From the Sector

• Based on high-tech finishing, responsible materials and certified partnerships
• With multicolored flock, zero water printing, chenille and metallic effects, the company is at the forefront in establishing a responsible lace supply chain

Legend has it that a sailor brought his beloved a seaweed from distant seas as a gift. The woman, wanting to preserve its beauty, replicated the design and holes with needle and thread. And so lace was born. Since that moment, lace has lived within the walls of churches and castles, visited race tracks and catwalks, changing shape and color according to seasons and times.

Among the companies involved in writing a new chapter in the history of lace, Iluna Group definitely stands out. Founded in 1970 from an idea of its founder Luigi Annovazzi, over the years Iluna has responded to the challenges posed by the market in terms of technology and sustainability.

Since 2017 Iluna has been using only sustainable and certified ROICA™ stretch yarns from the ROICA Eco-Smart™ family, while the percentage of sustainable references has risen from 3% in 2018 to 52% in 2021.

There are four main proposals presented by Iluna Group during Milano Unica:

• Flock in flounce or allover entirely made with recycled ingredients and equipped with endless printing possibilities, with 3D and multicolor effects that allow the inclusion in fashion, underwear and athleisure looks. All certified GRS (Global Recycled Standard).
   
• Continued investment in both the Green Label and Bioline, two collections totally dedicated to innovative and responsible aesthetics. Both include lace made with the responsible 6.6 polyamide yarn Amni Soul Eco® and the degradable stretch fiber ROICA™ V550, combined with natural vegetable dyes with OEKO TEX and GOTS certifications.
   
• The union of a chenille yarn blended with FSC-certified viscose and Renycle® yarn, a product obtained by recycling nylon 6, a high-value material with excellent strength, dyeing, softness and versatility, gives life to surprising new Textronic. The embossed designs with 3D effect create a cloud effect that, combined with Lurex, gives unexpected glows.
   
• GRS-certified tulles printed with GREENDROP technology, the new GOTS-certified digital pigment printing system, with lower energy consumption and low water waste, thanks to an internal closed-circuit process for water recycling.

adidas and IVY PARK CEO Beyoncé announce IVY HEART, a new capsule collection inspired by love , just in time for Valentine’s Day, from the ongoing adidas x IVY PARK creative partnership.

As with previous adidas x IVY PARK offerings, this latest collection features distinct looks with inclusive and in gender-neutral sizing in fashion styles, performance gear, footwear, and accessories. The line is available online at adidas.com on February 9th and February 10th in selection stores globally.

The Campaign
The campaign focuses on the guiding thematic color behind the collection. In the Western world, red is commonly associated with love , romance and sensuality. While in the East, red is attributed to good fortune and joy. Wherever you are, it’s clear that this color represents positivity. The concept is centered around bringing people together from all different backgrounds through this one color that’s sentimental to so many. This theme is illustrated through enhanced lighting, bold yet minimal production design, elevated styling and most importantly the international cast. Cultural cues from specific iconography and symbols are explored in visual motifs with sensitivity and intention. IVY PARK pays homage to various cultures inspired by this color, incorporating red through a futuristic yet authentic lens.

The Collection
No matter how you define it, love - most importantly love of one’s self - is at the core of IVY PARK ’s newest drop. Bold and sexy looks are an integral part of IVY HEART, which is aptly decked out in a spectrum of vibrant reds, playful pinks, and nuanced neutrals. In colors that include Candy Paint (Shock Pink), Lipstick Smudge (Red), Raspberry Beret (Power Red), Red, Red Whine (Cherry Wood) and Cheeks (Off-White), the line is punctuated by tactile materials like velour, ribbed knit, and faux latex.  IVY PARK ’s latest collaboration with adidas is further complemented by performance fabrics and graphic prints, allowing ample designs to mix-and-match from work out to night out.

The capsule collection’s design touchpoints are rooted in Beyoncé’s love of athleticism and fashion, merged with adidas’ performance and innovation. The references culminate in a collection of silhouettes that are sporty, stylish, and above all, unique. Conceived around three pillars of foundation, active, and fashion, IVY PARK ’s latest collection is highlighted by the Velour Dress and Tracksuit, Faux Latex Puffer, Pique Jumpsuit and Sequin Duster. Accessories include a 5-Panel Hat, a clutch and a Heart-Lip Belt Bag.

Footwear consists of both on-the-court and off-duty models.  The range is highlighted by a new iteration of the classic Stan Smith sneaker in Cheeks (Off-White), with a rubber dipped midsole.  Additionally, the collection introduces a new silhouette, the IVP Superstar Plim, a mule style shoe inspired by the iconic adidas Superstar in Cheeks (Off-White).  The line also features a new colorway of the IVP Savage sneaker in Cheeks (Off-White), a IVP swim slide in Lipstick Smudge (Red) and the Ultra boost in Candy Paint (Shock Pink).

• Hexcel HexPly® XF Selected for High-Quality, Paint-Ready Parts for Sunseeker 90 Ocean Luxury Yacht
• Hexcel’s innovative surface technology yields parts with paint-ready surfaces for builder of luxury yachts

Yacht builder Sunseeker has chosen Hexcel’s HexPly® XF surface technology to produce prepreg parts with high-quality, paint-ready surfaces quickly and efficiently for its 90 Ocean luxury yacht, one of its newest models.

The lightweight composite hardtop for the Sunseeker 90 Ocean yacht is manufactured from a combination of HexPly® XF and Hexcel's HexPly® SuperFIT® semi-preg. The hardtop is lighter in weight than versions made using resin-infusion processes, and it de-molds with a pinhole-free surface that needs minimal preparation to be ready for paint. Sunseeker has recorded an overall reduction in process time of around 30%, saving three days of manufacturing time per hardtop.

The hardtop provides shade and protection for the yacht’s uppermost deck space. Its reduced weight helps to ensure the stability of the vessel, and the paint-ready finish with HexPly XF provides Sunseeker with more options for customizing its color to the individual needs of its clients.
 
HexPly XF is a lightweight, non-woven semi-preg that eliminates the need to use a traditional in-mold gel coat. The innovative surface technology significantly reduces the costly and time-consuming refinishing work typically required to impart a paint-ready finish to prepreg or semi-preg parts, and yields lightweight, consistent components in short cycle times.

Working with Sunseeker, Hexcel developed a material format, a laminate ply sequence, and a production process that satisfied the structural requirements for the hardtop and enabled the yacht builder’s production team to lay up and cure the part in a single shot – slashing cycle times.

Hexcel supplies Sunseeker with a HexPly XF product that comprises both the surface layer and the first structural reinforcement ply, eliminating the need for a cosmetic barrier coat. Neither the HexPly XF surface layer nor the following layers of HexPly SuperFIT require time-consuming debulking steps – significantly reducing lay-up time – and both are based on Hexcel's rapid-curing M79 epoxy resin system. Adhesive resin films are not needed to bond the hardtop’s foam core, as the resin content of the SuperFIT plies has been adjusted to further reduce overall process time.

Once de-molded, the cured hardtops are inspected before they are passed to Sunseeker’s finishing and painting technicians for final preparation and painting. The HexPly XF resin surface allows the yacht builder’s quality technicians to inspect the laminate below quickly and easily, ensuring the quality and consistency of the structural reinforcement plies.

“Composite materials that improve our production processes, as well as great technical support, are what makes working with Hexcel such a success story," said Stuart Vaughan-Jones, Composite Development Manager, Sunseeker. "With the switch from gel coat and resin infusion to HexPly XF and SuperFIT in the new hardtops, we are now building lighter, more consistent parts, more quickly than before, with a higher quality surface finish. XF really has ticked all the boxes.”  

Garth Thomas, Account Manager – Marine, Hexcel, said: "With the HexPly XF surface technology now well established, XF will soon be used in other large moldings where minimizing weight is critical, as well as additional hardtops across the Sunseeker model range."

Swiss cutting system manufacturer Zünd Systemtechnik and Dutch composite automation company Airborne have expanded their collaboration. As a result of a new distribution agreement, customers will be able to benefit from state-of-the-art digital production solutions for automated processing of composite materials. Zünd and Airborne will jointly promote these production solutions through their sales and servicing networks.

Both companies are technology leaders offering solutions for composites manufacturing and processing – Zünd develops and manufactures digital flatbed cutting systems capable of processing reinforced fiber materials such as CFRP or GRP. Airborne, based in Den Haag in the Netherlands, provides fully integrated automation solutions for efficient composites processing.
 
The goal of this partnership is to make it easier than ever for customers to access state-of-the-art digital cutting and automation solutions. In that endeavor, the competencies of both companies complement each other perfectly. Their combined expertise manifests itself especially in the areas of fully automated cutting, preforming, offloading and sorting.

Airborne’s automated kitting solutions reduce operating costs by maximizing material yield through optimized nesting. At the same time, they resolve the challenges inherent in sorting and grouping cut parts from complex nested layouts into laminate-ready kits with minimal operator intervention. Airborne offer a portfolio of solutions tailored to meet the individual needs of customers from affordable entry-level semi-automated products through to fully integrated and high productivity systems. All systems are "plug and play" and require no additional special programming. Airborne’s software generates the required robotics code directly from information derived from the nesting data and permits static or dynamic nesting and a sorting solution that adapts “on the fly”.

Zünd has been designing, manufacturing, and marketing digital cutting systems for more than 30 years. Zünd high-performance modular cutters are now in use all over the world. The Swiss family-owned company now in its second generation has established a global network of Zünd sales and service organizations under the leadership of Oliver Zünd. “This is a situation where two strong partners complement each other in much the same way as in strong partnerships we have established in other industries. It is a continuation of a long-standing company strategy. Airborne has excellent know-how in developing and manufacturing automated solutions for processing composites. Together we can offer our customers state-of-the-art technology and provide a technological answer to the growing demand for high-performance, innovative production systems in the composites market."

Joe Summers, Commercial Director for Airborne agrees: "Our partnership with Zünd brings a great deal of added value to our customers. Zünd shares our goal of creating greater cutting-room productivity. The Zünd cutter is key to converting materials with the greatest possible efficiency and maximum material usage."

Sistema Moda Italia confirms its Innovation Area for the 34th edition of Milano Unica, an area which responds to the growing demand for innovation in products, processes and services able to give specific performances or made with innovative and sustainable systems. And right here we find Sitip’s technical fabrics for clothing, with the COSMOPOLITAN Fashion-tech fabrics collection, modern and comfortable, dedicated to contemporary urbanwear/sportswear style and which perfectly meets the new needs required by the market and by the final consumer: performance and design.

COSMOPOLITAN Fashion-tech is declined into urbanwear through the sartorial technical fabrics that the company has defined Techno Sartorial: a tailoring that combines flawless cuts with exceptional fabric performance.

For the production of contemporary urbanwear, thought for the city, Sitip showcases the man’s suit made of jacket+trousers in warp-knit Cosmopolitan Citylife fabric: bi-stretch nylon with UV protection (UPF 50+), quick drying, easy care and skin comfort. Highly performing, breathable, comfortable, insulating and with an exceptional fit: incredible elegance and comfort that enhance the contemporary urbanwear style.

For women, Sitip presents COSMOPOLITAN Fashiontech fabrics dedicated to athleisure, with leggings made - for the summer version - in Cosmopolitan London, a bi-stretch circular knitted fabric, no seethrough, breathable, comfortable on the skin with UV protection (UPF 50+), with easy care and perfect shape retention, and - for the winter version - in Cosmopolitan Paris GZ, a circular knitted fabric raised on the reverse side, with the same properties as the previous one and thermoregulation characteristics.

The Instinct fabric is available in the recycled and raised version NATIVE INSTINCT GZ: a GRS certified thermal fabric made with pre-consumer recycled yarns, bi-stretch, breathable, resistant to pilling, easy care and high comfort, ideal for sporty knitwear and urbanwear part of the NATIVE SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES family, the Sitip fabric collection produced with GRS certified recycled yarns and low environmental impact chemicals with a lower consumption of natural resources , able to respect the environmental and social criteria extended to all the stages of the production chain, including the traceability of raw materials. Sitip also operates in line with international certifications such as OEKO-TEX®, BLUESIGN®, GRS and adheres to the ZDHC gateway, adding to these an ISO 14001 environmental management system, which certifies the company’s commitment to reducing pollution risks.

During the 22^nd annual Connect conference at the Wynn Las Vegas Resort, Electronics For Imaging, Inc. is highlighting digital print innovations, that give print businesses more capability and profit potential in a range of market applications. Display graphics inkjet offerings at Connect from the company’s leading-edge product portfolio include the new EFI™ Pro 30h production printer. Plus, Connect features the first-ever live demonstration of the new EFI Fiery^® FS500 Pro digital front end (DFE) – the most-advanced print server in EFI’s 30+ year history – and the debut of the EFI Fiery Impress™ DFE, a scalable, flexible server and colour management solution for inkjet label and packaging applications as well as for inline manufacturing lines that need variable print.
                                               
EFI Connect has more than 130 break-out sessions presenting the latest tips and trends across all the industry segments EFI supports. This includes sessions addressing the growing analogue-to-digital transformation opportunities using EFI’s industrial Corrugated & Packaging, Textile, and Building Materials/Décor solutions.
 
EFI Connect also marks the debut of an innovative prepress product for display graphics businesses, EFI Fiery Prep-it™ software for the preparation, layout, and automated production of print-for-cut jobs. Designed to address productivity needs amid continued labour shortages, this powerful and cost-saving true-shape nesting solution reduces the time needed to nest complex objects for wide-format printing by up to 90%. Compared with competing products, Fiery Prep-it software also reduces media usage by 10% or more, helping to alleviate media supply constraints. With the media savings it generates, this affordable, effective software can pay for itself in four months or less, helping print shops become more competitive.

• 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.

Electronics For Imaging, Inc. is announcing that it will be prioritizing technology investments to accelerate growth in its fast-growing industrial EFI™ Inkjet business to continue to be a leader in the industry of analog-to-digital transition, as well as in its market-leading Fiery® business. As part of this focused strategy, EFI has completed a sale of its eProductivity Software (“EPS”) packaging and print productivity software business to an affiliate of Symphony Technology Group (“STG”). EFI and EPS will continue to collaborate with their joint customers and partners to ensure mutual success.

This realignment allows EFI to accelerate investment into its Inkjet and Fiery business units to capitalize on the growth opportunities available in existing segments the company serves, as well as drive expansion into markets that are beginning the transformation toward digital.

Industrial Inkjet: Capturing Unprecedented Opportunity
The industrial inkjet space is ripe with opportunity in existing and adjacent vertical markets. EFI Inkjet will continue to drive in high-volume, shuttle and single-pass inkjet technology, which the company has currently implemented in award-winning, high-performance products for the Packaging & Corrugated, Display Graphics, Textile, and Building Materials/Decor verticals. EFI will also leverage its industry-leading expertise in hardware, mechanical control software, high-speed electronics, services, cloud-connected devices, and ink innovations to deliver the next generation of versatile, high-volume, superior-quality printers and presses.
 
Following the realignment, EFI is making investments in R&D to strengthen its position in core markets while entering new categories – including the development of technologies to address new applications for the textile space and for packaging.

Fiery: Driving Digital Print Innovation and Growth
The Fiery business unit, under the continued leadership of Fiery Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Toby Weiss, remains as one of the world’s premier DFE providers, enabling the high performance required across many vertical markets including packaging, signage and commercial print with advanced Fiery solutions driving high-end printers and presses from many major equipment manufacturers.

Productivity Software: Investing for Growth under New Ownership
EPS’ new owner, STG, is a private equity firm that focuses on investing in software, data analytics, and software-enabled technology services companies, and will support EPS to deliver enhanced value to its packaging and print customers and accelerate global growth. STG completed this acquisition on December 30, 2021. The price and terms of the deal were not disclosed.
 
Moelis & Company LLC served as exclusive financial advisor, and Sidley Austin LLP acted as legal counsel, to EFI in the sale of EPS. Paul Hastings LLP acted as legal advisor to STG.
 
EFI’s upcoming Connect users conference will be a joint event for EFI and EPS customers. Leaders from both companies will highlight their technology enhancements and product roadmap strategies during the January 17-21 Las Vegas gathering.

During an expansive, three-day Electronics For Imaging, Inc. open house this month at the company’s EFI™ Reggiani industrial textile printer facility, textile and apparel manufacturers witnessed first-hand the market-leading innovations that provide users with new opportunities. The December open house, which drew more than 70 attendees from over 23 different European, South American, and Middle Eastern countries, featured informative sessions with product experts on a diverse range of topics, covering new and trending market applications for textile manufacturers.

Attendees witnessed live demonstrations of eight advanced digital printers during the open house, including the new EFI Reggiani HYPER, EFI Reggiani TERRA Silver scanning/multi-pass printer, and EFI Reggiani BLAZE as well as the EFI Reggiani BOLT – the award-winning single-pass offering that is the one of the fastest digital textile printers.

EFI Reggiani HYPER – a fast scanning digital printer
The new EFI Reggiani HYPER is a scanning printer available in 1.8-metre, 2.4-metre or 3.4-metre widths. The Reggiani HYPER model targets the industrial high-speed segment of the multi-pass textile printing sector.

With an up to eight-colour configuration, it prints at speeds up to 13 linear metres per minute in two-pass production mode. The new printer is suitable for high-quality production on knitted or woven fabrics and is designed with smart technology that enables it to be integrated into Industry 4.0 projects.

Sustainable direct-to-textile printing with the EFI Reggiani TERRA Silver
The new-version TERRA Silver printer is part of EFI’s complete TERRA line-up of pigment ink printer solutions. It allows print service providers to enter the world of industrial textile with a short, smart and green production process.
The printer also features:

• A new recirculating ink system for superior reliability and minimum maintenance
• Several printing modes to ensure maximum flexibility in terms of design capability
• New, real-time image processing that eliminates time spent in image pre-calculations
• A user friendly, intuitive interface
• A more-efficient polymerisation process that takes place as printed textile goes through the printer’s on-board dryer.

EFI Reggiani BLAZE, an ideal entry solution for industrial textile printing
The EFI Reggiani BLAZE printer is designed to give textile companies the opportunity to enter the digital textile printing market with a compact solution. The new, 1.8-metre-wide printer offers an innovative, low-maintenance, continuous recirculation ink system equipped with a level sensor and degassing as well as a print head crash protective system for longer printhead life and superior uptime.

The upgraded EFI Reggiani BOLT – one of the fastest digital textile printers
In 2021, the EFI Reggiani BOLT received a combination of hardware and software enhancements that minimise artifacts, compensating for missing nozzles that may occur over time and enhancing uniformity to deliver smoother solid colours. The upgrade also delivers improved quality and smoother gradients, plus it enables faster printhead replacement and drastically increases file processing speed by up to 200% for large, complex files.

Comber machines from Trützschler are already trusted by customers across the textiles industry and around the globe. The TCO 21 is the latest addition to their portfolio and was built to boost productivity,  ensure quality and support increased automation.

High productivity and raw material savings
One of the key benefits of the TCO 21 is its advanced processing speed. This next-generation combing machine is able to produce at a rate of up to 600 nips per minute. the TCO 21 can also be coordinated with Trützschler’s JUMBO CANS (Ø 1.200 mm). They not only reduce yarn defects due to fewer piecings which leads to quality improvements, but also offer a higher efficiency because of their larger dimensions. This, for example, has positive effects on the number of necessary cans and can transports – and results in lower personnel costs.

Excellent yarn quality
The TCO 21 comes with COUNT MONITORING as standard. This feature makes it possible for the machine operator to define limits for count variations via an easy-to-use display. Trützschler’s DISC MONITOR system of sensors measures the count continuously, and the machine alerts the operator and switches off if the limit is exceeded. In addition, the COUNT MONITORING function also includes spectrogram analysis.

Customers can further strengthen their focus on quality by choosing to add the COUNT CONTROL function to the TCO 21. It is managed via the same easy-to-use display, and offers automatic sliver count measurement, as well as spectrogram analysis. It also automatically regulates the main draft during production to balance count variations and ensure the desired sliver count. This feature is particularly attractive for customers who manufacture blends of cotton and synthetic, as it can also be used to avoid variations in the overall yarn composition.

Automatic optimization
The TCO 21 joins the TCO 12 from Trützschler as an combing machine that offers automatic PIECING OPTIMIZER technology, and that finds the right piecing setting without a single laboratory test, because of two functions: First by adjusting the piecing time in the combing cycle (timing function). Whereas the resetting of the detaching point (piecing time) is usually a very time-consuming task, it now takes only a few minutes and is performed automatically at a push on a button. Second the customer is helped to select specific detaching curve types (curve function) for their unique requirements.

Easy operation
The TCO 21 is simple to operate and maintain. The SMART TOUCH display is fast and intuitive, and a Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) sensor quickly identifies each user and adapts the information on the display to their individual needs. The multi-colored T-LED display provides visual indications of the machine’s status or quality parameters over large distances which enables the operator recognizing them at a glance in the entire spinning mill. The TCO 21 is built with original Trützschler electronics that ensure high performance and durability: Their intelligent cooling system, that has already proven itself in the draw frame TD 10, contributes to a longer service life by reducing the operating temperature of electronic power components. Even if components have to be replaced at some point, the customer can keep their spare parts inventory small, because they can switch also electronics spare parts flexibly between different machine types, e.g. cards and draw frames. The option to add an automatic greasing function completes the easy operation of the TCO 21.