Fiberactive Organics Introduces Sewpure™ Thread

Fiberactive Organics LLC, Apex, N.C., has introduced Sewpure™ organic cotton 3-ply thread in multipurpose Tex 40 and heavy-duty Tex 70 versions. According to the company, Sewpure Tex 40 is durable enough for sportswear and home décor items, but still thin enough to be used in overlock, zig-zag and domestic sewing machines. The Tex 70 thread may be used for jeans, outerwear, duffle bags and other canvas products.

The basic thread is untreated and maintains its natural cotton color, which is suitable for manufacturers who will piece dye garments after sewing. Fiberactive plans a short range of earthly hues, and will expand the palette depending on demand. The company also reports it has the capability to produce custom-colored threads to match Pantone colors or DTM swatches. Sewpure is GOTS certified; and supplied on recyclable plastic cones and recycled content cardboard tubes, as well as packaged in compostable, vegetable-based plastic.

“Sewpure is specifically designed for customers that have had to turn away from using organic cotton thread because of strength issues,” said Julie Moore, founder, Fiberactive Organics. “It’s not enough to make organic cotton thread. If we’re generating plastic trash and greenhouse gasses in order to bring that thread to our customers we’re not doing the whole job. Being sustainable involves every part of every product, and how it’s made, and how it’s shipped.”

January/February 2018

L.L.Bean To Explore Loomia Blockchain Technology

Freeport,. Maine-based L.L.Bean announced it will explore blockchain technology with San Francisco-based Loomia. The partnership will explore how apparel equipped with Loomia’s data-gathering technology can assess the use and performance of the apparel products and offer insight on the use rate of items returned under the company’s 100-percent satisfaction guarantee. L.L.Bean will first test the technology by incorporating Loomia Electronic Layer (LEL) into outerwear items including jackets and boots. The discreet flexible circuitry LEL can heat, light and sense, while remaining washable and dryable, according to Loomia. Consumers will be able to share the data — related to temperature, motion and frequency of wear — with L.L.Bean for rewards.

“Working with Loomia will enable L.L.Bean to continue its 106-year-old mission of utilizing the latest advancements and technologies to design durable, functionally innovative products that help to further folks’ enjoyment of the outdoors,” said Chad Leeder, L.L.Bean’s innovation specialist.

January/February 2018

True Fit Announces $55 Million Series C Investment

Boston-based True Fit Corp. has closed a $55 million Series C investment led by Georgian Partners. Existing investors Jump Capital, Signal Peak Ventures and Intel Capital, as well as new investor Cross Creek Capital, also were involved in the deal.

True Fit reports it will use the funding to further develop its artificial intelligence data platform; advance its personalized style, fit and analytics solutions; and expand its offerings with new capabilities. The company tripled its growth year-on-year in 2017, surpassed the 55 million mark for registered users and has a presence on the top 200 major global enterprise retail websites.

“The retail industry is experiencing an exciting and profound shift toward great, personal experiences, and rich, data-driven personalization is at the core driving the growth,” said William R. Adler, CEO, True Fit. “We’re thrilled to welcome Georgian Partners to our investor group and Board of Directors. The Georgian team is extraordinary, and their thesis for building the world’s best AI-driven data platforms makes this a very natural partnership.”

January/February 2018

Success For Texworld USA, Apparel Sourcing USA

The Winter editions of Texworld USA and Apparel Sourcing USA recently wrapped at the Javits Center in New York City. According to show organizer, Atlanta-based Messe Frankfurt Inc., the events attracted the largest group of exhibitors and visitors for a January show with 371 and more than 4,000 respectively. Attendees — from designers to industry buyers — gathered to see the latest trends and offerings in textiles, trims, accessories, manufacturing and private label development services and finished apparel. The complimentary educational seminars, organized by Lenzing Fibers, also provided a networking and learning opportunity for visitors.

“As organizers, we recognize that our responsibilities extend far beyond providing a space for the industry to do business here in New York City,” said Jennifer Bacon, show director, Fashion & Apparel, Messe Frankfurt. “We believe in building a true industry event that unites the best talent from the industry with access to education and valuable resources, as well as a chance for our vibrant community to connect and exchange ideas.”

January/February 2018

Stoll, Myant Collaborate On Smart Textiles

Germany-based H. Stoll AG & Co. KG has announced a collaboration with Toronto-based Myant Inc., an innovation company with a focus on designing, developing and producing connected textile-based products using printed technologies and fiber science. The partnership aims to populate functional computing textile manufacturing in the United States and Canada with 500 state-of-the-art Stoll knitting machines to advance the research, development and engineering of functional computing textiles.

“Our collaboration with Myant represents a completely new approach to smart textiles,” said Andreas Schellhammer, CEO, Stoll. “The demand for smart fabrics has never been higher as companies race to create garments, wearables, industrial, defense, healthcare and household items to connect humans to the Internet of Things. Myant is leading the creation of a new economy in functional computing textiles with Stoll machines. They have the vision and the right interdisciplinary team to make this a global revolution.”

“Myant and Stoll are taking a big step to democratize manufacturing and resuscitate a ‘making’ culture in Canada and the U.S.,” said Tony Chahine, CEO and founder, Myant. “Our goal is to reduce the barriers to entry in textile innovation and production and promote collaboration between scientists, doctors, engineers, designers, students, and anyone with a creative idea. I believe that true innovation is only possible when the inventor can actually make the invention. The Stoll machines will have a massive impact on commercialization in the smart textile industry, which is in need of disruption, and will help to speed up the prototyping to production cycle.”

January/February 2018

Wave Of New Innovation In Product Launches At The Wearable Technology Show

LONDON — February 28, 2018 — Leading the charge for future emerging connected technology, exhibitors at this year’s Wearable Technology Show will be showcasing some of the hottest and most innovative new products and prototypes of the year.

One hundrede exhibitors from more than 20 countries will be on the show floor to unveil their latest innovations in smart technology, many of which will never have been seen before in Europe. Toshiba, WiTGrip and Thrive Wearables will all be exclusively be launching new launches and there will be over 20 others including:

  • AIO Sleeve by KOMODO Technologies. A revolutionary, all-in-one wearable solution. From in depth activity tracking, to monitoring one’s overall health and wellness by using something KOMODO calls Health Score. The AIO App monitors unique heart rate patters and generates a score based on a five star system, all inside the comfort of a smart compression sleeve.
  • ORA-C by Optinvent. The world’s first smart safety cap. A new type ofwearable for professionals that uses a cutting edge patented AR display technology. Running on Android, Optinvent disrupts the smart glass experience with this new offering, that allows users to have an improved hands free, ergonomic experience. The ORA-C uses the company’s patented see-through retinal display, includes a microprocessor and a complete set of sensors.
  • HearingFitness™ App by Oticon. The start of data-driven hearing care, the HearingFitness app gives insight into the daily use of the world’d first internet-connected hearing aids, Opn by Oticon. Using the app enables a more personalised hearing care than ever before, as it continually optimises a user’s solution to their specific, individual and changing needs and sound environments.
  • INA by Savor Health. Intelligent Nutrition Assistant is developed by a team of data-scientists and oncology-credentialed medical professionals specifically for cancer patients. Designed to improve clinical and quality of life outcomes and empowers patients to take control of their disease.

This year’s Wearable Technology Show will also boast a diverse 200-strong speaker conference programme with contributions from some of the biggest names in wearables, digital health, AVR and IoT, including Microsoft, Samsung, HTC, Sky, Toshiba, NHS, Hugo Boss and Stella McCartney plus many more.

“Attendees are always drawn to the show by the expanse of new innovation we have on the ground to announce and demonstrate. This year, that will be no exception. There will be a vast range of new products on show from a wide cross section of industry sectors; health to business, and lifestyle to leisure, there’ll be something for everybody.” commented COO John Weir.

He added: “The show is a great platform for brands big and small to exhibit the best that smart technology has to offer. From start ups to household names, we can expect some exciting products and prototypes to be here. Coupled with our speaker conference programme, delegates can expect to garner insight to some of the latest innovation and how that’s shaping the technology of tomorrow.”

Organizers are expecting 5,000 attendees at the Wearable Technology Show next month, which takes place on 13-14 March at ExCeL London and is co-located with the AVR 360 Show, IOT Connect and the Digital Health Technology Show, making it Europe’s biggest launch event for emerging connected technology.

Posted February 28 ,2018

Source: Wearable Technology Show

Under Armour Announces Retirement Of Chief Revenue Officer

BALTIMORE — February 28, 2018 — Under Armour Inc. today announced that Karl-Heinz (Charlie) Maurath will retire as its chief revenue officer effective March 31, 2018.

“We express our heartfelt thanks to Charlie who has played a pivotal role in establishing Under Armour as one of the world’s largest athletic brands,” said Kevin Plank, Under Armour Chairman and CEO. “Through proven and thoughtful leadership, Charlie’s contributions to building our world-class sales organization have positioned our brand for sustainable, long-term growth. On behalf of the entire organization, we wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement.”

Maurath joined Under Armour in September 2012 as President, International with responsibility for growing the company’s business overseas. He was named Chief Revenue Officer in November 2015, leading all global regions inclusive of North America, EMEA, Asia-Pacific and Latin America, as well as the global Direct-to-Consumer business. During his tenure, Under Armour successfully transitioned into a $5 billion global brand with revenue outside of North America growing at a 50% CAGR and reaching 22% of total revenue.

“Under Charlie’s direction, we have grown from an American company selling product in other countries to a successful international business of more than $1 billion in revenue,” said Patrik Frisk, Under Armour president and COO. “With an incredibly strong foundation, we look forward to building on his great work as this team continues to grow our global footprint, delivering the Under Armour experience to athletes around the world.”

The four regional leaders and the head of global retail will report directly to Patrik Frisk upon Maurath’s departure, while Paul Fipps, chief digital officer will have oversight of the company’s global ecommerce business.

Posted February 28 ,2018

Source: Under Armour, Inc.

Beaulieu Launches EqoBalance® Nylon Carpet Yarns

Belgium-based Beaulieu Yarns has introduced the EqoBalance® family of biomass-balance nylon 6 yarns for carpet. The biomass balance method ensures that at the beginning of the supply chain, natural renewable raw materials can partially or even fully replace fossil resources in the process of turning polymers into yarns with the goal of reducing the use of fossil resources as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the company, the EqoBalance yarns reduce carbon dioxide equivalents per kilogram by up to 75 percent compared to its traditional fossil-based yarns, but do so without compromising on quality or performance of the end product. The yarns also meet the standards for TÜV SÜD certification standard CMS 71 — Certification of the use of renewable resources.”

“Carpet tufters are requesting more environmentally-compatible yarns to support their overall commitment to greater sustainability and more efficient resource use,” said Karena Cancilleri, vice president of Engineered Products, Beaulieu International Group.

“We see biomass balance as the fastest path forward and, through EqoBalance, are excited to pioneer this milestone for the contract market as part of our long-term strategy to give customers a fundamental new choice to step into sustainable products and contribute to a better world.”

January/February 2018

New Loepfe OffColor Feature For Detection Of Smallest Shade Variations

WETZIKON, Switzerland— February 28, 2018 — Mélange yarns and color-effect yarns are a growing trend in the garment industry. In order to have an optimum mélange yarn, the fibers have to be mixed carefully in the right proportions at the beginning of the spinning process. Even small shade variations or color deviations of the yarns may result in poor quality of the fabric after knitting or weaving.

Another common reason for poor quality can arise during the winding process, where bobbins with similar looking color or shades are accidentally mixed up. Shade variations may be visible as disturbing stripes in the final product. Depending on the fabric and on the magnitude of the variation, the final quality might be so poor, that the fabric cannot be used at all. Even small variations in the shade of the yarn, which cannot be detected by the human eye when looking at the bobbin, can result in poor quality. Complaints about yarn quality can be expensive for the spinning mill. To guarantee high quality even in this difficult field Loepfe now offers a new optional feature in the yarn clearer YarnMaster ZENIT+. The OffColor detection is able to detect and eliminate very small color and shade variations in the yarn during the winding process. The new feature uses the F-Sensor, which is already integrated in the YarnMaster Zenit+. Therefore spinning mills, which already use the yarn clearer for quality control during winding, can update their devices with this new functionality.

The new OffColor detection has been extensively tested with a large number of bobbins with mélange yarn. The bobbins, which have been made available by a customer, had the same color, but small shade variations as the black portion of the mélange yarn varied slightly from dark to light grey. During the test runs, which have been conducted at Loepfe´s headquarter in Wetzikon, Switzerland, the YarnMaster ZENIT+ with the new optional OffColor feature was able to detect even the smallest shade variations very reliably. All other functions of the yarn clearer have been disabled during the tests. This is the ultimate proof that the new functionality works properly. The new feature does not depend on the color of the yarn. In addition to the tests conducted at Loepfe´s headquarter some clients have already tested the new functionality during normal operation in the spinning mill.

These clients confirm, that the OffColor feature works absolutely reliably and clear yarns of wrong colors or shades during the winding process. Between 10 % and 15 % of the spinning mills actually produce colored yarns or mélange yarns. “The new YarnMaster ZENIT+ with the OffColor feature is an absolute must for spinning mills, which are aiming for constantly high quality in the production of mélange yarns or colored yarns”, says Gianni Heusser, product manager at Loepfe. The new feature makes the YarnMaster ZENIT+ yarn clearer even more versatile. It is able to ensure high quality output at a spinning mill, by eliminating all yarn faults during the winding process.

Posted February 28, 2018

Source: Loepfe Brothers Ltd.

IVL, Huvis Announce JV

Bangkok-based Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. (IVL) has announced its intent to enter into a 50:50 joint venture with South Korea-based Huvis Corp. for the development, construction and operation of a low melting fiber (LMF) plant in the United States.

The companies are planning a 60,000 ton annual capacity, state-of-the-art facility in a location yet to be determined. The goal is to have the new facility operational in 2019.

Initial volumes produced are targeted to the U.S. market as a binder fiber in core-sheath constructions for use as bonding materials in the automotive and industrial high-value-added materials markets. Over time, the business will be expanded to supply Canada and Mexico.

“Our partnership will be a strategic step for both Indorama Ventures and Huvis to emerge as a regional leader and position us well to take advantage of the robust growth potential in the region,” said Aloke Lohia, IVL group CEO. “This is an exceptional opportunity for both companies to provide unique value for customers, and bring new exciting fibers and composites solutions to market.”

“We are so pleased to work with Indorama Ventures to build stronger market presence in North America, one of our core markets for LMF business,” said Shin, You Dong, Huvis CEO. “As one of leaders in LMF, we are pursuing ‘Glocalization strategy’ to better serve our key customers’ needs based on more efficient and cost-competitive platform. We will continue to collaborate and extend our relationship with Indorama Ventures to seek more synergies in other interesting polyester fiber markets with strong growth potential.”

January/February 2018

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