DALLAS — November 14, 2018 — Fit Freedom, a body measurement platform powered by augmented reality and machine learning, today announced its general availability for retailers worldwide. Purpose-built to rid the apparel industry of its biggest nightmare: size-related returns – Fit Freedom turns a smartphone into a virtual tailor that provides precision sizing in just 2 clicks.
A joint development venture between Rebel Athletic, the couture athletic clothier, and SevenTablets, the digital transformation company, Fit Freedom leverages augmented reality and machine learning to recommend the consumer’s optimal fit by crosschecking their preferences and measurements with the retailer’s available sizing charts. Fit Freedom connects consumers with the brands they love, eliminates size-related returns, inspires confidence and fosters brand loyalty.
For Retailers
With holiday shopping set to surge to $720 billion,* retailers will experience a spike in online sales but it will come at a cost: more than 40 percent of apparel purchased online is returned.** Despite advanced omnichannel retail experiences and competitive offers like free shipping, sizing inaccuracy remains unresolved, leading to more returns, increased investment in reverse logistics and significant financial losses.
“As a leading designer and manufacturer of couture uniforms for All Star and professional athletes, Rebel Athletic operates in an industry that demands precision sizing. For years, we shouldered the logistical pain of traditional sizing kits – until now,” said Karen Noseff Aldridge, President of Rebel Athletic. “With the development of Fit Freedom, our sales representatives can now deliver accurate and custom-sizing, instantly. Today, we are proud to announce that we are making our technology available to retailers and shoppers globally, for the benefit of the entire retail apparel ecosystem.”
During beta testing, Fit Freedom’s proprietary machine learning algorithms synthesized scans from thousands of competitive athletes nationwide, including the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders and Cheer Athletics, the nation’s largest All-Star cheerleading facility. The teams reported a 99 percent fit accuracy rate.
For Consumers
Fit Freedom is the fastest and easiest way for consumers to determine their size across all retail brands. With just two full body scans, Fit Freedom converts the consumer’s body measurements into their Fit Freedom ID, a 3D “fit” model that can determine accurate sizing down to the half inch.
“The fact that we can finally say goodbye to tape measures and hello to technology like Fit Freedom is a gamechanger,” said Kelli Finglass, Director of the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. “It lets me focus on perfecting our routines and lets the technology perfect the sizing.”
Since beta, Rebel Athletic has implemented the technology enterprise-wide, arming 42 sales representatives across the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. To date, Fit Freedom has saved Rebel Athletic more than $200,000 in sizing expenses.
*National Retail Federation, October 2018 **Gartner Group Research, 2016
Omni-Heat™ 3D’s vertically oriented fiber pods enhance the fabric in multiple ways.
Columbia Sportswear’s Omni-Heat™ 3D thermal reflective technology brings a new warm experience to clothing and footwear.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
Portland, Ore.-based Columbia Sportswear recently launched Omni-Heat™ 3D thermal reflective fabric technology. The fabric is based in part on Columbia’s patented and most successful insulation technology Omni-Heat Reflective, which pairs a breathable fabric with the reflective, heat-retaining foil component of a space blanket in such a way that permits moisture vapor transfer to occur so that the fabric is comfortable to wear while providing warmth.
The patent-pending Omni-Heat 3D technology amps up both heat reflection and retention to create an entirely new warm experience, according to Andy Nordhoff, senior public relations manager.
First, the reflective aluminum foil is laminated to a base fabric in a “tri-star” pattern. Then, small pods of vertically oriented fibers are attached to the fabric using a printed adhesive and an electrostatic deposition process.
“The fibers do two things,” said Dr. Haskell Beckham, senior director, Materials Innovation. “First, they provide a little air pocket between the fabric and whatever it’s against — so if it’s a base layer, that is the skin — which adds additional insulating capacity. But more importantly, what the fibers do is lift the reflecting component off whatever the fabric is next to, which allows the reflectors to reflect the infrared radiation emanating from the body while minimizing heat loss via conduction, thereby maximizing the heat retaining properties of the fabric.”
The fabric features a “tri-star” foil pattern
In addition, the comfort and wearability of the fabric are enhanced because the fiber pods can act as tiny wicks that help pull moisture away from the skin and move it to the exterior of the fabric.
The fiber pods also give the fabric a very soft hand. “Woody Blackford, Columbia’s vice president of design and innovation — the named inventor on the patent who came up with the concept for the technology — likes to say that whereas Omni-Heat Reflective is warm, Omni-Heat 3D is warm and fuzzy, which I think is a nice way to describe the technology and how it feels,” Beckham said.
The company is not willing to share specific data from fabric testing because the numbers depend on a variety of factors including base fabric composition and color, among other variables. However, Columbia claims the data shows Omni-Heat 3D is a superior product in terms of radiant heat reflected and heat retained compared to other fabrics it has tested.
“The enhancement that we get over the base fabric by adding the reflective component and the vertically oriented fibers is a lot more than you’d expect based on a simple linear combination of what you get from the air gap or the reflective component alone,” Beckham said. “I think what’s nice about the technology is that we can apply it to a number of different types of base fabrics, which makes it widely applicable.”
“It really is a head to toe platform,” said Nordhoff. “We have it in 26 styles — hats, gloves, base layers, ski jackets, ski pants, and a couple of new styles of boots built for really harsh cold winter conditions.
“From what we have researched, there is nothing like this technology on the market,” Nordhoff added. “Unique may be an adjective that is thrown around all too often, but in this case, I do think it’s appropriate.”
The Lenzing Group, Austria, has developed a new line of fibers for eco-responsible flushable wipes. VEOCEL™ Lyocell fibers feature Eco Disperse technology that give wipes made using the fiber improved biological disintegration performance, while still maintaining wet strength and effective liquid management. The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) and EDANA have certified nonwoven products featuring a blend containing Veocel Lyocell with Eco Disperse technology and wood pulp as fully flushable in accordance with INDA/EDANA Guidelines for Assessing the Flushability of Disposable Nonwoven Products.
Lenzing also announced a new technology platform, LENZING™ Web Technology. The company invested 26 million euros and several years in research and development, and now has a 1-meter-wide pilot line up and running at its Lenzing, Austria, headquarters.
France-based Porcher Industries has announced its subsidiary, BGF Industries Inc. — operating as Burlington Glass Fabrics — will invest $7 million in to establish a new U.S. headquarters and research and development facility in Danville, Va. The company will move its headquarters from Greensboro, N.C., to a 2,320 square meter facility in Cyber Park. The move is expected to create 65 jobs.
“The brand new, purpose-built facility in Virginia will work collaboratively with our France-based R&D Centre to build on the 200 patents we already hold, and support our global customers and projects,” said Porcher Industries CEO and Chairman André Genton.
Finland-based Suominen recently introduced Fibrella® Cozy, a spunlace topsheet material designed for absorbent hygiene products. The company reports Fibrella Cozy is soft; excellent for fluid management; and because it is bonded only using water, is safe, odorless and skin-friendly. The material also can be enhanced using Suominen’s customizable definition patterns, which will allow for product differentiation.
“Fibrella Cozy is an ideal combination of form and function and it is the softest available topsheet material for hygiene products,” says Johanna Sirén, Suominen’s Assistant Product Manager for Hygiene.
Thailand-based Indorama Ventures Plc (IVL) has entered into an agreement to purchase polyester staple fiber producer M&G Fibras Brasil. The plant has a polymerization capacity of 75,000 metric tons per year.
IVL reports the acquisition gives the company a fiber footprint in Brazil, and is located close to IVL’s polyethylene terephthalate site and a third-party purified terephthalic acid site in Brazil. The transaction is expected to close during the fourth quarter and is subject to regulatory approvals.
“Brazil, with its large spinning industry is a natural place for the textile industry to enjoy long-term growth due to its location and large population,” said Aloke Lohia, IVL group CEO. “We intend to support the local spinning industry with a commitment to supply high-quality fibers to blend with cotton and reduce dependence on imports.”
CLEVELAND — November 13, 2018 — The Lubrizol Corp. announces it will exhibit at IDEA19 in Miami Beach March 25-28, 2019, in booth #640, showcasing several innovative polymer and additive technologies that enhance performance of specialty papers, textiles and nonwovens.
Flame retardant technologies for diverse applications will be a significant focus. New PVC, PUD, and non-halogenated, flame retardant polymers enable customers to design flame retardance into a broad range of applications. New Hycar® NHFR technology can eliminate the use of particulates and heavy metals from flame retardant coatings without the use of halogens.
New, renewable-sourced coating technologies that are formaldehyde-free and APEO-free will also be showcased. These technologies provide customers the ability to formulate sustainable solutions with no sacrifice in functional performance.
Aptalon™ polyamide polyurethane technology enables coating products to be designed for higher heat and abrasion resistance.
Lubrizol’s exhibit will also include a “How Can We Help?” desk, staffed with Lubrizol experts ready to discuss unique customer formulation requirements. Visitors will be able to challenge Lubrizol experts for polymer and additive solutions to their toughest problems in areas such as abrasion resistance, flame retardance, water resistance, olefin adhesion, moisture vapor transmission, chemical resistance, glass binding, tear resistance and more.
“Lubrizol has developed some remarkable new coating technologies that are bringing higher levels of protection and performance for paper, textile and nonwoven applications,” shares Gary Anderle, marketing manager, Lubrizol Performance Coatings. “We’re excited to share our new product line-up with customers and collaborate with them to deliver differentiated products. These products stem from new technology platforms that will continue to evolve over the coming months and years.”
Come challenge Lubrizol experts at IDEA19 with your unique formulation and application demands, and let’s work together on innovative solutions.
Austria-based Lenzing Group has announced plans to acquire the remaining 30 percent of its China-based subsidiary Lenzing (Nanjing) Fibers Co. Ltd. (LNF) from its state-owned joint venture partner NCFC, which initiated the underlying structured selling process in a state controlled bidding process. The transaction will have a negative impact on the net profit for the Lenzing Group of approximately 21 million euros for fiscal year 2018. Over time, Lenzing plans to convert LNF into a specialty fibers hub.
Germany-based Kelheim Fibres GmbH recently reported that a fire broke out in the main fiber spinning area in its plant. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured and there were no hazardous discharges to the environment. However, the fire did cause major damage to certain portions of its fiber spinning lines including the electrical cables, and some structural damage. A preliminary damage assessment was conducted and the company has developed a provisional plan for restarting production. The plan anticipates restarting two lines by the end of October, two more lines by the end of November, four lines four months after that, with the remaining two lines to reopen eight months later. Kelheim has notified its customers of the predicted impact on supply.
TexDel’s Nufabrx® yarn technology results in a fabric infused with active ingredients that can be delivered to the body.
Textile start-up company TexDel is using filament yarns as a delivery mechanism for vitamins, supplements, pain relief treatments and a variety of medications.
By Jim Kaufmann, Contributing Editor
The latest evidence demonstrating the influence of textiles’ continuous evolution on the quality of human lives is a new technology being developed and commercialized by Textile-Based Delivery Inc. (TexDel), Conover, N.C. TexDel has created a proprietary system that embeds active ingredients in traditional filament yarns such as nylon and polyester, which when made into garments using standard textile practices, results in a controlled manner of delivering the active ingredients into the wearer’s body.
Jordan Schindler, TexDel founder and CEO, first considered the concept of using textiles as a delivery mechanism while a student at the University of Washington. “I had issues with acne and learned from my dermatologist that dirty pillowcases were a leading cause of blemishes, so I set out to create a pillowcase that when in contact with the skin could treat blemishes instead of causing them,” Schindler said. The result of this initial effort, branded Nufabrx®, was the development of a technology and a fabric infused with active ingredients — including lavender, lemon balm and winter green oil — that could be released in a controlled manner. This initial effort also led Schindler on a journey where, as the old saying implies, “it is a profound truth that one thing does lead to another.”
Developing the Nufabrx pillowcase and numerous related discussions led Schindler to the realization that textiles could be effectively used as a drug delivery system. This direction was further enhanced by a rather personal connection. Explained Schindler: “My grandfather has Alzheimer’s. It affects his mood. He doesn’t want to or doesn’t remember to take his drugs. It’s funny though, he doesn’t know my name or what day it is, yet he still manages to put his socks on every morning. So, imagine if we can create socks having a controlled ingredient delivery system for him, it’s a win, win! That’s the direction we wanted to head.”
Socks made using TexDel’s Nufabrx® yarns can act as a controlled ingredient delivery system
TexDel Finds A Home At MSC
One thing led to another and after developing a series of contacts within the pharmacology world, Schindler realized those contacts needed to be blended with an equally capable series of textile industry contacts in order to foster his concepts. He also realized that the Seattle area had rather limited textile industry resources. During a road trip to identify textile resources, Schindler came into contact with the Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC) in Conover and soon realized he had found a new home base for TexDel.
The MSC is a non-profit organization and division of the Catawba Valley Community College. Established in 1990 by Dan St. Louis as the Hosiery Technology Center, MSC has grown into a strong resource for the area’s textile manufacturing community, an accredited testing facility with diverse capabilities and an incubator of new technologies. “Our focus is on creating a manufacturing future for this area,” stated Dan St. Louis, now MSC’s executive director. “We enjoy working with entrepreneurs like Jordan to develop new business opportunities.”
For Schindler and TexDel, it was an ideal fit. “We’ve been here almost three years now and they’ve been great to work with,” Schindler said. “It’s very convenient when we can make an infused yarn on our equipment, walk down the hall to one of their machines and turn it into a sock, then go around the corner to the lab and have it tested. Dan has been great and knows so many people in the industry which has also been a big help. Non-diluted capital is precious, so the resources and connections available through MSC are incredibly valuable for us as a start-up and something most investors don’t have,” he added. “We’ll always have a presence at MSC. The convenience to their technology and resources, as well as the foot traffic through the facility, is equally important.”
Embedded Ingredients = Smart Fabrics
When most people hear the term smart fabrics their first inclination is towards electronic textiles or E-textiles that incorporate some variation of electronics allowing the fabric to conduct electricity and connect to digital components such as smart phones or computers. TexDel’s Nufabrx branded fabrics do not incorporate electronics, at least not yet, but they certainly are equally smart. TexDel has developed and continues to improve upon a patented methodology of applying a consistent level of ingredients directly to individual fibers or filaments of a yarn. Its equipment can produce sufficient quantities for current customers, and TexDel is scaling through accredited contract manufacturers. Given the critical nature of its target applications, maintaining a high level of quality and tight control parameters is of fundamental importance to TexDel.
Ingredients embedded in the yarn through the TexDel process are not limited to any particular family of drugs and can include vitamins, supplements, anti-fungal treatments and a variety of medications. “There’s lots of possibilities,” offered Schindler. “We can tailor the content and delivery rates specifically to the customer’s needs. Testing gives us an accurate profile of what’s happening in the yarn and resultant garments. It’s shown that the application process is consistent and repeatable. We’ve also found it to be durable and not affected by repeated machine washings and dryings as long as low temperature cycles are followed and no bleach is used.”
Because of concerns that high temperature processing could damage the application and/or the ingredients involved, only solution dyed polyester and nylon yarns have been produced to this point reducing any concerns associated with dyeing and finishing. Natural fibers, spun yarns and other polymer types also are in development.
Conventional fabric-forming methods are employed to turn the treated yarn into any number of textile fabrics or garments. The treated yarn also can be used as a cover or wrap for stretch applications. Knitting currently garners much of the focus because of the technology’s ability to effectively plate and control yarn positioning. According to Schindler: “The delivery technology is most effective when the treated yarn can be positioned specifically against the skin. The ingredient delivery mechanism works similar to a transdermal patch and is activated by the skin’s temperature and moisture.”
Pieces of treated fabric also can be incorporated to target specific areas consistently and repeatedly in a sewn garment such as a T-shirt or yoga pant. Testing of garments have shown that the Nufabrx delivery system, through repeated wash and wear cycles, produces a roughly six-month usage profile for the ingredient’s effectiveness. However, even after the ingredient’s functionality wears out, the product is still wearable as a normal garment. TexDel is working on different methods for signaling the consumer when the ingredient functionality has depleted. Also, from a manufacturer’s perspective, having a product with a predefined shelf-life hopefully necessitates more inventory turns.
SensationWool therapeutic socks recently introduced by Greenville, S.C.-based Kentwool pair Merino wool with a Nufabrx® nylon infused with capsaicin and a man-made cooling agent to offer temporary relief from foot aches and pains.
Application Potential
As one can imagine, given the nature of this technology and its perceived effectiveness, applications abound. “It’s a fact that people just don’t like to take pills, so we’re hoping to improve upon the process by using their garments as the delivery system, in essence making drug delivery a non-event,” Schindler said. “Test results have shown that our products can deliver the same measured therapeutic doses as creams or pills in a predictable and controlled manner. The technology, so far, is really not limited to any particular family of ingredients, though we plan to stay away from some areas like opioids and steroids due to the stigmas attached along with the associated risks and complications. It’s more of a business decision we’ve made to focus efforts, start simple with over the counter, safe ingredients, develop the technology further and create a market presence. So, we believe targeting the topical pain relief applications such as patches, creams and some of the copper and silver treated wrap and sleeve technologies being offered to be the most effective path for us to generate some early successes.”
TexDel intends to follow a strategy similar to that employed effectively by W.L. Gore with its Gore-Tex technology by focusing on creating the technology then licensing the product and brand to approved manufacturers. “We feel the athletic space is our core market to start with and actually welcome competitors to this new arena because there is such broad potential for products and markets, Schindler said. “But, we will be very careful and smart about how we go forward, who we work with, both from the production of the technology and how it is used and marketed in a final product form. We’re focusing on fast moving e-commerce brands to generate successes. As a small business, cash flow is very important, and I’ve found that big brands can be hard to work with due to the layers of decision makers that typically result in slower speeds to implementation. Especially when compared to the fact that I can make a new product and launch it on Amazon in a couple of days generating sales — maybe a week or two if I want fancy packaging!” According to Schindler, TexDel is currently working with four different manufacturers in the area and focusing on several upcoming new product launches.
Kentwool Partnership, Future Outlook
This strategy appears to be working out well so far for TexDel. Kentwool — based in Greenville, S.C., and highly regarded for its performance sock lines — has partnered with TexDel and recently introduced the SensationWool Therapeutic sock on its website, as “the first and only sock with fiber treated for pain relief, our most revolutionary sock to date.”
The socks are manufactured using a blend of Merino wool and TexDel’s “Nufabrx nylon infused with capsaicin and a synthetic cooling agent. A combination of warming and cooling ingredients that provides temporary relief of foot-related aches and pains.” According to Schindler: “The first run sold out in a week. Kentwool also did a 200-person user study that found 64 percent noticed increased comfort and pain relief and 83 percent said they would buy the product.”
TexDel also recently announced it had received a $1 million dollar award to be distributed over 10 months from Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), Cambridge, Mass., to accelerate the development of medicine delivering fabrics for consumer and Department of Defense applications. “This is the first award through AFFOA presented to a start-up company,” Schindler said. “It is a nice fit and really ties in well with what we’re currently doing. We need to show commercial traction and the deliverables and milestones line up well with what we’re doing and what the market seems to want.”
The program’s initial focus is to further develop socks incorporating pain relief ingredients for soldiers who tend to be on their feet all day, sometimes hiking long distances while carrying full packs. “When soldiers are packing, critical choices have to be made on what goes and what stays and often drugs are left out. If we can turn socks into a delivery system for the drugs, it’s a two-for-one opportunity. The bonus is they don’t have to worry about the timely taking of drugs. It just happens automatically through our technology,” Schindler stated.
Earlier this year, Yoel Fink, AFFOA CEO and professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was speaking of changes in the textile industry and profoundly stated: “You’re no longer going to pay for the shirt. You’re going to pay for what that shirt does for you. You pay for the service and you get the fabric.”
TexDel and its Nufabrx branded line of products present a fine example of how true this statement can be for the continually changing textile industry. Or as Schindler so eloquently stated: “It’s actually all about identifying simplicity from complexity. That’s really where the value is delivered!”
