Browse WSA 2023 - sportstextiles: Leading sports/outdoors materials gl

Could proteins provide the building blocks for a new fibre to rival polyester and silk? Bloom Labs believes it has found a solution.

The European Space Agency is working with GOTS to map and monitor organic cotton cultivation using satellites, as a new program is developed that is sophisticated enough to classify field usage to a startling degree.

A multi-stakeholder team of designers, developers and engineers got together to reconsider 3D-printed sports shoe models, just in time for ITMA.

No longer the sole domain of artisanal practices, or of limited runs, upcycling and remanufacturing are progressively being applied on an industrial scale.

Using greenhouse gases as feedstock for fuels or materials is already a reality, and could become a source of clean, carbon-neutral or even carbon-negative synthetic fibres.

End-of-life scenarios are important when assessing a product’s impacts, but they are not an easy sell. This is one of many challenges the makers of synthetics yarns enhanced with biodegradation-accelerating additives face. As concerns regarding the permanence of plastic grow, so does demand for these materials that are engineered to leave no trace.

Advancements in recycled cotton ring yarns for knits unveiled at ITMA are likely to inspire a sizeable ripple effect.

Anticipation was high before ITMA opened its doors at Fiera Milano Rho on June 8.

The need to increase fibre-to-fibre recycling and lack of progress in achieving this is being called out by every sustainable fashion industry coalition and report.

Garmont taps into ‘unexplored market segment’ as the use of e-bikes and ‘slow tourism’ change consumer needs.

The pace to meet the under­served activewear needs of more women is picking up as industry leaders begin to zoom out and piece together the bigger picture.

An investment in equity in Genomatica in 2021 was Lululemon’s first in a sustainable materials company. The gymwear brand has now followed up by launching T­-shirts made from nylon, developed from Genomatica’s plant-­based building blocks.

It has unique performance properties and offers unrivalled warmth to weight. The natural material is also robust allowing it to be recycled, if properly cared for. But down is not without shortcomings and specific challenges.

Producers of manmade cellulosic fibres would like us to believe their wood-based yarns possess performance properties that make them suitable alternatives to polyester and polyamide.

A revamped format for the ISPO Award programme has given footwear its own category. In 2022, 12 different shoe, boot and footwear technology ideas were among the winners.

If Europe is to fulfil its vision of a sustainable and circular textiles industry, the system for collecting and sorting used garments and putting them to good use needs an overhaul.

There is no question that Nike Forward, which debuted last autumn with an inaugural hoodie and crew style, is an interesting textile development. But can the current iteration — with its raw details and grey-only colourway — be the ‘game changer’ the brand claims it to be?

The first technical outdoor gear to be produced with a non-fluorinated Gore-Tex membrane landed in stores towards the end of 2022.

Outdoor sports group Goldwin has been running its own race for over 70 years.