From the Sector

• From C.L.A.S.S. ICON 2021 to Special Project at WHITE Milan, the streetstyle Portuguese brand shows urban outfits for everyday heroes fighting for the environment, with a holistic approach to sustainability

After being rewarded with the 2021 C.L.A.S.S. Icon Award, the Portuguese brand Duarte is ready to present its Spring/Summer 2022 collection developed with C.L.A.S.S. ecohub support. The streetwear designer Ana Duarte has worked in close contact with the Milanese hub in order to create a 40 pieces collection where the approach to materials, suppliers, new business models and communication could include and support a holistic view of the sustainable values aligned with style, performances, look and touch and Duarte identity.

The inspiration behind the collection is the superhero Tadao - Ana Duarte’s dog, an English Cocker Spaniel - which is the World Keeper fighting against the environmental issues mankind has generated. Like a protector of sustainability, it battles modern monsters as Smog Man, Fire Man, Deforestation Man and Wave man, who respectively represent the issues of air pollution, climate change, forest destruction and water overconsumption. A very simple, direct and engaging way of talking about hot topics and simple, direct solutions.

The collection is made of 20 outfits, mainly unisex apart from some of them typically feminine as the crop tops. Hints of bright red and mustard yellow are alternated with denim, grey and pale azure tones, blending in with the colorful prints. Accents of black - used in inserts or as piping - seem to emphasize the outline of the garments. The different textures of the materials create a sense of movement, further enhanced by the unique patterns. All the garments’ prints are exclusively designed by the designer, following each collection inspiration: this time, they recall urban landscapes and the appeal of big metropolis, with Tadao as protagonist in prints, patches and ankle socks.

Among the most representative Duarte outfits we find:

• A matching sweater with trousers made of Newlife™, a yarn 100% made In Italy coming only from post- consumer, traceable plastic bottles.
• A unisex oversized bomber is crafted from Newlife™, lined with precious 100% Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei fabric by Gianni Crespi Foderami and matched with printed neoprene hoodie and shorts.
• Long-panelled unisex coat and trousers made with ReLAST® denim by Candiani, a responsible textile featuring a premium recycled stretch yarn, ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei. The coat is lined with a fabric by Gianni Crespi Foderami in 100% Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, a new generation material made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linter.
• The same sustainable stretch yarn is implied in the responsible tulle by Iluna Group, and featured in a shorts and top women’s ensemble, paired with a neoprene printed bomber. The tulle is skillfully matched with 100% Tencel™ back in the loop fabric by Maeba International underneath it.

Ana Duarte is part of a new generation of designers with a new approach to sourcing and production: her research goes into different kind of business models to fit her responsible innovation and style needs at the same time. That’s why in her collection we can find amazing and unique combination of organic, recycled, Back in The Loop, innovative materials that are the right choice for the look&touch and the performance she’s looking for. The result is cool yet respecting people and the environment in full traceability thanks to certified and sometimes even circular solutions. Working with components from various sources and business models requires a certain expertise and a particular sensibility we find in Ana Duarte’s design solutions and in her responsible interpretation of streetwear.

DSM, the inventor and manufacturer of Dyneema®, will be exhibiting at one of the leading events for homeland security and safety, Milipol Paris 2021, from October 19-22.

The performance characteristics of Dyneema® make it ideal for a variety of applications, including soft and hard armor ballistics to protect against today’s advanced and emerging threats. In addition, Dyneema® combines next-generation fiber technology and unidirectional engineering to deliver armor solutions with unmatched ballistic stopping power in a lightweight and flexible composite.

By implementing Dyneema®, body armor manufacturers are able to use less material in the development of their ballistic vests, plates and helmets. This leads to weight savings upwards of 30 percent when compared to competitive materials, without impacting ballistic performance. The lightweight construction of armor made with Dyneema® also mitigates injuries associated with the cumulative effects of daily armor use – while improving situational awareness, as well as cognitive and tactical performance.

While decreasing the load on the wearer, Dyneema® is simultaneously able to reduce the impact of material manufacturing on our planet. In line with DSM’s commitment to protect people and the environment they live in, we have developed the first-ever bio-based ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber and unidirectional (UD) material. Bio-based Dyneema® boasts the same exact performance as conventional Dyneema® with a carbon footprint that is 90 percent lower than generic HMPE.

• HIGHER, FASTER, FURTHER ! During the first physical Frankfurt Fashion Week in January 2022, PREMIUM GROUP will show more novelties than ever.

The anticipation is rising! With the actual move to Frankfurt in January 2022, Anita Tillmann, Jörg Arntz and the teams will not only present further developed versions of the PREMIUM and SEEK fashion fairs, but will also celebrate a major B2C festival for the first time with THE GROUND.

More than ever, the Berliners‘ passion for people and fashion, but also for business and trading, is at the heart of all their events. And where better to combine all this than in the power metropolis of Frankfurt am Main.

„No city in Germany - no city in Europe - stands for business relevance and trading power as much as Frankfurt am Main,“ explains Tillmann. „We now have a unique opportunity to actively shape the future together. PREMIUM GROUP provides the industry with the platform, the brands with the creative content. In addition, we do what we do best, introduce the right players to each other and connect them. We bring together the movers and shakers who have the same drive as we do. With this new mix of location, entertainment, creative industry and trading focus, we are creating a unique momentum after the pandemic - January is when the big deals are made and the c ourse is set for the future.“

To achieve this goal, the PREMIUM GROUP teams have also given the proven successful formats PREMIUM and SEEK a new coat of paint. More space, new areas and shorter distances provide visitors with a completely new trade event experience. Trends, brands and events can be discovered together with new and well-known partners - for the first time all in one place!

And PREMIUM, which is already entering its 19th year in January, is also showing a new side in Frankfurt. Instead of being spread out like in Station-Berlin, in Frankfurt all brands show their collections in one big hall. „We are so excited to finally unite all exhibitors in one hall. This way we create a universe with many different worlds - colorful and exciting,“ says Wiebus. „We are in close exchange with all the protagonists throughout the year and continue to develop the concepts together. The entire industry is positive about coming together in Frankfurt. Everyone is keen to experience and create something completely new! We offer the framework for this - that is our strength.“

And the Berliners have another surprise in store for the Frankfurt debut: With THE GROUND, they are organizing a large fashion festival for young end consumers for the first time. Responsible for the event concept, in addition to Tillmann, Arntz and the PREMIUM GROUP- team, is B2C expert Kai Zollhöfer, who already made the Bread & Butter by Zalando a crowd puller. “THE GROUND is a B2C festival aimed at a young, purpose-driven generation. This new generation has a strong stance on current social and environmental challenges and expects brands to reflect them. The overriding themes at THE GROUND are therefore sustainability, diversity and equality”, said Zollhöfer.

The 3-day event offers brands the opportunity to interactively exhibit purpose-driven stories and products. In addition to the thematic focus on fashion, brands from the fields of wellbeing, beauty, mobility and technology will also present innovative products and solutions.

RadiciGroup demonstrates the feasibility of industrial-scale production of polyamides (nylon) starting from bio adipic acid obtained from renewable raw materials, including waste oil and by-products of the oil industry. Potential application sectors for the process and products are textile/fashion, automotive, design, electrical and electronics.

The research was conducted through the Ulysses project and experimentation was performed in collaboration with research centres and universities. Partial funding was received from the Region of Piedmont, within the scope of the “Call for Proposals IR2 (Industrialization of research results)”. The ambitious, innovative multiyear project was launched in March 2018 and stemmed from RadiciGroup's desire to increase the sustainability of its products, whilst delivering the same quality and performance as required by product standards. What is more, the Group wanted to meet the demand coming from its various strategic sectors, in line with the European targets for the development of low-emission businesses and a circular economy.

• A paper published in ACS Applied Materials Interfaces details effectiveness, describes protocol for future testing

An international team of scientists and engineers from the University of Cambridge, the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, ResInnova Labs and Ascend Performance Materials has found that a nylon fabric embedded with zinc ions successfully inactivated 99% of the viruses that cause COVID-19 and the common flu.

Face masks, protective clothing and filters are used to slow the spread of viruses. But poor-quality masks can harbor active viruses from infected wearers, posing a transmission risk.

“A major challenge is absorption and inactivation,” said Vikram Gopal, Ph.D., co-senior author and chief technology officer at Ascend Performance Materials. “Respiratory viral illnesses, such as COVID-19, and the flu, are transmitted through droplets and aerosols. Polypropylene, the material in commonly used disposable masks, is a hydrophobic plastic and does not absorb moisture. Instead, the viruses can sit on the surface of the mask, posing a transmission risk when the mask is handled.”

Cotton also has problems, Dr. Gopal said. “Cotton effectively absorbs moisture, but it doesn’t inactivate the virus – again, posing a transmission risk,” he said. In the paper published in ACS Applied Materials Interfaces, the researchers described how a fabric made of nylon 6,6 embedded with active zinc ions absorbed virus-containing moisture droplets and effectively inactivated the particles. The fabric produced a 2-log, or 99%, reduction of virus particles in one hour.

The research team also was able to demonstrate that nylon with active zinc ions remains stable over time, keeping its virus-inactivating properties after 50 washes. “The study shows how nylon textile fabric with zinc outperforms the widely used cotton and polypropylene materials at virus absorption and inactivation,” Dr. Gopal said. The findings have significant implications for future development of PPE, Dr. Gopal said. “Pathogen-free PPE does more than just cut down the risk of transmitting the virus,” Gopal said. “By making PPE washable and reusable, you reduce the need for single-use products, keeping hundreds of millions of masks out of landfills.”

• FILO, 29th-30th September 2021, booth C5

Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei has been invited to showcase at Filo fair, the international exhibition of orthogonal weaving yarns for clothing and furnishings, circular knitwear and technical textiles, in a new special area, a dedicated open space reserved to sustainable fibers that will allow visitors to discover all their production cycle and performances, in full relax and transparency.

Bemberg™, an exceptional fiber made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linters pre-consumer materials and converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process, will brings to Filo its history, experience, know-how and market partnerships to prove its versatility and design-driven look and touch Last but not least we are talking about a true circular economy-oriented ingredient, with certified sustainable performance: Bemberg™ is biodegradable and compostable material as verified by the INNOVHUB 3rd party test and it has GRS (Global Reycled Standard) certification from Textile Exchange proving recycling authenticity.

Bemberg™ application history starts with high-quality suit lining, but today we can find it in many other applications such as fashion couture, outerwear, innerwear, bedding, and sportswear where its amazing unique touch and quality is offering a distinctive performance.

And to prove all of this, Bemberg™ will be at Filo showing some selected fabric innovation, and three responsible-driven designers representing different and complementary part of contemporary consumer wardrobe: ZEROBARRACENTO, Maurizio Miri and WAXEWUL - who have all chosen Bemberg™ fiber to create special collections. Three different ways to see and represent how sustainability and style – even if completely different ones – together can be highly successful, performing and interesting to the new consumer.

ZEROBARRACENTO, a gender-neutral emerging outerwear brand focusing on zero-waste product development, selects Bemberg™ for two fundamental reasons: firstly, from a stylistic point of view for its extreme versatility: in the various collections we have adopted it to create Kimonos, padded jackets, wrap dresses as well as for the interiors of our garments, which are intended to be soft embraces for total physical and mental comfort. The second but no less important reason is that this fibre has circular values in line with their zero-waste commitment.

The concept of the brand "Maurizio Miri" has a strong personality and a clear intent: to create a product that stimulates the wearer towards beauty. A garment should not simply be worn, but it has also to create a perfect symbiosis with the person wearing it and generate an exchange of positive energies. The purpose is to make the individual feel in perfect harmony with their own image. With this aim in mind, the designer selects extremely precious Bemberg™ linings for their sophisticated tailor jackets. 

Finally, WAXEWUL, a brand of sartorial clothing and artisan accessories with an urban-afro soul that has environmental and social sustainability as its basic ethics. WAXEWUL will bring to Filo its brand-new product, the J_Hood Bag: a doubleface jacket with a comfortably removable hood that can be transformed into a finely hidden doubleface bag. An exclusive, innovative and sustainable garment with minimal impact on the environment made of BemBAZIN™ - a new generation of bazin created, patented and produced by Brunello which is composed by the high-tech and responsible fibers of Bemberg™ - on one side and of wax on the other, traceable and certified, guaranteeing a reduction in waste (two jackets in one) and a long-life cycle.

Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced UK textile printing company Rialto Designs has invested in a Kornit Presto S with Softener Solution to drive printed textile fashion innovation.

Founded 25 years ago by textile technologist brothers Riyaz and Mohsin Omarji, Rialto Designs has established a client base that includes many of the UK’s leading fashion brands.
In recent years, the company has downsized its analog screen production and adopted digital direct-to-garment capabilities. Two Kornit Avalanche HD6 systems for on-demand DTG production have streamlined operations and increased output to gain new market opportunities.

The latest single-step, eco-friendly Kornit Presto S helps align Rialto’s roll-to-roll workflow with commercial growth and delivers high-quality natural and synthetic pieces, in any quantity and in short order.

Kornit’s DTG technology supports Rialto to deliver a service that sets it apart on speed, sustainability, and high quality. Clients can now order printed samples across hundreds of fabric bases—polyester and natural—and receive their orders within 24 hours.

• Renewably Sourced Materials to Help Replace Petrochemicals in Apparel for a Healthier Planet

lululemon athletica inc. (NASDAQ:LULU) announced a multi-year collaboration with sustainable materials leader Genomatica to bring renewably-sourced, bio-based materials into lululemon’s products. This represents lululemon’s first-ever equity investment in a sustainable materials company and Genomatica’s largest partnership within the retail industry. Together, the two companies will create a lower-impact, plant-based nylon to replace conventional nylon, which is the largest volume of synthetic material currently used to make lululemon products.

Genomatica uses biotechnology and fermentation to convert plant-based ingredients into widely used chemical building blocks, like those used to make nylon. These building blocks are converted to pellets and yarns, and the companies will be working closely with lululemon’s fabric supply chain to incorporate this material into future products. Through this collaboration, the companies seek to create positive change within the $22B global nylon market by building more sustainable supply chains.  

In light of recent Covid-19 cases in China, the Autumn Editions of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles and Yarn Expo will be rescheduled to 9 – 11 October 2021. The fairs were originally due to take place at the end of August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai).

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd explained: “To comply with the government guidelines for pandemic containment and following discussions with our stakeholders, we have made the decision to postpone the fairs from their original August timing. To allow our exhibitors and buyers as much time as possible to plan ahead, we have already confirmed new dates with the fairground for the three concurrent fairs: 9 – 11 October.”

“I would like to thank the participants of all three fairs for their understanding and ongoing support as we continue to operate in uncertain times. We remain dedicated to providing a quality international trading platform for three sectors for the autumn / winter sourcing season, and our overseas suppliers will still be able to participate through our hybrid exhibition scheme if they are unable to be in Shanghai in-person.”

Exhibitors or visitors with any queries about these fairs should email textile@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com, or visit the fairs’ respective websites:
•    Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics: https://intertextileapparel.hk.messefrankfurt.com/
•    Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles: https://intertextilehome.hk.messefrankfurt.com/
•    Yarn Expo: www.yarnexpochina.com

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. The co-organisers of Yarn Expo are Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd and the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Home Textile Association (CHTA).

ISKO, a global, leading premium denim ingredient brand, announced its participation in The Jeans Redesign – a project, established by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular initiative, to encourage and guide the denim industry to transform the way jeans are made and move towards a circular economy for fashion.

ISKO meets the requirements for participation set by The Jeans Redesign guidelines and has made a commitment that 85% of its entire fabric production will consist of recycled material content made from pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled materials. This production will be independently verified by Textile Exchange audit bodies.

This achievement is made possible using ISKO’s R-TWO™ technology which is created through a patented and exclusive yarn spinning technique that retains the unique properties and benefits found in ISKO’s statement fabrics. ISKO’s R-TWO™ is the embodiment of its Responsible Innovation™ mindset and aligns with the principles of a circular economy espoused by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation – to ensure durability, material health, recyclability and traceability. R-TWO™ positions ISKO as a sustainability leader and enables it to exceed the project guidelines to create denim that is designed to be used more, made to be made again and made from safe and recycled or renewable inputs.