From the Sector

Under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) initiative to enhance transparency and traceability in the garment and footwear industry, Haelixa realizes a pilot project with Costach Cooperative and Peruvian textile company Creditex to give sustainable rural cotton producers in Peru more visibility in the value chain.

In 2019, UNECE and United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT) have set up an initiative to drive transparency and traceability for sustainable value chains in the garment and footwear industry. The initiative is jointly implemented with the International Trade Centre (ITC) with financial support by the European Union. Haelixa is proud to be part of the group of experts that develops policy recommendations, traceability standards, and conducts projects to set traceability benchmarks. With the support of the +Cotton Project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) a pilot is being realized in this context to mark and trace the finest Pima cotton for Creditex directly at the gin in Piura, Peru. Haelixa’s DNA marker connects the actual lint cotton to the entry on a blockchain system provided by UNECE. The Haelixa technology ensures that the information about the product’s origin and the journey of the product along the value chain is always safely embedded into the product itself. The marked cotton will be used to make exclusive pajamas sets for Cat´s Pajamas. DNA traceability will enable the verification of the premium origin of Peruvian Pima cotton in the final garment produced using sustainable practices by family farmers associated with the Costach cooperative.

Costach is the main cooperative of cotton farmers in Peru. The cooperative consists of 5,200 family farmers in the Piura region, producing mostly extra-long fiber of Pima Cotton. Since 2017, the +Cotton project has been supporting the farmers with training on sustainable practices and has been providing technical assistance for improved markets access.

Creditex is vertically integrated from cotton ginning to fine thread, up to the production of high quality apparel for international premium brands. The company takes social responsibility and environmental stewardship very seriously and therefore makes a strong partner for this project, empowering the cotton family farmers that hold the majority of cotton production in Peru.

Huntsman Textile Effects, a global leader in innovative solutions and environmentally sustainable products, is featuring high-performance end-to-end systems for protection effects and sustainable solutions for any wear at Performance Days on April 27-28, 2022, in Munich, Germany.

With more consumers seeking comfort and protection when buying sportwear, they expect their sports apparel to dry quickly, resist stains and odors, and offer breathability. Achieving these functionalities with on-trend aesthetics whilst realizing sustainability, are possible.

Resource saving solutions
Huntsman will introduce the AVITERA® SE Fast process at Performance Days. The revolutionary technology delivers the lowest environmental impact for dyeing polyester-cellulosic (PES-CO) blends. It combines alkali-clearable TERASIL® W/WW disperse dyes and AVITERA® SE reactive dyes to cut processing time from around nine hours to just six, helps mills reduce the water and energy required for production by up to 50% and increases output by up to 25% or more while delivering outstanding wet-fastness to ensure that sportswear will not bleed or stain during home laundering, or while in storage or transit.

EROPON® E3-SAVE is another next-generation water saving innovation. An all-in-one textile auxiliary for PES processing, it allows pre-souring, dyeing and reduction clearing to be combined in a single bath and eliminates the need for anti-foaming products, which shortens processing time and saves water and energy.

Eco-friendly stain and rain resistance
In partnership with Chemours, Huntsman will present the new eco-friendly finishes that repel water and stains, and help garments looking new for longer. Teflon™ EcoElite with Zelan™ R3 technology contains 63% plant-based materials and is the industry’s first renewably sourced water-repellent finish. It exceeds performance levels possible with traditional fluorinated technologies, with excellent water repellency and durability while reserving breathability.

Innovative odor control solutions
Huntsman will also showcase revolutionary antimicrobial and odor-control solutions as part of their partnership with Sciessent. Sciessent’s latest anti-odor technology – NOBO™ specifically developed to reduce odors in natural and synthetic fabrics. It can be incorporated into virtually any fabric – from base layer and activewear tops to socks and underwear to jeans and chinos. It offers a cost-effective way to upgrade everyday garments.

In addition, the partners will also present Sciessent’s Agion Active X2®, a next-generation odor-control solution that combines advanced antimicrobial and odor-absorbing technologies to both capture and fight odor-causing bacteria, and Lava X2®, a standalone odor adsorption product and key component of Agion Active X2® that attracts, absorbs and degrades odors for long-lasing odor protection.

Manufy, a marketplace for sustainable fashion production, has launched a new version of their platform. The platform connects conscious brands with sustainable manufacturers in hopes to create a cleaner future for the clothing industry. Now decked out with many more functionalities, Manufy aims to facilitate sustainable business between both parties from start to finish.  

Over the course of the last year the Manufy team has been busy gathering feedback from its growing user base. The platform started out as a place where manufacturers and brands from Europe could connect and chat with each other, but the team found out both parties wanted more. “We constantly reached out to our users to listen to their needs. We’ve compiled all those ideas and implemented them in version two!” says Michiel Dicker, co-founder of Manufy.

Not only a full visual transformation, but many functionalities were added: “Users can now easily start a sampling process, organise projects from start to finish and get sustainability insights” Dicker says. “Manufy is becoming your one-stop-shop for all your sourcing needs!”

The start-up, which launched in december of 2020, has seen a sharp increase in user activity over the last year. With trade shows being canceled due to covid, lots of manufacturers and brands were looking for new ways to do business. Going digital was one of the logical steps.

The production requests being placed on the platform cover a wide range of garments. Hoodies and t-shirts are popular, but the Manufy team also sees lots of shoes, caps, bags, dresses, swimwear and lingerie requests coming in.

Another notable trend in the industry is the ever growing demand for sustainable clothing production. With reports on climate change coming out and more and more consumers asking for sustainable alternatives, brands are making an effort to source their products more responsibly. The fashion industry, being the second largest polluting industry, needs a sort of paradigm shift. “We should focus more on making lower quantity, higher quality products. Making it on demand would be best” says Dicker.

• Cifra selects ROICA™ for a new generation of sportswear in the name of wellness and sustainability
• Performance Days, Hall C1 – stand N08

Cifra, a leading Italian company in Warp Knit Seamless, has chosen ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei, an international reference for premium and smart stretch, for a new generation of clothing dedicated to wellbeing, travelwear and athleisure, made with Cifra exclusive and patented technology in the name of uniqueness and sustainability.

Innovative garments for men and women that combine fashion and function, guaranteeing optimal comfort at any time of the day. Base layers, tops, leggings, jumpsuits made with natural yarns, or recycled pre and post-consumer yarns in combination with ROICA™ EF, the first recycled stretch yarn certified Global Recycled Standard (GRS) able to complete proposals that offer design, performance and responsibility.

The design of the garments, created in Cifra's design office, combines a perfect shape with body mapping technology that creates dedicated ventilation zones for a feeling of comfort and freshness as well as an innovative aesthetic impact.

And when it comes to comfort, ROICA™ activates a new generation conversation linked to the demands of the contemporary consumer looking for well-being in line with the concepts of safety and healthiness emerging in all aspects of daily life. In fact, ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei is the secret stretch ingredient of the modern wardrobe, able to "activate" garments by giving comfort, beauty, quality together with responsible and certified values.

All of this translates into the synergy of development with Cifra. The products, the materials that compose them, along with the way of production and who produces them, transparency and traceability are all aspects that become an integral part of the common proposal that Cifra and ROICA™ are able to offer by joining forces.

"We firmly believe in the new generation of companies oriented towards the creation and supply of valuable products, fully respecting people and the environment, while meeting the performance required by contemporary lifestyles," says Shinichiro Haga, Senior Executive Manager of the ROICA™ Division.

• “The Atlas MAX technology provides a marked improvement in quality; it gives you that edge and something different."

Kornit Digital Ltd. (NASDAQ: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in sustainable, on-demand, digital textile production technologies, announced today that Peterborough, United Kingdom-based print provider Snuggle has installed two Kornit Atlas MAX systems for superior versatility in their on-demand fulfilment production operations. A Kornit customer since 2017, the addition of Kornit’s most advanced direct-to-garment production systems reflects Snuggle’s sustained profitability and growth since that time.

Kornit Atlas MAX is the first digital direct-to-garment production system to feature XDi technology, which empowers users to simulate embroidery, dye sublimation, vinyl heat transfer, and 3D graphic effects with one single-step platform, using Kornit’s eco-friendly NeoPigment™ inks. Delivering superior graphic detail, consistent retail quality, and low and consistent cost per print to ensure profitability in any quantity, the system is engineered for adaptability to long-term automation needs, which helps businesses like Snuggle address the ongoing labour shortage.

With seven Kornit Digital systems in total, Snuggle is now able to produce up to 12,000 units daily, and has expanded its production space more than threefold since first investing in the technology. While the business does include an embroidery unit, Snuggle rejected screen printing due to its slow setup process, inefficient sampling for bulk orders, and the inability to generate profit from smaller custom orders. Furthermore, digitally-enabled production on demand was critical to their adapting when the pandemic economy caused many customers to cancel bulk orders suddenly.

Manufy, a marketplace for sustainable fashion production has reached its thousandth production request. The platform connects conscious brands with sustainable manufacturers in hopes to create a cleaner future for the clothing industry.

The right conditions
The start-up, which launched in december of 2020, has seen a sharp increase in production requests the last couple of months. With trade shows being cancelled due to covid, lots of manufacturers and brands are looking for new ways to do business. Going digital was one of the logical steps. “We’ve seen many users that were used to more traditional ways of working join Manufy,” says co-founder Michiel Dicker. “Some of them didn’t have a website, so our platform helps them become visible online.”

An increase was also noticed on the brand side of Manufy. With most new brands being digital natives that have a strong focus on sustainability, the platform helps them to get started.

One-stop-shop
The production requests being placed on the platform cover a wide range of garments. Hoodies and t-shirts are popular, but the Manufy team also sees lots of shoes, caps, bags, dresses, swimwear and lingerie requests coming in. “This sometimes leads us to having to find manufacturers specifically for the job, but it helps us to create a better user experience!” explains Dicker.

Manufy uses feedback from its users to keep improving the platform. Aside from finding new manufacturers to fill production requests the team has been working on a lot of new functionalities based on input from users. A new version of the platform will be released very soon. “With Manufy 2.0 it will become easier to organise your projects, place re-orders and have all your production details in one place. Manufy will be your one-stop-shop for all your sourcing needs!” says Dicker.

Two Italian companies committed to the transition to an ecological industry and presented the results of their collaboration at the Blue of a Kind shop in Milan. A union of intent that has led to a partnership initially born remotely, in the middle of the difficulties of recent years, finally set off through the live painting performance by Erik Varusio. The artist from Vicenza, well-known in the world of fashion and illustration, has customized a selection of Blue of a kind’s t-shirts using the sustainable Officina+39's Recycrom™ dyestuff.

Revolution of existing
Blue of a kind is meant to be not just a fashion company, rather a community built around an idea: to combine uncompromised style, contemporary fit and products with a valuable heritage, and a sustainable production process. The products are made exclusively from vintage products handcrafted with the use of scrap fabrics and surplus, thanks to a network of suppliers all over Europe, which makes it possible to find the best vintage garments and stock, ultimately becoming the raw material to lead a luxury revolution, chic yet sustainable.

Fashion and sustainable chemicals
The mission of Blue of a kind perfectly matches with the technologies of Officina+39, a Biella-based company for which the word “waste” becomes synonymous with opportunity, a source for creating something new, encouraging circularity and reducing environmental impact. From this vision comes to be Recycrom™, a revolutionary and sustainable dyestuffs range, patented, which employs recycled used clothing, fibrous material, and textile scraps: its full range of pigment powders is obtained through a cutting-edge upcycling process that involves textile fibers from used clothing and manufacturing waste for dyeing and printing on cotton, wool, nylon or any cellulosic and natural fiber or blend.

Shared goals
Both companies firmly believe that the present and future of the fashion industry lies in circularity and upcycling without compromise. The sector has been hit hard in recent years by the pandemic and the difficulty in finding raw materials, but opportunities have been generated to think about new partnerships and initiatives, to focus on available resources and real needs, and to invest in sustainable technologies for change.
Being part of this change is the goal shared by Blue of a kind and Officina+39, starting with concrete contributions and more transparent, sustainable, durable and quality products.

Hohenstein, a leading specialist in fit and pattern engineering, has joined forces with digital size pioneer, Presize. The partnership now offers a variety of business services, including reliable size tables and digital scaling, that empower online retailers to automatically recommend appropriate garment sizes.

Merging traditional size tables, reliable garment fits and digital body measurements with smartphone technology reduces the number of returned online purchases. Proper fit also reduces waste, lowers footprint and bolsters customer loyalty.

“The better a brand understands sizes, fits and target groups, the more accurately they can automate size recommendations. We help brands meet the different requirements of various sizes, so the fit is comfortable across customer ranges, collections and suppliers,” states Simone Morlock, Head of Hohenstein’s Digital Fitting Lab.

This size and grading advice is now underpinned by digital measurement services and technology based on artificial intelligence. “All it takes to work out the right size, based on a user’s individual body measurements, are some quick questions regarding their age, height and weight, plus an optional video to take measurements. We use an algorithm that learns as it goes along, and this improves the advice given on sizes with each order or return,” states Presize co-founder and CEO, Leon Szeli.

Join the free webinar on “Hohenstein Meets Presize - How sizing fundamentals and reliable fit can increase the effectiveness of smartphone body measurements and reduce eCommerce returns” on March 24, 2022.*

*Click here for more information.

• The Green Revolution: How Microfactories Can Change the Face of Fashion by Mark Sollman, Product Manager EMEA, Mimaki Europe

With the all-important COP26 Climate Change Conference having taken centre stage in November, there is no time like the present for the fashion world to rally together in stepping up sustainability efforts and getting carbon emissions under control. Globally, the fashion industry is now estimated to account for around 10 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and 20 percent of wastewater , making the pursuit of greener production methods more pertinent than ever before. Thankfully, we are seeing a new era of production enter the fashion arena, with the increasing emergence of technologically advanced, highly automated microfactories.

Along with reducing unnecessary waste through on-demand production, microfactories have a smaller ecological footprint than traditional garment production and require no water use during the production process, making it not only a faster solution, but a greener one too.

Last year’s FESPA saw Mimaki team up with fashion designer Carolina Guzman to bring her designs to life in real time at the show, setting up its own working microfactory live on-site to take her designs from screen to garment within just a day. Guzman’s designs were created using Mimaki’s TS100-1600 Sublimation Printer, before being transferred to textile, digitally cut and finally pieced together. Devised with a string of ethical and environmental objectives threaded throughout, the microfactory also exclusively utilised eco-friendly Greentex fabric, and any remaining material was donated to Sheltersuit: a wind- and waterproof coat that can be transformed into a sleeping bag, which is provided free of charge to homeless people and refugees.

Through working with a number of strategic partners – including transfer printing expert, Klieverik; paper solutions specialist, Neenah Coldenhove; and digital cutting equipment provider, Summa – Mimaki was able to produce a collection of unique, high-quality garments live on the stand during the tradeshow, demonstrating to visitors from more than 100 countries some of the key reasons that microfactories seem set to change the future of fashion…

Unparalleled speed and versatility
Where traditionally, apparel manufacturing has centred on a production chain model of sourcing materials and producing garments in bulk, microfactories are now enabling on-demand, on-location production, making it possible to create everything from unique, one-off pieces and samples right through to entire product lines – all at unprecedented speeds. This means greater flexibility and customisation, enabling designers to modify or update designs and respond to market trends as they occur.

Simplified supply chains and minimised risk
The microfactory setup brings production in-house and on-demand, minimising the cost of not only storing stock, but also of shipping it and responsibly disposing of unsold items. Where recent geopolitical events have highlighted the fragility of global supply chains, microfactories offer a unique independence from these systems, empowering garment manufacturers to future-proof their businesses, become less reliant on external systems and suppliers, and reduce the risk of disruptions.

A boosted bottom line and a greener future
Facilitating savings in a whole line of resources, from physical storage and production space to time and energy, microfactories ultimately have the potential to significantly increase profitability for garment manufacturers, with the additional benefit of being easily scalable as production increases. Perhaps even more compelling, however, are the environmental considerations. Demonstrated on a small scale through Mimaki’s recent project, the environmental benefits inherent to microfactory production will have an even greater impact as it becomes more prolific and commonplace throughout the fashion world, with the potential to effect meaningful environmental change as adoption increases in the years to come.

• RadiciGroup and DKB introduce the first “circular” ski suit
• A garment made of yarn obtained from recycled materials and designed with end-of-life recyclability in mind, without compromising style, design and technical performance.
• RadiciGroup Ski Club athletes will be the first ambassadors of this sustainability project

The first truly sustainable ski suit, featuring Italian style and design and a zero-kilometre supply chain, is finally here. Two Bergamo companies of excellence played the leading roles in the conception and realization of this highly innovative fashion-sport garment: RadiciGroup, a world leading producer of chemical intermediates, polyamide polymers, high-performance engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions, and DKB, a company specializing in technical sportswear with the same brand name.

The ski suit, consisting of jacket and trousers, is fashioned with a fabric made of RENYCLE, a RadiciGroup yarn obtained from mechanically recycled polyamide (nylon), which affords notable savings in energy and water consumption, as well as lower CO2 emissions. In addition, the suit’s padding and numerous accessories, such as zippers, Velcro, buttons and thread, are also made of polyamide.

This achievement was made possible by the great teamwork of RadiciGroup and DKB on the research and development of chemically compatible materials that can be used in special applications requiring high technical performance. The end result is an almost mono-material garment that significantly facilitates end-of-life recycling. It can be more easily converted into polymers for use in the manufacture of ski boot components and bindings, in addition to applications in the automotive and furnishing industries, or in any other sector requiring the characteristics of high performance polyamides.

The ski suit by RadiciGroup is thus an all-round application of ecodesign and circular economy principles to fashion and garment making, which justifies the claim “Una sostenibilità all’altezza delle nostre montagne” [Sustainability worthy of our mountains] written in a logo patch on the inside of the jacket.

“I am particularly proud of this achievement, a synthesis of my passion and effort,” said Angelo Radici, president of RadiciGroup. “I’ve always loved mountaineering and skiing, and, together with my collaborators, I work hard at our company day in and day out to find innovative solutions that improve the sustainability of our industry. This ski suit is concrete proof of the fact that textiles and apparel can be made sustainable without compromising on comfort, design, looks or performance. I will never get tired of repeating that collaboration among the firms along the production chain is crucial to manufacturing goods with an ecodesign approach, considering their end-of-life recyclability and, thus, potentially giving them unlimited durability. Upstream producers, like us, gladly share our know-how in materials chemistry and experience in recycling with our downstream partners, so that, together, we can find sustainable and viable solutions in the various sectors where we operate.”