of development, The North Face brought to market this autumn a selection of outdoor shirts made from a combination of cotton and CoolVisions dyeable polypropylene fibre. This article, the sixth in our series highlighting supply chain collaboration, explains the hard work that went into the project.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2011
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Omni-Heat: the new hot topic at Columbia
Snow might have been in short supply in Vancouver at the start of the XXI Winter Olympic Games,
but new technology from Portland, Oregon, might still have been welcomed by the spectators.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2010
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Advances worthy of Olympians
A look at some new textile and fibre ideas that made their way into athletes’ clothing at the XXI
Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2010
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Attempts to add functionality pay off for cotton
Textile innovations such as Wicking Windows and TransDry that reduce cotton’s natural
absorbency and make it quicker drying are helping the fibre win greater market share in the
sports apparel sector.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2010
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Rise To The Challenge: Cotton
Time for cotton to
toughen up: Two bioscience firms, Bayer CropScience and Performance Plants Incorporated, are teaming
up to apply drought-tolerance technology to cotton.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2010
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Focus On Winners: Ulrike Schwalbe
Fast
changes
are
essential: Our series giving the views of elite
athletes on the clothing and
equipment they wear continues with
Ulrike Schwalbe, high-profile
duathlon, triathlon and Ironman
champion from Germany.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2010
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Café culture
Last year, Taiwan-based fabric manufacturer Singtex launched a new product derived from
recycled coffee grounds. The new fabric, S.Café, which offers a series of performance qualities—
including fast drying, UV protection and odour and moisture management—quickly caught the
imagination of apparel designers like Noemi Ivanova
who also like S.Café’s green cachet.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2010
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Wearable oxygen chambers for all
Performance fibre manufacturer Hologenix believes it made a breakthrough earlier this year when its Celliant product came out positively in a clinical trial in a California hospital. The company feels strongly that this will give it a platform for making quick progress in sports apparel and other market areas.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2009
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Performance properties for Prêt-á-Porter
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2009
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The lighter the better
Demand for lightweight fabrics is growing rapidly, both within the sport and outdoor industries. The challenge for manufacturers is to produce lighter and lighter fabrics and finished goods without sacrificing the performance benefits to which people have become accustomed. Properties such as breathability and durability must always be
available, even in the lightest of fabrics.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2009
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Research institutes: Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Hong Kong comes up with the money: Thanks to generous funding from the Hong Kong government, the Institute of Textiles and Clothing at the special administrative region’s Polytechnic University has been able to embrace a whole series of cutting-edge projects with a firm focus on sports.
WSA - Issue6 - Nov/Dec 2009
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Stretch fabrics: the game changes
Fibre manufacturer Invista launched a new concept, Lycra Sport, at the Outdoor Retailer
Summer Market in Salt Lake City in July. It expects consumers’ expectations of stretch
garments to change as a result.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2009
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Focus On Winners: Helen Thayer
Wonder woman: Helen Thayer has spent more than 60 years tackling some of the toughest terrains on earth. At 71, her appetite for trekking, hiking, kayaking and cycling remains as keen as ever.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2009
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Dyable polypropylene offers 'endless possibilities'
Scepticism in the wider market about dyeable polypropylene may not have gone away entirely, but with one fibre manufacturer now producing high volumes of it, and
outdoor apparel brands building fabric from the fibre into their latest collections, the evidence is becoming harder to deny.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2009
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HeiQ on the high road at last
Founded four years ago, Swiss textile effects technology provider HeiQ has now launched two products and has convinced Radici Fibres and Mammut to become early adopters.
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2009
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Research institutes: Hohenstein Institute
View from the castle
WSA - Issue5 - Sept/Oct 2009
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Goodbye to bad bacteria
At a recent IFAI Advanced Textiles conference in Brussels, Gerhard Havranek, head of marketing Trevira CS
and strategic business development, Trevira GmbH, gave a detailed and interesting presentation on bioactive fibres for antimicrobial textiles. Since 2004, Trevira has been part of the Indian Reliance Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of polyester preliminary products and fibres. Mr Havranek explains that Trevira is a small division focused on specialties, including bioactive fibres for antimicrobial textiles.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2009
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BBC to present technical textiles to new generation
A new series for schools called The Design World includes a specially made programme that looks at how textile innovations often make an impact in the sports and outdoor arena first before pushing into the ready-to-wear market.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2009
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Portuguese breakthrough in football shirts
A research project at Minho University in northern Portugal has led local sports brand Lacatoni to apply the findings to the football shirts it supplies to seven of the country’s top football teams.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2009
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Food for thought
Fibre and fabric manufacturers, under pressure like every industry to rely less on petrochemicals, are becoming more and more creative in sourcing new raw materials. In the course of 2009, there has been a series of announcements highlighting new textile materials derived from different kinds of food.
WSA - Issue4 - Jul/Aug 2009
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Dolomite and Dryarn unite tradition and innovation
Italian outdoor brand Dolomite is the latest textile firm to incorporate Aquafil’s Dryarn into its garment collection. The company showcased its Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) line at the most recent edition of Pitti Immagine, in mid-January. The bright, clear colours used were chosen by the company to reflect natural elements, such as, red for fire, blue for sky, white for snow and grey for rock. However, it is the collection’s technical attributes that really sets it apart.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2009
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Bright future for nanotechnology in textiles
Scottish nanotechnology portal Nanoposts has issued a new report on the impact the technology is making on the textile industry. Nanoposts expects that 24.6% of all textile products available in 2015 will incorporate some form of nanotechnology and that the market by then will be worth almost $3 billion.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2009
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Natural selection
Since the 1960s, synthetic fibres have caused natural fibres to lose a lot of their market share. While synthetic fibres certainly offer new and different attributes for the textile sector, the United Nations General Assembly and its Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has deemed 2009 the International Year of Natural Fibres in a bid to raise awareness and stimulate demand for natural fibres.
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2009
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Research Institutes: Kansas State University
There’s no place like IER. To many people, Kansas is known for the infamous tornado that whisked away Dorothy and her little dog Toto in the 1930’s film The Wizard of Oz. If only that tornado had torn through a few decades later, Dorothy may have been more adequately outfitted for her windy trip. Kansas, you see, is now home to the United States’ top facility for research on the thermal comfort properties of fabrics, clothing, and sleeping bag systems: the Institute for Environmental Research (IER) at Kansas State University (KSU).
WSA - Issue2 - Mar/Apr 2009
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Research Institutes: University of Leeds
Ideas and action.
In this brand new section, we look at the most interesting people, ideas and inventions to have to come from academic institutions around the world that devote themselves to performance textiles, starting with the Centre for Technical Textiles at the University of Leeds.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2009
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Linen back in the line-up
As the popularity of sustainable apparel increases—especially in the outdoor sector—demand for high-quality, locally sourced linen fabrics, spun from locally grown flax is on the increase in Europe. Recent technical developments to enhance linen’s natural appeal may help it make even more of an impression on the textile market in the near future.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2009
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Kraig spins a widening web with spider silk
For many people spiders are one of the most terrifying creatures on the planet. Nevertheless, they certainly seem to have their uses. They kill irritating flies and in some countries are considered a delicacy at the dinner table. Venom from certain types of spider can even be used as less harmful alternatives to pesticides. However, arguably their best attribute is their ability to spin ultra strong webs, which have many functions including catching prey, protecting their offspring and suspending themselves in mid air. This technology is now being translated for, and used in, the growing technical textiles sector.
WSA - Issue1 - Jan/Feb 2009
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