Taking Customization To The Next Level: Badger Sportswear Acquires Garb Athletics

STATESVILLE, N.C. — November 15, 2017 — Badger Sportswear, a manufacturer of athletic apparel and team uniforms, announced today that it has purchased Garb Athletics, a boutique manufacturer of custom-tailored sports uniforms, recently named to Inc. Magazine’s fastest growing companies list for 2017. This acquisition, when coupled with Badger’s previously announced acquisition of Alleson Athletic, bolsters Badger’s team uniform offering with premium-crafted, fully customized apparel.

Garb occupies a unique space in the team uniform market. Using Garb’s proprietary digital technology, team dealers and coaches can quickly and easily design a truly custom uniform with unlimited decoration options, including tackle twill, embroidery and sublimation, all for one set price. The customized garments are manufactured at Garb’s facility in the Philippines, individually vacuum-sealed in branded packaging and delivered to dealers in less than four weeks.

“The Garb acquisition is entirely consistent with our stated mission to provide all athletes and fans with superior performance apparel at accessible prices,” said John Anton, CEO, Badger Sportswear. “By leveraging our broad dealer network, coupled with Garb’s best-in-class digital technology, we will make it easier for every high school and middle school team in the country to design truly custom, affordable hand-crafted uniforms.” This is possible thanks to Garb’s pre-populated school logo database, which contains nearly every school in the United States.

Garb Athletics was founded in 2006 by Steve Rosenbeck, who saw an opportunity to service the custom segment of the team uniform market with a premium tailored product that could be designed easily, priced simply, and manufactured and delivered quickly. Building on relationships previously developed in the Philippines, he set up a nimble sewing and fabrication operation. To save time and drive sales for authorized team dealers, he partnered with Joseph Snow, a highly experienced software developer, and originally part of the development team for EA Sports’ Madden Football, to create Garb’s proprietary, user-friendly online platform.

“I am so proud of the team and what we have built together at Garb Athletics,” said Steve Rosenbeck, CEO, Garb Athletic. “But it is time to scale our model, and we look forward to working with Badger to grow our customer base while continuing to deliver premium-crafted, custom uniforms at prices all customers can afford.”

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Posted November 15, 2017

Source: Badger Sportswear

Hyosung Announces New Global Marketing Leadership For Textiles Businesses

SEOUL, South Korea — November 15, 2017 — Hyosung Corp., a spandex producer with the creora® brand, announces the appointments of a new marketing director and key managers for Textiles Performance Unit to drive Hyosung’s “commitment to excellence” in the textile industry long term.

Mike Simko, global marketing director, will lead the Hyosung’s global marketing of creora® spandex, MIPAN® nylon and specialty polyester fibers to deliver innovation and superior brand and retail collaborative services. Simko, who previously worked for Invista and DuPont, joins Hyosung with more than 20 years of textiles, chemicals and industrial experience with leadership positions in global marketing and sales, strategic planning, business development, R&D as well as manufacturing.

“We are delighted to welcome Mike to Hyosung as his various leadership experiences and in-depth industry knowledge will be invaluable to the marketing effort,” shared Hyosung Chairman and CEO Cho Hyun Joon. “His addition along with other new personnel in Europe, Asia, and USA combined with our continued investment in production facilities, underscores Hyosung’s long term commitment to the Textiles Industry. We plan to continue to launch innovative products, deliver superior value and work with mills, brands and retailers globally.”

Simko will be located in New York City and will be joined by Sejin Roh, marketing manager. Sejin has a degree in textiles management and has had experience in marketing, business and product development roles for the last 5 years at Hyosung.

Also new to Hyosung is Deborah Richert, textiles marketing manager located in Portland, Ore. Deborah has more than 20 years of sales, marketing, brand, product merchandising and business development roles in textiles industry. She has previously worked for Nike, New Balance, Puma, and Schoeller Textiles.

“It’s an exciting time to join this dynamic organization and I look forward to leading the expanding/growing team” said Mike Simko. “ Look for our newest innovations in spandex, nylon and polyester along with the latest fabric trends at the upcoming ISPO show in January”.

Posted November 15, 2017

Source: Hyosung Corp.

Airweave Unveils Hyperdown Duvet In The United States

NEW YORK CITY — November 15, 2017 — Airweave, a sleep solution brand in Japan, forges into a new product category in the United States and unveils another innovative technology with the airweave Hyperdown Duvet.

With its unique composition and intelligent design, the Duvet features a proprietary synthetic fill (Hyperdown) that, thanks to its molecular makeup, is ultra-lightweight and has the ability to convert moisture into heat. In addition Hyperdown is antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and odor-resistant. The Duvet is encased in luxurious 449 thread count of cotton sateen, expertly finished so that it conforms to your body to stay in place while you sleep and provide maximum heat retention.

“We strive to create technologically advanced products for the most comfortable sleep environment possible,” said airweave Founder and CEO Motokuni Takaoka. “The Hyperdown Duvet is the perfect wintertime complement to our line of mattresses.”

The Hyperdown Duvet joins airweave’s line of mattresses and cushions including the Mattress, Top Mattress, and Ritz Paris Travel Collection in the US. It first debuted in Japan in 2016 where it is sold in 150 retailers across the country and online at airweave.jp. Total sales of the Hyperdown Duvet in Japan for 2017 are projected to hit $2 million. Passengers flying first class on Japan Airlines can enjoy the comfort of the Duvet on select international flights. The Hyperdown Duvet has been recognized by the Omotenashi Selection — a curation of products made in Japan awarded for their exceptional, thoughtful design and shared all over the world.

The Airweave Hyperdown Duvet is the new-school solution for warmth this winter.  Say goodbye dirty down, heavy comforters and electric blankets. With unparalleled warmth and comfort, you stay in a deeper state of sleep that leaves you feeling refreshed when you wake up … and longing to get back into bed.

Posted November 15, 2017

Source: airweave

Four Tours Highlight February TRSA Production Summit Agenda

ALEXANDRIA, Va — November 15, 2017 — Visits to four industry facilities distinguish the agenda for TRSA’s Production Summit and Plant Tours, February 21-22, 2018, in Anaheim, Calif. Now in its fifth year, the twice-yearly Summit enables linen, uniform and facility services operators to take home a wealth of ideas for improving performance and production management by meeting with peers and viewing high-productivity plants,.

Three of the four facilities to be visited are on the same site: Magic Laundry Services’ 7-acre campus in Montebello, where these operations, each with washer-extractors and tunnel washers, share newly expanded loading docks. Otherwise the three are separate operating plants, dedicated to distinct workflows for hotels’ customer-owned goods (COG). Summit attendees whose companies serve any market (F&B, healthcare, hospitality, industrial) will recognize how wider use of such “cells” might more effectively address the industry’s ever-growing number of textile products requiring separate processing.

The other destination will be the MODRoto manufacturing plant in La Mirada, where you’ll get acquainted with the variety of molding techniques that distinguish cart designs as MODRoto personnel describe and demonstrate processes. You’ll see how carts are engineered to pack big loads with minimal tare weight and provide other ergonomic benefits.

Summit general sessions and breakouts examine current industry productivity trends and help attendees hone management and technical skills. These presentations and lessons learned from plant tours enable you to improve everyday production management decisions immediately following your Summit participation.

Meeting agenda highlights include a keynote presentation by Lisa Rosser, a military hiring and retention strategist, providing techniques and tips to attract veterans with valuable skills and training. A retired Army Reserve lieutenant colonel, her military career spanned 22 years (active and reserve) including roles in performance management, recruiting, staffing, training and skills development.

Other topics to be presented:

How Certification Inspection Assesses Hygiene. You’ll become familiar with the checklist for Hygienically Clean certification, learn to identify critical control points throughout the laundry process and prepare to upgrade plant quality management documentation.

Contributing to Positive Company Culture. Speakers presented by TRSA’s Women in Textile Services Committee will discuss how to foster your company’s core values and develop your team around them, a must for creating shared and personal accountability for achieving department and corporate goals.

Preventive Maintenance to Protect Your Bottom Line. Tactics will be shared to improve PM to generate significant savings, including best practices for plants of all sizes, communication tactics that keep PM on schedule, and guidelines for Production’s role in PM.

Breakout sessions on the Anaheim agenda include:

  • Effective Inventory Control for Production Departments
  • How Smart Phone Apps Enhance Your Business
  • Maximizing Return on TRSA’s Apprenticeship & Internship Programs
  • New OSHA Fall-Protection Rule Compliance

Designed to offer the greatest benefits to general, plant and production managers, engineering and maintenance personnel as well as others responsible for production supervision, inventory control and product quality, the Production Summit and Plant Tours series maximizes participants’ continuing collaboration with experienced professionals from TRSA member companies, the industry’s most productive and profitable organizations. One hundred percent of the attendees who evaluated the October 2017 Summit indicated they would return to another Summit.

Posted November 15, 2017

Source: TRSA

New Qualitex 800 Visualization Now Available For The Complete Portfolio Of Monforts Textile Finishing Machines

MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany — November 15, 2017 — Since the launch of the new Qualitex 800 visualization system for the advanced Montex 850 tenter, it has met the highest acceptance and appreciation by textile machine operators and mill managers worldwide due to its intuitive and easy operation.

Due to the overwhelming success and as a further step towards harmonization, Monforts has now launched this “child play” machine operation tool for all its continuous dyeing ranges (Thermex) and Sanfor compressive shrinking ranges (Monfortex), as well as for all coating units (texCoat).

Mill managers appreciate the optional data bank connection and the setup preprogramming.

Qualitex 800 features the slider effect on a 23 inch screen for quick access to the relevant machine parameters and a free programmable dashboard for complete machine overview at a glance.

Posted November 15, 2017

Source: A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG

Huntsman Textile Effects Raises The Bar For Non-Fluorinated Durable Water Repellents

SINGAPORE —  November 15, 2017 — Continuing to lead the textile sector’s transition to more sustainable and eco-friendly business models, Huntsman Textile Effects has introduced the new PHOBOTEX® RSY non-fluorinated durable water repellent (DWR) that raises the standard for repellency especially on high-performance synthetic textiles. This new product will allow brands and retailers to meet global demand for eco-friendly clothing that require extreme rain- and stain- protection.

The market for outdoor apparel is growing worldwide, and customers expect comfort and high-performance protection. Rain-, stain- and soil-resistant effects are therefore critical. At the same time, the industry is shifting away from traditional formulations based on per-fluorinated chemicals (PFCs) due to environmental health and safety concerns.

“Phobotex RSY durable water repellent raises the bar for performance on synthetics, allowing brands to offer high-performance weather protection to outdoor enthusiasts with an assurance of eco-friendly sustainability. As a trusted partner to the industry, Huntsman Textile Effects continues to lead the transition to non-fluorinated DWR alternatives that meet stringent environment, health and safety standards,” said Lee Howarth, Global Marketing Manager for Finishing at Huntsman Textile Effects.

Phobotex RSY durable water repellent is an environmentally friendly, non-fluorinated formulation that our customers and global brands can rely on to produce sustainable textile products without compromising performance. This new addition complements Huntsman Textile Effects’ comprehensive range of durable water repellents and reinforces our position as the textile industry’s leading provider of non-fluorinated technology.

Providing effective protection in extreme environments, Phobotex RSY durable water repellent repulses rain, sleet and snow and performs well on synthetics and blends. It is ideal for high-performance outerwear fabrics, offering breathable comfort and durable water repellence. Fabrics treated with Phobotex RSY durable water repellent also repel stains, so they stay looking new for longer and can be easily spot cleaned.

Working closely with mills, Huntsman Textile Effects, the global leader in textile dyes and chemicals, offers unparalleled technical support and application know-how to help them meet the requirements of the world’s top brands and retailers.

Phobotex RSY durable water repellent is based on non-fluorinated technologies and complies with the latest requirements of bluesign®, the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals MRSL (Manufacturing Restricted Substances List) and the Restricted Substances Lists of the world’s global brands. Fabrics treated with Phobotex RSY durable water repellents are suitable for OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 when applied as recommended.

Furthermore, Phobotex RSY durable water repellent meets the criteria for Textile Effects’ HIGH IQ® Repel performance assurance scheme that ensures fabrics conform to stringent performance requirements.

Posted November 15, 2017

Source: Huntsman Textile Effects

Unifi Recycles 10 Billionth Bottle; Announces Goal To Recycle 20 Billion By 2020, 30 Billion By 2022 

GREENSBORO, N.C. — November 14, 2017 — In honor of America Recycles Day, Unifi Inc., announces it has recycled more than 10 billion plastic bottles. Building from that momentum, Unifi is targeting 20 billion bottles recycled by 2020 and 30 billion bottles by 2022. To recognize customers who have partnered for this achievement, Unifi is launching the REPREVE Champions of Sustainability Awards.

“Reaching 10 billion bottles is an impressive milestone, and by committing to recycle an additional 20 billion by 2022, we will continue to expand our portfolio of REPREVE-based performance products,” said Kevin Hall, CEO, Unifi. “With nearly 70 percent of plastic bottles in the United States going to landfills, America Recycles Day is a perfect time to remind people to recycle more and buy sustainable products. Repreve provides a solution for plastic bottles as long as they make it to a recycling bin.”

To put this achievement into perspective, consider this:

  • 10 billion bottles can fill the Empire State Building 7.2 times[i]
  • 10 billion bottles placed end to end can circle the earth more than 50 times[ii]
  • The recycled bottles used to create Repreve fiber, filament and chip instead of virgin equivalent can save enough energy to power 95,000 homes for one year[iii]

Unifi saw an opportunity to incorporate recycled plastic bottles into Repreve, providing a sustainable solution to brands and retailers. The Repreve Champions of Sustainability Awards will acknowledge those companies who are committed to manufacturing sustainable products with Repreve performance fibers.

Hall added: “Unifi could not have reached the 10 billion bottle milestone without the commitment from our customers to provide earth-friendly products, and the Repreve Champions of Sustainability Awards give us the opportunity to thank our partners who helped make it possible. A vast difference can be made if more companies recognize the impact they have on our planet and take steps to reduce it. The Repreve Champions of Sustainability Awards are meant to honor and inspire companies to source responsibly and take sustainability strategies to the next level.”

The 2017 winners of the Repreve Champions of Sustainability Awards will be announced at the 2018 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in Denver, Jan. 25-28.

Posted November 14, 2017

Source: Unifi

Foam-Dyeing Technology Poised To Transform Denim Manufacturing

LUBBOCK, Texas — November 14, 2017 — Representatives from across the apparel industry gathered today at the Fiber and Biopolymer Research Institute of Texas Tech University for the reveal of a disruptive, new foam-dyeing process for producing denim. Early stage investors, including Wrangler, Lee and the Walmart Foundation were on hand for the event, hosted by Indigo Mill Designs (IMD).

“Wrangler advanced the commercialization of this technology because we believe it has the potential to dramatically improve the environmental impact of our industry and help us achieve our brand goals for water conservation,” said Wrangler brand president, Tom Waldron.

Foam dyeing of yarn is a new technology that is environmentally friendly and cost effective. However, its use was previously limited in denim manufacturing because the indigo dye used to create the traditional blue color reacts to oxygen in the air.

IMD’s IndigoZERO™ solution, developed at Texas Tech University, overcomes this limitation, resulting in net reductions of water and energy usage of more than 90 percent. In addition, the foam-dyeing process reduces chemical usage while achieving the same or better dye quality compared to conventional processes.

“A large fabric mill uses millions of gallons of water every day to dye denim,” explains Sudhakar Puvvada, who leads denim innovation work for Wrangler and Lee’s Global Innovation Center and served as an advisor to IMD. “IMD’s innovation can greatly reduce that amount and cut the energy needed for dyeing and wastewater treatment.”

IMD’s foam-dying process also will allow fabric mills to produce much smaller quantities than conventional dyeing processes, when desired. In addition to reducing waste, smaller fabric runs will allow for exciting design and marketing innovations in the denim industry.

“We’re grateful for the support of Wrangler and Lee, whose investment and technical contribution greatly advanced the process of commercialization with IMD,” said Dean Ethridge, lead researcher at Texas Tech. “Credit also goes to the U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund for supporting the research project that made development of this technology possible.”

Posted November 14, 2017

Source: Wrangler


Polartec Announces 2017 Apex Design Award Winners

ANDOVER, Mass.— November 14, 2017 — Polartec, the provider of innovative textile solutions, announces the winners of its 2017 Polartec APEX Awards, an annual design award program celebrating the finest products made from Polartec fabrics, and the designers behind them. The winning products were selected based on skilled and creative uses of Polartec fabric technologies.

The winners are:

  • Adidas Terrex Agravic Alpha Hooded Shield Jacket, a women’s outdoor jacket made with Polartec® Alpha® insulation, designed by Tim Maud
  • Arc’teryx Nyara Wrap, a fleece wrap layer made from Polartec® Thermal Pro® fleece, designed by Edita Hadravska (available spring 2018)
  • Blackyak Combat Shirt, a hybrid shirt made from Polartec® Power Grid® fleece, designed by David Randall
  • Burton Minturn Hooded Full-Zip Fleece, a midweight fleece layer made from Polartec® Classic shearling fleece (available fall 2017)
  • Citera Neocity-65 Jkt, a practical M65-style jacket made from Polartec® NeoShell® breathable waterproof fabric, designed by Naoki Ei
  • Fox Racing Attack Pro Jersey, an advanced mountain bike jersey made from Polartec® Delta® cooling fabric, designed by Jake Theno (available spring 2018)
  • Mountain Hardwear Atherm Hooded Jacket, an ultimate breathable insulation piece, made from an extraordinary combination of Polartec® Alpha® Direct, Polartec® Alpha®, and Polartec® High Loft™ insulations
  • Norrøna lofoten Power Shield Pro Alpha Jacket, a revolutionary jacket made from a unique combination of Polartec® Power Shield® Pro breathable weather protection and Polartec® Alpha® insulation, designed by the Norrøna R&D department
  • Oiselle Flyout Tank, Short Sleeve and Long Sleeve, women’s tops made from Polartec® Delta® cooling fabric, designed by Nelle Horsley
  • P1G-Tac FRS Delta, a hot-weather field training shirt made from Polartec® Delta® cooling fabric, designed by 281Z Development Group (Konstantyn Lesnik, Oleksandr Polevara, Valery Chernenko, Artem Livushevsky)
  • Taylor Stitch Hawkins Jacket, a classic 60/40-style jacket made from new knit Polartec® NeoShell® breathable waterproof fabric, designed by Nick Kemp

Every winner is an embodiment of Polartec fabric innovation and design inspiration, and the winning designers are being recognized with a Malden statue, an industry award unlike any other, and images celebrating the Science of Fabric.

Posted November 14, 2017

Source: Polartec

Drexel To Host Pennsylvania’s Center For Advanced Fabric Manufacturing Innovation

PHILADELPHIA — November 14, 2017 — The Department of Defense’s effort to bring America to the forefront of textile technology manufacturing and innovation is gaining a strategic foothold in the region. Drexel University, in collaboration with DoD-supported Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), is establishing a statewide center that will help companies, entrepreneurs and innovators take their advanced-textile concepts from prototype to product and prepare America’s workforce for the quality jobs this growing sector is generating. Called the “Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center,” this statewide resource is the first hub located outside of AFFOA’s home state of Massachusetts. It will be part of a national network intended to lower the barrier to commercialization for functional fabrics, resulting in advanced textiles that do things like see, hear, sense, communicate, generate and store energy.

“The Fabric Discovery Center will build upon Pennsylvania’s rich textile history and bring together academic and industrial expertise statewide to create an ecosystem that supports innovation, collaboration and education,” said Genevieve Dion, an associate professor in Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, founder of the Shima Seiki Haute Tech Lab at ExCITe and director of Drexel’s Center For Functional Fabrics. “The Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center will help promote the growth of advanced manufacturing in the region.”

As part of the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America strategy, Fabric Discovery Centers will open across the country to stimulate economic growth in the functional fabrics sector. Similar centers are now in place in Massachusetts: the AFFOA Fabric Discovery Center Headquarters, in Cambridge, Massachusetts; the Defense Fabric Discovery Center at Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Lincoln Lab; and the University of Massachusetts Lowell Fabric Discovery Center, which will open in early 2018.

Pennsylvania’s Fabric Discovery Center will have a physical home at Drexel’s innovation-driven economic development venture with Brandywine Realty Trust, called Schuylkill Yards, in 2018. It will provide an end-to-end advanced manufacturing facility capable of developing functional fabric prototypes for pilot-stage production. It will also bring together research and expertise from universities across the state that are also members of AFFOA, including Carnegie Mellon, Penn State University and Jefferson University.

The Center will work closely with industry partners and regional organizations that foster innovation and economic growth such as Ben Franklin Technology Partners, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and the Manufacturing Extension Partnerships in Pennsylvania, including Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center. These partnerships will accelerate the development of new products and manufacturing processes by established companies, startups and entrepreneurs in the functional fabric space. Workforce training and startup incubation are important elements of the Center’s mission.

“Advanced fabric manufacturing is undergoing a supply chain renaissance,” said Drexel President John Fry. “Industry verticals, such as information and communications technology, digital health and transportation that were never previously textile-related now have the opportunity to connect in new and meaningful ways. Pennsylvania can become a leader in this next generation cluster by ensuring the adoption of targeted initiatives that will enhance regional competitiveness.”

One of the first projects to be developed at Drexel as part of the Fabric Discovery Center is a functional fabric touch sensor. The fabric touch sensor is like a textile version of the touch pad on a smartphone that uses fluctuations in its electric field, call capacitance, to detect position, pressure and movement of touch. The “Capacitive Touch Sensor & Interface” is an AFFOA-funded collaboration between Drexel’s Center For Functional Fabrics and Apex Mills, a textile manufacturing partner from Inwood, New York. The sensor will be produced as a maker kit, like the Lilypad Arduino, at the Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center and Apex Mills will develop the manufacturing methods to integrate and mass-produce the fabric sensor for other markets and applications.

AFFOA launched a digitally connected, programmable backpack as one of its first advanced fabric projects this summer.

The Massachusetts-based Fabric Discovery Headquarters, opened in June 2017, has already unveiled two advanced fabric product platforms. This summer, AFFOA launched the world’s first digitally connected, programmable backpack and a fabric light-based communications system dubbed “Fabric LiFi.” Both product platforms, developed through AFFOA’s industry partners and prototyping network, are enabled by advanced fabrics made in America. The Fabric Discovery Center program along with exciting product platforms exemplifies the future where U.S. manufacturing innovations enable breakthrough products that benefit consumers and offer service-based business models.

“President Fry’s vision and leadership; have been a cornerstone of AFFOA’s success from its conception. It is only fitting that Drexel University and the State of Pennsylvania would be at the forefront of establishing the first Fabric Discovery Center outside of Massachusetts,” said Yoel Fink, CEO of AFFOA. “The Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery center is an important milestone for all of us in our mission to accelerate startups, develop the workforce of the future and enable advanced fabric prototyping facilities. We are excited to work collaboratively with Drexel, local manufacturers, educational institutions and the State of Pennsylvania to facilitate the creation of this center.”

Drexel has served as a regional anchor institution for AFFOA since its establishment in April 2016 as the DoD’s sixth manufacturing innovation institute and a member of the Manufacturing USA network. This investment in advanced American textile manufacturing comprises over 110 members including academic institutions, small and medium manufacturing companies, product companies and close to 50 startups. “The Pennsylvania Fabric Discovery Center will help attract new ventures and industry to our state, which will stimulate economic growth and create new jobs,” said Debbie Buchwald, Drexel’s executive director for Corporate Relations.

Posted November 14, 2017

Source: Drexel University

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