From the Sector

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EUROBIKE, the world’s leading trade fair for the cycling industry, will include ROICA™ smart innovations into the race. Cycle retailers, brands and manufacturers will discover ROICA™ premium stretch that provides comfort and movement as it energizes.

Spearheading the premium stretch market, ROICA™ partners’ materials elevate new standards for high-tech performance that can enhance cycling products to compete responsibly. ROICA™ partners excite you as they show a fantastic range of stretch essentials for cycling clothing, gear, and apparel that offer solid performance perks.

Most importantly, visit ROICA™ partners at EUROBIKE to learn about their ongoing commitment to responsible innovation and creativity by experiencing their advanced responsible developments made with the ROICA Eco-SmartTM Family.

The ROICA Eco-Smart™ family offers two responsible made yarns with outstanding stretch performances that give free rein to designers’ creativity and guarantees the highest quality while complying to the most-cutting edge sustainable standards.

• The ROICA™ EF– GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified - is made with 58% of pre-consumer recycled content. GRS guarantees its sustainable mission with a certification by the influential Textile Exchange*, one of the most known and recognized global players in the market.
• The ROICA™ V550   Indeed, it proudly breaks down without releasing harmful substance under the testing environment according to Hohenstein Environmental Compatibility certification. Made and engineered by Asahi Kasei R&D team, and produced in ROICA™ German plant only, the yarn offers additional and relevant circular economy advantages linked to material health as proved by a Gold Level Material Health Certificate by the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute for a safe and biological end of life cycle.

Witness ROICA™ partners as leaders in high-tech performance fabrics for the world of sports for riders that want to stand out. See, feel, imagine and learn why choosing ROICA™ is a winning decision. View the unbeatable collection of well-constructed fabric

• M.I.T.I. SpA (IT), Hall/Stand No. A7-215 partner with ROICA™ since the very beginning, develops and creates from more than 85 years, innovative stretch warp knitted fabrics for high performance sports.
• Payen – ESF (FR), Hall/Stand No. A7 / A7-219, committed to develop durable performant solutions chooses ROICA Resistance™ range of high-tech protection stretch functions.
• Piave Maitex (IT), Hall/Stand No. A7-123 presents AGAIN, the new smart and technically advanced line able to balance performances and sustainable features, formed of highly performing jerseys. Two premium sustainable ingredients have been involved for the creation of AGAIN: Global Recycled Standard (GRS) owned by Textile Exchange - premium stretch fiber ROICA™ EF and perPETual high quality sustainable polyester born from a cost-effective process that reverses engineer consumer waste PET bottles.
• SITIP SpA (IT), Hall/Stand No. A7-213 creates high-tech innovative sports fabrics that are made in Italy including BeHot fabric constructed with ROICA™, providing a new dimension to active performance.
• Sportwear Argentona S.A. (ES) Hall/Stand No. A7-322 based in Spain, these leaders in high-tech tech, optimal performance sports fabrics create specialized structures for all facets of sports including high comfort, elastic and performance.

Young, all-Italian dream-team will lead Pinko to a next level

Pinko looks ahead. Evolution & revolution are the keywords for the new management’s strategies. For the first time, President Pietro Negra will be supported by an all-Italian young team to build the success of the brand from now on. Research and innovation have always been part of the Pinko DNA: once again, they lead the path to cutting edge management.

The Pinko family grows with figures fully trained in the realms of fashion, luxury and retail, the actual Pinko R-evolution kickstart. “We pondered on Pinko’s future,” says Pietro Negra, President of Cris Conf in Fidenza (Parma), which he founded with his wife Cristina Negra and which controls Pinko. “This is just the beginning of a bigger project to be disclosed step by step in the next few months. The company turnover is a crucial point for any family business willing to preserve its independence. We believe in the power of younger generations. Therefore we created an all-Italian team to boost an already successful business model.”

Federico Bonelli, with experiences in Ernst & Young, The Boston Consulting Group and Bain & Company has been appointed General Manager. Emanuele Bianchi, previously in Diesel Coccinelle and Dolce & Gabbana, takes on as Marketing & Communication Director. Cecilia and Caterina Negra, the founders’ daughters and pivotal figures of Pinko’s success, confirm their roles leading respectively the Communication and the Creative department. Caterina Salvador becomes Director of Style and Product after working in Giorgio Armani, Hugo Boss, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Coin. More talents will be eventually hired.

Archroma today announced that Vietnam-based Tuong Long Co. Ltd (“Tuong Long”) is the first denim manufacturer in Vietnam to switch 100% of its production to Archroma’s aniline-free* Denisol® Pure Indigo.

Tuong Long Co. Ltd is a textile manufacturer based in Vietnam, whose plant is located near Ho Chi Minh City and employs 600 people producing up to 18,000,000 meters of fabric per year. Tuong Long manufactures and trades woven fabrics, particularly denim and khaki, stretch and non-stretch, for apparel brands in the USA, Japan, Europe, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam.

Archroma’s Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 liquid dye was first launched in May 2018 as a non-toxic way to produce the traditional, iconic indigo blue that consumers associate with denim and jeans.

During production, some of the aniline stays locked into the indigo pigment and is difficult to wash off the fabric. The remainder of the aniline impurity, approximately 300 metric tons annually, is discharged during dyeing. This can be an issue as aniline is toxic to aquatic life. In addition, exposure levels to factory workers can be high. As a result of its toxicity (more hazardous than alkylphenols) it is now starting to feature on the restricted substance lists (RSL) of some major clothing brands and retailers.

The new Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 liq was therefore developed as an aniline-free* indigo solution for designers, manufacturers and brand owners who long for authentic indigo inspiration.

First showing of game-changing technology at a European tradeshow includes the recently launched Kornit Atlas, Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro and Kornit Presto
Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, has announced details of its corporate presence at Fespa 2019 which will take place in Munich, Germany, May 14-17.

Kornit’s exhibit will focus on the game-changing technology that was unveiled in the beginning of the year and will now be on display for the first time in a tradeshow in Europe: the Kornit Atlas and the Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro. The presence will be complemented by a Kornit Storm HD6, a direct-to-fabric sample area featuring prints from Kornit’s upcoming Presto system and an installation of Colorgate’s Textile Production Server for Kornit.

The Kornit Atlas is a heavy-duty system created for super-industrial garment decoration businesses. It is designed to deliver a typical annual production capacity of up to 350,000 impressions, optimizing production efficiency and cost of ownership. The Kornit Atlas is aimed at highly productive garment decorators, mid to large size screen printers and innovative businesses looking to combine state-of-the art technology with lowest cost of ownership, making it easier than ever to address the requirements of leading and mid-sized brands, as well as new generation digital brands. The Kornit Atlas uses water-based Kornit NeoPigmentTM Eco-Rapid Inks which are eco-friendly, GOTS approved and OEKOTX certified, and serve as the main driver of the retail quality prints.

The brand Re.VerSo ™, representative of a zero-waste circular production system for wool and cashmere, has been selected as one of the protagonists of the Sustainable Thinking project of the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo. The Exhibition aims to provide an artistic and cultural contribution on the crucial issue of sustainability, understood as "a development that meets the needs of the present, without compromising the possibility of future generations to meet their needs "(Brundtland Report, 1987).

Re.VerSo™, the advanced supply chain entered the exhibition project. Leftovers can be sourced directly by Re.VerSo™ supply chain, otherwise the Re.VerSo™ advanced technology process welcomes retailers and brands to supply their pre-consumer wool and cashmere woven and knitted off cuts, transforming them into high quality yarns and fabrics integrated for a circular economy.

Reinach, Switzerland - Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, today announced that the production of its new aniline-free* Denisol® Pure Indigo has been accelerated due to the high demand encountered on the market.

Aniline-free Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 liquid was first announced in May 2018 at the Planet Textile Conference held in Canada, and allows a cleaner way to produce the traditional, iconic indigo blue color that consumers associated with denim and jeans.

Archroma makes the Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 dye in the most sustainable way as currently possible. The new dye is produced in Archroma’s facility in Pakistan, a plant that made the headlines in 2012 for being what Archroma believed to be the industry’s first zero liquid discharge plant.

“True to our commitment towards continuous innovation, Archroma challenges the status quo in the deep belief that we can make our industry sustainable. Denisol® Pure Indigo is result of our efforts to challenge accepted technologies in order to find a better way to advance sustainability, and it is therefore extremely exciting to see that brands, retailers and manufacturers are eager to offer a more sustainable denim to consumers. We owe the successful launch of Denisol® Pure Indigo to the shared vision of the textile value chain to preserve our planet and its people, after all – it’s our nature”, comments Alexander Wessels, CEO of Archroma.

* Below levels of detection
Denisol® is a trademark of Archroma registered in many countries.

Gianluca Croci's priority will be to support Lectra's French customers in their transformation towards Industry 4.0
Lectra announces the appointment of Gianluca Croci as Managing Director, Lectra France. Based in Paris, Gianluca Croci reports to Fabio Canali, President, Southern Europe & North Africa.

Gianluca Croci has more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. He began his career in 1998 in the department store chain La Rinascente before joining the Giorgio Armani group in 2002, where he managed, from 2006 to 2015, the Belgian and French subsidiaries. Gianluca Croci later held management positions for major fashion and luxury brands, such as Roberto Cavalli and Marcolin, and was recently the Sales & Marketing Director for Technogym France, a designer of sports equipment.

Gianluca Croci will fulfil Lectra's promise to fashion companies in France: to facilitate the digitalization of their know-how in order to empower them to make a successful transition to Industry 4.0. This ambition is being realized by the 2018 launch of the revolutionary solution, Fashion On Demand by Lectra, which enables fashion companies to customize a garment or make it to measure. This end-to-end personalization offer—the first of its kind—complements a portfolio that is known to solve the pressing challenges confronting the fashion industry. The latest, Kubix Link, developed by Kubix Lab, a start-up acquired by Lectra in January 2018, is an innovative platform for managing product information.

"France is known worldwide for being a leader in fashion and technological innovation. It is a country where brands, retailers and manufacturers have already begun their transformation towards Industry 4.0. I am proud to support our customers’ pursuit of greater connectivity and collaboration in their operations, as well as in assisting them to make the shift to personalization," says Gianluca Croci.
Gianluca Croci and his teams are committed to providing their French customers with the high level of expertise and service that characterizes Lectra's value proposition.
Gianluca Croci's efforts are also tied to the dynamic activities of Lectra Southern Europe & North Africa. There are many synergies in the region’s fashion industry, ranging from the sharing of expertise between French and Italian companies to the integration into their ecosystem of the Moroccan and Tunisian subcontractors.

"Our regional organization enables us to be closer to our customers’ challenges and to provide them with the support they need to achieve their ongoing targets. Gianluca Croci will lead the French teams and contribute to the region's growth," says Fabio Canali. "His extensive experience with major Italian and French companies brings new energy to the development of Lectra France.”
Gianluca Croci is a graduate of the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), Fontainebleau (France), and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan (Italy).

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, today announced that Thailand-based Absolute Denim will be the first denim manufacturer to switch 100% of its production to aniline-free* indigo dyeing.

Absolute Denim is a Thailand-based denim manufacturer producing high quality denim with a focus on eco-friendlier materials and processes. The company can produce up to 2 million meters of denim per month (that's approximately 1.5 million pairs of jeans!), for customers that include some of the biggest brands and retailers in the world.

Archroma’s Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 liquid dye was first launched in May 2018 as a non-toxic way to produce the traditional, iconic indigo blue that consumers associate with denim and jeans.

During production, some of the aniline stays locked into the indigo pigment and is difficult to wash off the fabric. The remainder of the aniline impurity, approximately 300 metric tons annually, is discharged during dyeing. This can be an issue as aniline is toxic to aquatic life. In addition, exposure levels to factory workers can be high. As a result of its toxicity (more hazardous than alkylphenols) it is now starting to feature on the restricted substance lists (RSL) of some major clothing brands and retailers.

The new Denisol® Pure Indigo 30 liq was therefore developed as an aniline-free* indigo solution for designers, manufacturers and brand owners who long for authentic indigo inspiration.

Archroma tested Denisol® Pure Indigo at Absolute Denim mill in Thailand. Archroma wanted to be sure that the new indigo dye would perform exactly the same as conventional indigo.

James Carnahan, Head of Sustainability at Archroma, comments: “At Archroma we continuously challenge the status quo in the deep belief that we can make our industry sustainable - but we cannot do it alone. Without forward-thinking manufacturers such as Absolute Denim to consciously adopt these eco-advanced innovations in their daily production, like our aniline-free* Denisol® Pure Indigo, we will not be able to move this industry forward on our resource-constrained world we live in. As consumers are increasingly aware of, and concerned about, climate change and ecological threats, this is not only the right thing to do - it is also good for business.”

“Deep down inside most of us want the world to be a better place for our loved ones and for future generations,” insists Vichai Phromvanich, Board Member, Absolute Denim, “starting with how we live, what we eat, what we wear, still trying to be cool, fashionable, still trying to be environmentally conscious. Archroma’s aniline free indigo project is therefore something we as a new generation manufacturer have supported from the beginning, by opening our doors for tests in the project phase, and now by sending out our articles to many of our customers. For us, after all, a nice pair of jeans looks even nicer without aniline!”

* Below limits of detection

• The Packnatur® reusable cellulose bag wins State Prize in the B2C category
• Bags are made from wood-based fibers of Lenzing AG, which are biodegradeable
• Bags were developed together with VPZ Verpackungszentrum GmbH and are utilized by Coop and REWE for fruits and vegetables

Lenzing/ Vienna – Lenzing AG was granted the Austrian State Prize 2018 for Smart Packaging this year together with its partners. The Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism bestowed the Austrian State Prize this week in the B2C category on the Packnatur® reusable wood-based bag. This reusable bag is made with fibers produced by Lenzing AG and was developed by Lenzing and its partner VPZ Verpackungszentrum GmbH. The bags are utilized in the supermarkets of the Swiss food retailer Coop and the Austrian firm REWE International AG.

The Packnatur® reusable cellulose bag is particularly suited for the packaging of fruit and vegetables and serves as an ideal replacement for plastic bags. The jury provided the following reasons to justify the selection of the winner: The Packnatur® reusable cellulose bag comprises a long-lasting, reusable packaging solution made of a renewable raw material but not at the expense of food. It has very pleasant haptics and supports longer shelf life of food.

LENZING™ fibers are made from the natural and renewable raw material wood. For this reason, they are biodegradable. Moreover, they pollute neither rivers nor seas with microparticles washed out in the process of washing.

The Austrian State Prize for Smart Packaging was granted on the occasion of the 3rd Austrian Packaging Day. This year for the 58th time, the objective of this award is to highlight modern packaging solutions and excellent projects as best practice examples and thus put the national packaging industry in the international limelight.

• HUB 1922, the fashion division of the RUDOLF GROUP, takes the stage at the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam and presents new technologies that make it possible to move away from environmentally questionable industrial practices.
• HUB 1922 also announces the opening of the new company building in an ancient textile factory near Milan.

Amsterdam/Geretsried/Milan. It was only six months ago that the RUDOLF GROUP, with its fashion Division named HUB 1922, began its journey through the fascinating world of garment finishing. Since then, the team has made significant progress and has moved from being a newcomer to the business to a solid and reliable reality. “HUB 1922 introduces the Rudolf Group to design thinking,” says Alberto De Conti, Head of Fashion Division at Rudolf Group. “And when you break perceived restrictions and paradigms within a strongly science-driven organization, only sky is the limit.”

For an entire semester, the organisation remained focused on one, single goal without getting distracted from it: to become the partner of choice for environmentally conscious advancements in garment processing that are rooted in real experience and science.

Emphasis was put on listening attentively to the market and on engineering solutions proactively, without being prompted.
When it comes to Denim, two separate yet correlated calls for action were heard:
1. the need for a serious departure from established industrial practices that are environmentally questionable
2. the opportunity to change the current rules and stir toward enhanced product quality.

Departure from the environmentally questionable

• HypNO: The next generation of bleach

Many attempts to technical alternatives to local and total denim bleaching have been launched in the market, over the past five years, by a number of competing players. Originality and innovation are at the base of HypNO technical uniqueness that can be injected into traditional denim processing, but that can also be used to create whole new processes and aesthetics.
Birth child of relentless dedication to science, HypNO is the latest alternative to the traditional denim bleaching agents currently under the spotlight because of their alleged safety issues. HypNO is the next generation of bleach.

- HypNO is based on the application of a whole new family of RUCORIT compounds, which are halogene-free and heavy metal-free
- HypNO can replace both potassium permanganate and sodium hypochlorite with one more eco-friendly solution
- HypNO is free from unpleasant smells; it is production friendly and suitable for both spray and bath applications
- HypNO does not require neutralisation with agents such as sodium metabisulphite or peroxides, hence reducing the need for chemicals significantly
- HypNO is GOTS approved. Bluesign and ZDHC Chemical Gateway certifications are intended
- HypNO further helps in the elimination of pumice stones
- HypNO is highly efficient and has been engineered to be cost competitive compared to other existing bleaching solutions

Toward enhanced product quality

• SoSoft, RawLong, DuraBlue

Durability over time still builds a brands’ reputation for quality. The notion of “durability” has changed over the years and has moved from sturdy workwear to the product's ability to retain its characteristics and structural properties.

“It goes against the whole denim philosophy, but, jeans are increasingly bought for what they look like at the time of purchase and are expected to evolve as little as possible. It is what it is; you can’t argue with consumers” says De Conti.

SoSoft, RawLong, DuraBlue, the three new technical concepts launched at Kingpins Amsterdam by the RUDOLF GROUP all sit under the umbrella wings of enhanced quality and specifically address long-lasting softness, preservation of original look and depth of blue.

• SoSoft

All appreciate the softness and suppleness of used/worn denim and the comfort benefit it delivers. It is a generic denim truth, and it is even stronger when it can extend over time. SoSsoft is about softeners carefully engineered for an enduring emotion, one that lives along favourite clothes.

Tried and tested to over 15 home washes, these marvels of chemical engineering allow consumers to toss domestic fabric softeners to the benefit of environmental sustainability.

• RawLong

Denim lovers want raw jeans to fade with time, soften and transform into what feels like an extension of their body. More often, people just want to prolong the look they chose. In both cases, home washing is a headache.

Years of testing have identified RawLong innovative, highly durable and natural solution that keep wearers fresh and at ease in their jeans allowing for long-wearing without washing. Moreover, less home washing means much less impact on the environment.

• DuraBlue

The role of designers is to come up with the bluest of blue jeans in a spectrum of fantastic new blue finishes and supporting textures. The role of DuraBlue is to ensure a continuously updated collection of technical solutions that keep that rich, deep, dark blueness of jeans for much longer while limiting the quality issues that come with denim rubbing. In other words, light underwear, snowy shoes, and white sofas no longer live in fear.

The launch of HUB 1922

• Busto Arsizio, Italy.

On a discreet street of Busto Arsizio, a village at the North of Milan is a red-brick building which in the 1800’s was the house of a textile mill. This 150-year-old structure is where the RUDOLF GROUP, the 100-year-old leader of textile, functional, responsible chemistry, is about to open its Fashion Division. Or, better, it’s HUB 1922.

HUB 1922 is committed to research and develop innovation within garment processing for the privately held mother company. HUB 1922, whose doors are expected to open during fourth quarter of 2018, will foster collaborative efforts with international fashion brands and retailers, will provide product innovation ideas at the crossroad of fashion and utilitarian functionality and will introduce elements of unorthodox diversity rooted in deep scientific knowledge, true environmental responsibility, technical innovation and creativity. “At a time when science plays such a powerful role in the life of society, it is incumbent on fashion to be dealing with scientific research. HUB 1922 facilitates that reunion” concludes De Conti.