From the Sector

Shanghai - ROICA™ lands in Shanghai to showcase its complete range of premium stretch fibers for the modern wardrobe and disclose its visionary approach and strategy for a cutting-edge and sustainable fashion.

On show, leading material innovator Asahi Kasei introduces a premium stretch fiber starting from the ultimate ROICA Eco-Smart™ Family. The certified and multi-awarded range has astonished the textile world for its hyper-performative features. “The new premium stretch is synonymous of transformation: from standard to speciality, from basic to special, from ordinary to clever and from standard to Smart.” Explains Shinichiro Haga, Senior Executive Manager - ROICA™ Division.

Sustainability and a responsible approach are the true core of research and development to create high-tech engineered yarns.Such visionary imprint imbues all ROICA™ innovations:

• ROICA Eco-Smart™ family: A true world-first with the most contemporary sustainable range of responsibly produced premium ingredients. ROICA Eco-Smart™ family offers 2 sustainably designed stretch yarns

- ROICA™ EF is GRS by Textile Exchange certified, thanks to the fact that more than 50% of yarn content comes from the recycling of pre-consumer waste.
- ROICA™ V550 yarn got the Cradle-to-Cradle® Innovation Institute’s GOLD LEVEL Material Health certificate for impacts on human and environmental health. This yarn is also Hohenstein Environment Compatibility Certificated, signifying at its end-of-life, ROICA ™ yarn smartly breaks down without releasing harmful materials.

• ROICA Feel Good™ family: A unique range of advanced stretch yarns that deliver personal performance and measurable wellness, freshness and comfort metrics for travel, sport, leisure and more.
   
• ROICA Colour Perfect™ family: A range of yarns that can give excellent, flawless and world unique colour dimensions in advanced fit solutions.
   
• ROICA Resistance™ family: A high performance range of stretch solutions with performance resistance designed for match particular applications.
   
• ROICA Contour™ family: A range of yarns that create new shaping, stretch and silhouette solutions for a calibrated fit, effortless control, softness, comfort and support.

ROICA™ already entered the most advanced collections of leading brands as: Wolford for exceptional European Skinwear including legwear, Sarah Borghi for hosiery, SITA Active for Smart pret-a-porter,  Daquini for athleisure, Livy for sensual lingerie, SCOTT Racing Team for cycling uniforms, Closed for denim, Un-Sanctioned for running suits, Vitamine A for beachwear and many others.

In Shanghai, ROICA™ is set to stand out as leader in Smart Innovation. As tangible proof of this, the company brings to Intertextile Shanghai some of its ultimate collaborations across China and the Far East.

As the role of lingerie in fashion and athleisure continues to augment, the desire for garments that will meet a new set of values for contemporary consumer lifestyles will flourish.  

ROICA™ - the pioneer of innovative stretch fibres, took this year’s Interfilière visitors on an inspirational journey, aimed at encouraging weavers, designers and brands to “engineer” their portfolio of products in new and exciting ways. The company sets a whole new standard in how creativity and responsibility can come together for a new generation of wardrobe solutions dedicated to the contemporary consumer, carving out a new kind of fashion future.

Below some unique developments born from the collaboration among ROICA™ and key premium brands:

COSABELLA produced by Collezioni SRL: The brand sells in over 100 countries, with a premium collection of 2000 styles for every sector of lingerie and leisurewear. Latest styles use a delicate floral lace by Tessitura Colombo Antonio made with ROICA™ V550 belonging to the ROICA Eco-Smart™ family for their more luxurious upscaled lines.

Livy selects Iluna Group’s contemporary graphic stretch lace with ROICA™ EF for the precious “BELLAGIO” line that includes a soft triangle bralette, a padded bra, a brief and a body for optimal comfort. The must-have range has a stunning aesthetic which represents the unique appeal of this lifestyle brand.

Sarah Borghi: the worldwide known brand of luxury Italian fashion hosiery, tights, and socks. They've dedicated more than 40 years scrutinizing the finest yarns and evolving technologies and breathing flawless life into their unique range of luxurious fashion. Today, Gizeta Calze S.r.l., owner of this brand, has developed the first line made out of sustainable ingredients that will be launched at the ROICA™ booth during Interfilière. The collection, developed in Italy by Almatex, blends together key smart fibers such as ROICA™ EF and Q-Nova®, and ROICA™ V550 with  AMNI SOUL ECO®. 

Vitamin A: the Californian brand offers a unique swimwear line rooted in female empowerment. Vitamin A’s beachwear is made with the finest materials and finishes, ensuring a product that will fit and wear beautifully for years to come. Among the  incorporated more sustainable high-performance fabrics shines a unique jacquard development by Maglificio Ripa with a 3D texture made with the GRS certified premium responsible stretch ROICA™ EF and Q-NOVA® by Fulgar. Vitamin A is a member of 1% For The Planet and  donate to environmental organizations who work to protect our oceans.

Wolford was one of the first brands to explore the real value of ROICA™. Known for its exceptional European Skinwear including legwear, lingerie and bodywear, the company has been striving to develop fully degradable items at the end of the product lifecycle. On top of last year’s award for being Cradle to Cradle Certified™ at GOLD Level certification for the biological cycle, Wolford was also recognised for its technical cycle using Econyl® yarn made by Aquafil (always blended with ROICA™ V550).

Each brand Partner brings a different yarn story firmly into the limelight, and all feature ingredients from the ROICA™ portfolio of yarns respecting the company’s commitment to ‘responsible innovation’, and which all boast important sustainable certifications.

The last frontier of innovation in racing suits made with yarns in Metamicro is the model Prime SP-16+, designed in collaboration with the Team McLaren Honda F.1

The spinning mill Filidea, joint venture between Marchi & Fildi spa and Abalıoğlu Holding A.Ş specialized in technical and high performance yarns with natural and synthtic fibers, is parter of Sparco, italian Company leader for the production of automotive components and technical apparels for the most important world Championships. The cooperation between the two Companies located in Piedmont, northern Italy, is focused on the supply of yarns with Metamicro in an exclusive composition, that are used for the production of the racing suits Sparco of the Premium range for Formula 1 and the World Rally Championship. The fire resistant yarn Metamicro based on aramidic fibers are a product of the latest generation, for their production it is necessary a special spinning line. The production is following the strict Sparco standards. Sparco controls all the production chain of racing suits, from Filidea, who has the competence to dye all the yarns with aramidic fibers in its own dyeing plant, to the woven fabric, produced and dyed in its own plant, to the woven fabric made by the italian Company TAT, till the production of garments. The process is always improved and tested.

Metamicro yarns are made by an high peformance spinning process. They are used for the production of fire resistant fabrics, that make a protection barrier for the body against flames and high temperature. The very fine micronage allows the production of very light fabrics with thick texture, the perfect base for light and comfortable suits. These features assure easier movements to the driver and the maximum protection from fire, keeping high breathability.

Filidea has invested on its production capacity of corespun yarns with XLANCE® technology, fiber used for the production of longlasting workwear apparel with an excellent fitting.

The spinning mill Filidea, joint venture between Marchi & Fildi spa and Abalıoğlu Holding A.Ş specialize in technical and high performance yarns with natural and synthtic fibers, is increasing its production of blends with XLANCE®.

XLANCE® is the innovative elastolefin fibe, elastic, chlorine and UV resistant. It finds application on workwear and outdoor clothing, with natural and comfort fitting. The comfort stretch feature follows the the body’s natural movement during the day-to-day work. Workwear clothing are so light, resistant and with a contemporary look. Resistance to abrasion and to frequent industrial laundry cycles with chemical products meet the needs of several professional sectors. XLANCE® is produced by ©Xlance srl, Company located in Varallo Pombia (province of Novara – Piedmont – Italy) that found in Filidea the perfect partner for the development of specific yarns, that are getting more and more requested. An innovation that is getting more important thanks to the cooperation of the two textile Companies located in Piedmont. Filidea has been producing XLANCE® yarns since 2009 and has now a great know-how. The Company to strengthens its leadership in technical yarns, for the main applications on protetictive garments, workwear, sportswear, racing and automotive. Filidea has developed and consolidated several partnerships for the creation of complete supply chains and the collaboration with ©Xlance is a perfect example.

• Lenzing’s mission: Greening up the value chain
• Putting the Sustainable Development Goals into practice
• Partnering with US brands in Earth Day campaign to plant trees

For the Lenzing Group, sustainability is a core value, key business driver and stimulus for innovation. In its new Sustainability Report, which will be sent from Earth Day, April 22, readers will learn about the wide range of activities the company is engaged in pursuing its mission of greening up the value chain. The Report is entitled “Partner for Change”, a concept that also inspires the latest TENCEL™ campaign on occasion of Earth Month, launched on April 1, 2019 and continuing until April 30, 2019.

Sustainability is an increasingly important element of Lenzing’s brand promise. The current TENCEL™ Earth Month Campaign “From Trees, For Trees” is a brand collaboration supporting the replanting of trees in the California forests recently devastated by last year’s wildfires that burned over c of forest. From April 1 to April 30, 2019, TENCEL™ brand invites the public to get involved in helping them donate trees by liking and sharing Earth Month related posts on their branded Instagram channel as well as their retail partner’s Instagram channels (https://www.tencel.com/earth-day).

ROICA™ discloses five key and influencing brands with unique outfits already available in the market, that demonstrate how ROICA™ is able to deliver and transform basic performant stretch in eco hi-tech valuable innovations interpreted in five, completely different, contemporary lifestyles!

Inspired by the need for style-conscious, sustainable garments that are versatile for every life situation, AEANCE was created as a brand that merges ready-to-wear with technical apparel. The brand`s values are timeless minimalism, substance and understated luxury. Less, but better. AEANCE is committed to creating garments with the least possible impact on the environment and has set up a supply chain focusing on eco-sustainability and ethical responsibility. The Women`s Light Padded Jacket of the look selected for ISPO is the result of a collaboration with the acclaimed industrial designer Konstantin Grcic.

Knowing the transformative power of fitness, DAQUÏNI® was founded in 2012 to help women bridge the gap between how they feel and how they think they look when they are working out. Each DAQUÏNI® item is made in the E.U. from highest quality Oeko-Tex® certified materials. The brand’s first choice in fabrics is SOFILETA (founded in 1911) with its luxurious technical fabrics with ROICA™ V550 premium stretch awarded with Cradle-to-Cradle Innovation Institute’s GOLD LEVEL material health certificate.

The New York based brand Erin Snow creates chemically safe, circularly designed, socially fair luxury performance apparel. The Teri pant is Erin Snow's most innovative and highly anticipated pant to date. Teri is made from the finest bluesign® approved Schoeller 4-way stretch fabric containing ROICA™ V550 premium stretch sustainable fiber. The pant is insulated with PrimaLoft® Gold Luxe and repels water and dirt without PFCs, thanks to Schoeller's ecorepel® Bio finishing while giving maximum freedom of movement.

The SCOTT Racing Team, the Italian Mtb Pro Rider Team born in 1988, selected the high performance for active clothing identifying Rosti, SITIP and ROICA™ as strategic partners to ensure unique and performant biking outfit composed by tights and jacket. Made with the special BEHOT fabric by SITIP, constructed with active performance materials belonging to the ROICA Feel Good™ family, it not only insulates, but generates up to 2 degrees of heat as you workout as certified by CeRism, Outdoor Sport Research Centre at Verona University. Long life stretch, superior shape retention and best breathability thanks to the Blizzard by SITIP fabric that ensures thermal comfort and easy care to the users. A valuable choice that perfectly matches the performances of an experienced team of specialists.

SITA hits the European panorama for the first time at ISPO with ROICA™ few days after the official launch in US and Saudi Arabia on January 31st. Its high-tech debut collection for Spring 2019 provides women with an all-new luxury concept of timeless foundational apparel made in New York balancing concealed performance features and style to meet womens’everyday dynamic lifestyle. The newly-created made in Italy SITATECH™ fabric includes permanent agents that neutralize odor, withstand machine wash, and exhibit superior quality. The intricately designed fabric takes on instant appeal with nanotechnology fibers and ROICA™ CF, a yarn with an active smart odor neutralizer property, then knitted in Italy by Maglificio Ripa.

Michelman, a global developer and manufacturer of environmentally friendly advanced materials, including sizing for glass and carbon fiber, has invested in the FIMATEST adhesion measurement system to ensure their sizing solutions continue to contribute to enhanced performance of composite parts.

“As we continue our vision to be the interface expert, it is critical to have analytical equipment that can efficiently fine-tune our sizing to optimize adhesion properties. This is one of the key performance attributes we provide our customers, and the fact that the Textechno FIMATEST system works according to the fiber pull-out principle makes it extremely valuable”, explains Steve Bassetti, Michelman’s Global Marketing Director for Industrial Manufacturing. “We have utilized this equipment in our development lab for almost two years, and it is suited for any fiber-matrix combination we have developed. It has been helpful that Textechno developed these instruments because they are, and will continue to be, a great benefit to the entire Composites industry. We look forward to supporting Textechno in establishing more standardization for the Industry regarding fiber-matrix-adhesion and processing properties.“

Dr. Ulrich Mörschel, CEO of Textechno, added: “We are proud that Michelman, the industry’s leading interface expert, invested in our testing system.” Bassetti further elaborated on the system’s benefits: “For Michelman’s customers, this equipment has allowed for great collaboration, increased screening of sizing concepts, and a more robust and efficient product development process.”

• Strategic collaboration in a prominent location on Orchard Road
• TENCEL™ Studio will host showroom featuring fashion from TENCEL™ fibers
• Cooperation underpins new branding strategy to reach out to consumers
• Chain of innovation and application centers in Asia completed

Lenzing/Singapore – The Lenzing Group, world market leader in specialty fibers from wood, will partner with the Textile and Fashion Federation Singapore (TaFF) to offer Singapore’s designers a hub to present themselves and make the TENCEL™ brand more accessible to consumers. The collaboration was announced last week at the opening ceremony of Design Orchard attended by Chan Chun Sing, Minister for Trade and Industry of Singapore.

“Lenzing is excited to work with TaFF on The Cocoon Space and its programs. Our cooperation with fashion designers is an important element in showcasing the sustainability promise of our flagship brand TENCEL™ to consumers. It comprises an integral part of Lenzing’s commitment to green-up the fashion industry”, says Stefan Doboczky, Chief Executive Officer of the Lenzing Group. “Singapore is a strategic hub for Lenzing in Asia, and we are proud to contribute towards taking Singapore’s fashion scene to greater heights.”

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, and Carlin, the trend office who pioneered trend forecasting back in 1947, are heading together to Premiere Vision Paris, where they share a booth fully dedicated to color creativity, inspiration and performance.
Carlin is well known in France and abroad for its "trend-oriented" expertise from brand strategy and collection design, to color creation and trend forecasting. Carlin serves famous brands in the fashion, cosmetic or sportswear industry, such as GAP, Empreinte, Byredo, Birchbox, or Samsung.

Carlin x Archroma collaboration
Archroma launched the 'Color Atlas by Archroma®' in 2016, a unique tool dedicated to providing fashion designers and stylists with off-the-shelf color inspiration that can be implemented in production with just a few clicks.
The Color Atlas contains 4,320 colors on cotton poplin, and online, almost double compared to similar tools available to textile and fashion specialists. More brands are turning to the Color Atlas and Archroma for color creation and implementation, such as American Eagle Outfitters, Athleta, Express, and Lands’ End.
Archroma and Carlin started their collaboration in July 2018. Carlin is using the color references of the Color Atlas during its color workshops throughout France, as well as in its 20 yearly publications.
At Premiere Vision, Archroma and Carlin will be together in one exhibition space, allowing visitors to enjoy a full consultation from color trends to color inspiration to color implementation from the first mood board all the way into production.

New products for photopolymer and laser sinter printing methods from BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH (B3DPS) are on show from November 13 to 16 at Stand F20 in Hall 3.1 at this year’s formnext fair in Frankfurt. The BASF subsidiary is also announcing several new partnerships for the development and distribution of groundbreaking 3D printing solutions and products.

B3DPS has entered into a strategic partnership with the US company Origin, San Francisco, California for the further development of photopolymer printing processes. “Within the framework of an open business model, we are combining BASF’s material know-how with Origin’s expertise in printer software programming and the manufacture of the corresponding hardware,” explained Volker Hammes, Managing Director BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH. The collaboration has already shown the first signs of success. Origin has developed a new printing method where BASF’s new Ultracur3D photopolymers can be processed particularly well. The technology offers an optimal combination of a good surface finish and high mechanical stability, while also allowing for high material throughput.

B3DPS is working together with Photocentric, a manufacturer of 3D printers and their corresponding software and materials, on the development of new photopolymers and large-format photopolymer printers for mass production of functional components. Based in Peterborough, UK and Phoenix, USA, Photocentric has developed and optimized the use of LCD screens as image generators for its own printing systems. The two partners plan to offer the industry 3D printing solutions that replace parts of traditional manufacturing processes such as injection molding for small series, as well as enabling the production of large components.

The objective of the cooperation with Xunshi Technology, a Chinese printer manufacturer headquartered in Shaoxing, and operates in USA under the name Sprintray, will be opening new fields of application in 3D printing for the Ultracur3D product range of B3DPS.

Ultracur3D specialties for photopolymer printing processes
B3DPS has grouped well-established and new photopolymers designed for the respective 3D printing processes under the brand name Ultracur3D. BASF has developed unique raw materials for its new products that enable special part properties.
“Our Ultracur3D portfolio enables us to offer customers various UV-curable materials for 3D printing that provide far better mechanical properties and higher long-term stability than most available materials,” explained András Marton, Senior Business Development Manager at B3DPS. He added: “These materials have been developed for functional components that are subject to high stress.”

Expansion of distribution network for filaments
Innofil3D, a subsidiary of B3DPS, is entering into a partnership with Jet-Mate Technology, based in Tjanjin, China, for the distribution of plastic filaments in China. In parallel, a distribution agreement has been concluded with M. Holland in Northbrook, USA for the distribution of filaments in USA. “Since the USA is the largest market for filaments, we intend to strengthen our activities there,” said Jeroen Wiggers, Business Director 3DP Solutions for Additive Extrusion at B3DPS, adding: “Asia is another important market for us. We will be developing further distribution channels there and putting our Ultrafuse filaments on the Asian market in 2019.”

BASF’s portfolio of filaments for 3D printing are comprised of two categories; the well-established Innofil3D filaments based on generic polymers for conventional applications and polymer-based Ultrafuse filaments for advanced formulations used in demanding technical applications. One of the broadest filament selections on the market, this portfolio covers customer requirements ranging from prototype to industrial-scale production.

SLS: new 3D printing material with fire protection classification
New flame-resistant Ultrasint Polyamide PA6 Black FR meets UL94 V2 fire protection standards and is a new material class for use in selective laser sintering (SLS) processes, distinguished by high stiffness and thermal stability. In cooperation with one of the global leaders of public transportation vehicles, B3DPS has developed new components that meet vehicle fire protection requirements. “Together with our partner, we are currently producing prototypes, spare parts, and small series components, and are working to further improve flame resistance to meet additional certification specifications,” explained Hammes.
BASF introduced Ultrasint Grey PA6 LM X085 at AMUG this spring and now is followed by another product on show at formnext. Ultrasint PA6 Black LM X085 is based on polyamide 6, and can be processed at 175-185 degrees Celsius therefore making it suitable for most current SLS machines.

B3DPS adds polypropylene to its 3D printing portfolio
Through the acquisition of Advanc3D Materials GmbH in July 2018, B3DPS has expanded its range with numerous materials for use on laser sinter machines, including polyamide Adsint PA12, Adsint PA11, Adsint PA11CF and Adsint TPU flex 90.
Ultrasint PP is a special highlight. This polypropylene-based product exhibits outstanding mechanical properties and is frequently used in standard industrial production as it offers a good balance between price and performance. Ultrasint PP is distinguished by excellent plasticity, low moisture uptake, and resistance to liquids and gases. Prototypes and small batches can now be produced from the same material as used for traditional serial production. Post treatments such as thermoforming, sealing, and dyeing can be performed after printing.

For the appointment with the exhibition dedicated to denim Metalbottoni focuses on its new range of increasingly green accessories which have captured the attention of the northern European brands most attentive to sustainability in the world of jeans and elsewhere. A range of proposals which, in recent months, has progressed remarkably, following the rules established by the corporate responsibility protocol called NO IMPACT.

This is a responsible approach underlined by the promise “Committed Accessories”, but also a strategic choice with a view to approaching those markets which so far have appeared to be most keen on the subject, for example northern Europe, Benelux and the United States, California in particular. This means that Metalbottoni is acting with increasing assertiveness on those scenarios where it has been present for a long time, in order to increase the segments depth, intercepting new ones, thanks to its wide-ranging eco-compatible proposal.

NO IMPACT: “Committed Accessories” expanded
It is the constant search for sustainable innovation that reveals the extent of the progress made over the past few months by Metalbottoni. For the Kingpins Show exhibition, there are many novelties in store from the company, extending its range in terms of sustainability. Firstly, there is the new MONSTER line eco-processing, special for pure denim, which – apart from metal – includes new material solutions developed through high-profile collaborations.