From the Sector

The BOGNER Wanderlust styles transport the iconic BOGNER après-ski look into summer, combining details from hiking and active sports with fashionable urban silhouettes.

Vintage details from the BOGNER archives are reinterpreted through modern materials. Slightly cropped tops with dropped shoulders and voluminous sleeves meet piped pockets and striking hoods. BOGNER typical performance elements are combined with sustainability through natural materials like Bavarian Wool and recycled polyester. The highlights of the styles are prints by Viennese street artist Manuel Skirl capturing the spirit of wanderlust. The result is a creation of handmade and digitized prints that resemble a topographical map of a mountain.

Hologenix announces that CELLIANT® with REPREVE®, a performance fiber made from recycled materials and enhanced with IR technology, has been shortlisted for the Drapers Sustainable Fashion 2023 Awards. Introduced with global textile solutions provider UNIFI® makers of REPREVE®, CELLIANT with REPREVE is honored in the Sustainable Textile Innovation Category of the awards.

The Drapers Awards recognize the strides that are being made in reducing the industry’s environmental impact and creating fairer working conditions across the supply chain. According to Drapers the quality and quantity of entries were higher than ever this year. Judging was underpinned by the UN-backed Sustainable Development Goals. Winners will be announced at a ceremony on May 25, 2023 at The Brewery in London.

This recognition is the second award for CELLIANT with REPREVE since its launch in the fall of 2022 – it was previously named a Selection in the Fibers & Insulation Category of ISPO Textrends Fall/Winter 2024/25. This is also the second year in a row that a Hologenix innovation has been shortlisted for the Drapers Sustainable Fashion Awards.

CELLIANT is a natural blend of IR-generating bioceramic minerals, which, when embedded into textiles, allows them to convert body heat into infrared energy, returning it to the body and temporarily increasing local circulation and cellular oxygenation. This aids significantly in muscle recovery, increases endurance and improves overall performance in healthy individuals, among other benefits.

REPREVE recycled performance fiber consists of high-quality fibers made from 100% recycled materials, including post-consumer plastic bottles and pre-consumer waste. It is also certified and traceable with UNIFI’s U TRUST® verification and FiberPrint™ technology, which provide assurance that the product comes from recycled materials. Compared to virgin fiber, REPREVE helps to offset the use of petroleum, conserving water and energy and emitting fewer greenhouse gasses.

Kelheim Fibres and SUMO are presenting their high-performance absorbent pads for the reusable Sumo diaper at this year's Cellulose Fibres Conference. The Sumo diaper is a sustainable and washable cloth diaper made entirely from biobased materials, offering high performance and innovative design.

The Sumo diaper offers a reusable alternative, consisting of a waterproof shell and absorbent pads. To enhance the performance of the pads, Sumo collaborated with Kelheim Fibres, a leading viscose specialty fibre manufacturer with decades of experience in the hygiene sector.

Together with the Saxon Textile Research Institute STFI, Sumo and Kelheim Fibres have developed a high-performance absorbent pad that is free of fossil-based materials and has already been awarded the Techtextil Innovation Award. The basis for the innovative construction are Kelheim's functionalized specialty viscose fibres with modified cross-sections, which ensure particularly high absorbency and extremely low rewet values.

To ensure the washability of the product, needle-punched/thermally bonded nonwovens were chosen, consisting of a mixture of specialty viscose and PLA bicomponent fibres. By combining nonwovens, typically used in single-use applications, with reusable products, the partners have chosen a new approach.

Natalie Wunder, project manager at Kelheim Fibres, and Luisa Kahlfeldt, founder and designer of SUMO, explain in their joint presentation at the Cellulose Fibre Conference how open innovation has led to successful development collaboration, how this response to current consumer needs has emerged, and what steps are planned for the future.

• Iconic 200 Series fleece to be the first fabric made from this new process.

Polartec®, a Milliken & Company brand, announces Polartec® Shed Less Fleece, a new milestone in its industry-leading efforts to reduce textile fiber fragment shedding. Shed Less is a process that combines yarn construction, knitting, chemistry, and manufacturing to reduce home laundry fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85%. The first fabric to receive this new technology is the brand’s iconic Polartec® 200 Series Fleece, the modern version of the original PolarFleece® launched in 1981, and in 1993, the first performance fleece knit from yarn made from recycled plastic bottles.

The Shed Less process works by engineering the lofted fibers that give fleece its soft hand the ability to resist breaking and rubbing off during home laundering, cited as one contributing factor to the spread of fibers fragments (commonly referred to as microfibers). Polartec® Shed Less Fleece achieves this while maintaining all of the attributes that continue to make Polartec fleece a staple of midlayer collections - lightweight, breathable and warm.

The brand used the AATCC (American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists) TM212-2021 test method for fiber fragment release during home laundering. This test was conducted with large sample sizes to account for variability. The testing concluded that Shed Less Fleece reduced fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85% compared to the baseline fabric.

“In 2016 we began looking into how we might test for fiber loss because there wasn’t a lot of research on the issue.” said Aimee LaValley, Polartec Textile Development, Dye and Chemistry Manager. “This led to new products like Polartec Power Air™, new manufacturing processes, as well as our participation in the TextileMission workgroup to study the issue on an interdisciplinary basis.”

TextileMission was a three year collaborative initiative of academia and industry to reduce the impact of textile microplastics funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Founding partners include The Association of the German Sporting Goods Industry, Hochschule Niederrhein - University of Applied Science; TU Dresden - Institute of Water Chemistry; Vaude Sport; WWF Germany; Adidas AG; Henkel AG; Miele & CIE; and Polartec, LLC.

Polartec® Shed Less Fleece will be initially launched in the United States and will be available to customers beginning March 1, 2023. The brand plans to apply the Shed Less process to many other industry-leading fabric platforms and manufacturing facilities around the world.

Freudenberg Performance Materials (Freudenberg) is widening its product range of technical packaging textiles. Evolon® ESD protects automotive and industrial parts with electronic components from electrostatic discharge. This includes trim lines, dashboards, mirrors, steering wheels, etc.

The ESD (ElectroStatic Discharge) feature of the new Evolon® technical packing textile provides permanent electrostatic discharging protection and the fabric’s surface resistivity can be customized. This eliminates ESD damage to electronic components during transport because electrostatic charging due to movement and friction is safely prevented. As this kind of damage cannot be detected with the naked eye, Evolon® ESD helps to avoid failures which can occur after the final product is assembled and released. Manufacturers benefit from fewer complaints and warranty costs, as well as better end customer satisfaction.

Further protection feature
Unlike conventional ESD packaging solutions, Evolon® ESD also protects parts surfaces by avoiding micro-scratches or lint contamination. By using Evolon® reusable packaging to transport parts with highly-sensitive surfaces, customers reduce the number of damaged parts and the reject rate.

Additional benefits
Evolon® microfilament textiles are also extremely strong and are available in different weights to meet a wide range of requirements – from lightweight to heavy-duty. They can be used to pack and transport very heavy parts without damage. In addition, Evolon® fabrics are durable, and contain up to 85% recycled PET.

• Registered in majority as a class 1 medical device  

CELLIANT -  a performance textile that converts body heat into infrared energy - is designated as a Class 1 Medical Device in Australia, Canada, the EU and European Economic Area (EEA), Japan, New Zealand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States. CELLIANT is cleared to market in China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, with more countries and regions to follow.

In 2017, the FDA determined that products containing CELLIANT are medical devices as defined in section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and are general wellness products because they are intended to temporarily increase blood flow and local circulation at the site of the application in healthy individuals.
 
At Hologenix®, whose CELLIANT® infrared technology is an ingredient in world-class brands across many categories, science matters. The company has a distinguished Science Advisory Board composed of experts in the fields of photobiology, nanotechnology, sleep medicine, diabetes and wound care. The Science Advisory Board has overseen nine peer-reviewed published studies that collectively demonstrate CELLIANT’s effectiveness and the benefits of infrared energy. This claim set provides the basis for products containing CELLIANT to be designated as a Class 1 Medical Device in 38 countries and cleared to market in 15, with more countries and regions to follow. This elevated status in 53 countries translates to CELLIANT being an ideal partner for global companies who are seeking innovation in textiles to distinguish their products.   

“We have laid the groundwork for our partner brands to capitalize on the benefits of our infrared technology and to enhance their ability to do business,” said Seth Casden, Hologenix co-founder and CEO.  “We firmly believe that regulatory status matters and that is why we have grown the number of countries we have such relationships with by over a third in the last three years. It is definitely a competitive advantage of our company and CELLIANT.”

“Globally, the awareness of the benefits of infrared textiles, which absorb body heat and reflect it back as therapeutic infrared energy, has grown exponentially over the last 10 years,” continued Casden. “And in the United States infrared is gaining a strong foothold.”

Stella McCartney hosted a party in L.A in celebration of her 18 year partnership with adidas and to present its new Spring/Summer 23 collection. Kicking off the biggest weekend in music, the collaboration took over LA’s famous Henson Recording Studios for an iconic evening that brought together music and fashion.

​A collaboration that has always pushed the limits, from innovation and sport style to working with pioneers across fashion, music and art, the party celebrated a partnership that continues to champion individual expression and inspires the new wave of trailblazers. ​Together, adidas and Stella McCartney are committed to finding new ways to create and support a better future through the fusion of recycled materials and key performance technologies.

The key collections showcased at the party include:​

• ICONS: Blending sport and style through contemporary cuts, the capsule sees iconic adidas by Stella McCartney designs reimagined in staple shades of black, grey and white – providing next-gen athletes with a timeless blank canvas to move with purpose. Featured for the first time is the Sportswear Run Shoe, an all-new gender-neutral silhouette made in part from natural and renewable materials.​
• TRUENATURE: Designed for exploring the world outside, the collection captures a contemporary take on Earth and weather satellite images alongside conceptual contours and ley lines of maps. With leading technologies such as Parley Ocean Plastic and WIND.RDY, the collection has been crafted to protect the next generation of active activists.

Fiery®, which provides Digital Front End (DFE) technology for production and industrial printing, announced that it has been separated from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (“EFI”) and established as a separate company that will operate independently while remaining owned by EFI’s owner, Siris Capital Group LLC (together with its affiliates, "Siris").

Toby Weiss, long-time Chief Operating Officer and General Manager of Fiery, will continue to lead the business as CEO of Fiery, with Jeff Jacobson serving as Executive Chairman of Fiery in addition to his role as Executive Chairman of EFI.

“Fiery solutions have always been about enabling digital print and making print engines better, and this is a milestone in furthering that mission,” said Mr. Weiss. “Fiery OEM partners will benefit knowing that they are working with a company that is completely focused on adding value to their print platforms with world-class color management, high-performance image processing, and automated workflows.

“Fiery will remain focused on working closely with its OEM partners, including the EFI Inkjet business, to continue developing cutting-edge technology that drives the next generation of automation, accuracy, and profit potential in digital printing,” Mr. Weiss continued. “Fiery now has a greater ability to serve as a neutral partner to ensure OEMs capture success within digital print. We look forward to accelerating our investment as a standalone company, while driving our expanding product portfolio, incorporating world-class color algorithms, and developing advanced cloud technology.”

For the SS24 Iluna focuses on the most precious lightness and intangibility with its Ultralight series of jacquardtronic laces reminiscent of the delicacy of Leavers.
This season, responsible developments did not stop at responsible ingredients and processes; in fact, the company focused on the circular economy! The stylistic research started from the company's historical archive, to give life to a collection that revisits the proposals in a "modern classic" key.
 
The company's design team recreated the iconic designs of the line, the heart of the Black Label proposal, ILUNA's signature line offering the finest laces. Focusing on upcycling, the team reworked archival stocks, creating new value through finishings, and reweaving from scratch only the missing widths in order to present a complete, coordinated underwear/nightwear range from allovers to galoons.

For the SS24 season the Iluna team continues its developments with GOTS-certified organic cotton in its galoons and allovers, to add a natural touch to its Green Label line.
Among the ingredients chosen by Iluna Group are: Renycle® and Q-NOVA®, both GRS-certified pre-consumer recycled polyamide yarns in addition to the recycled stretch ROICA™ EF by Asahi Kasei. Among the new technical developments on laces, Iluna then worked on variable elasticity modules, resulting in reinforced edges or zones of differentiated elasticity that can be variously positioned within the laces.
All this results in a comfortable, ultralight product that remains true to a high value of creativity and responsibility. The option is applicable to all the Iluna laces, with modular solutions at the customer's request on fashion items as well, where research continues on FSC-certified pre-dyed viscoses and unexpected metallic gleams with lurex.

Moreover, the continuous path through the new dimension of responsibility continues in several directions: experiments with 16 different natural dyestuffs; and continued investment in technologies that can ensure significant savings in water and energy consumption, including GREENDROP, the new GOTS-certified digital pigment printing system.
From athleisure to fashion, through lingerie to the world of high fashion, Iluna's lace continues to expand its applications, confirming its extreme versatility, remarkable performance and inimitable beauty.

• adidas unveils its SS23 Melbourne Tennis Collection – an apparel range fit for performance
• Inspired by plants and florals, the collection features bold prints, vibrant colorways and a moiré effect textile
• The adidas SS23 Melbourne Tennis Collection will be available from Jan 13 2023

adidas launches its new SS23 Melbourne Tennis Collection, a range of performance apparel featuring striking colorful prints, inspired by plant life and nature. Select pieces feature a contrast-color mesh layering that when in motion creates a moiré effect and helps to mask the player’s movements and positioning on court.

With the help of innovation, adidas is seeing possibilities in turning towards new resources. For these products adidas turned to a greenhouse gas technology. It uses captured industrial emissions as a new material feedstock. CO₂ is fermented into ethanol which constitutes 30% by weight of a polyester yarn. adidas knitted this yarn into various products and now this carbon-based ethanol makes up a minimum of 15% by weight of these garments.

In addition, the collection also utilizes HEAT.RDY and Aeroready technologies. HEAT.RDY technology is designed to maximize airflow and optimize sweat distribution, while AEROREADY is powered by moisture-wicking fabric that absorbs sweat quickly for a dry feeling, helping players to move freely and comfortably on court.

The SS23 Melbourne Tennis Collection will be premiered on court by adidas athletes, including Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger Aliassime, Garbiñe Muguruza, Qiang Wang and Maria Sakkari.

The SS23 Melbourne Tennis Collection will be available from Jan 13.