BOSTON — November 29, 2017 — Velcro Companies won an important jury verdict in a patent lawsuit brought by YKK Corp. The jury concluded that Velcro Companies’ VELCRO® Brand fasteners do not infringe YKK’s patent.

“We are pleased to have won a favorable jury verdict following a four-year lawsuit against YKK Corporation,” said Fraser Cameron, president and CEO of Velcro Companies. “Innovation is what drives our work and has been deeply rooted in the company since its founding more than 60 years ago. We strongly believe in ethical conduct and the value of intellectual property, and we take care to ensure our new products do not infringe on existing patents. We are pleased the jury in this case agreed with us.”

In August 2013 YKK sued Velcro Companies — its primary rival in the transportation and automotive segment of the hook-and-loop fastener business — for patent infringement with the goal of obtaining an injunction and removing VELCRO® Brand 4Gi and MH4 hook fasteners from the transportation market. Many cars in the U.S. with fabric or leather covers use hook fastener strips embedded in seat cushions to secure seat trim covers, so a large market was at risk. The jury delivered a complete defense verdict of non-infringement, finding that Velcro Companies’ VELCRO® Brand fasteners do not infringe YKK’s patent.

The case is YKK Corporation et al v. Velcro USA Inc. (Middle District of Georgia). Velcro Companies was represented by Fish & Richardson.

Posted November 29, 2017

Source: Velcro Companies

PHILADELPHIA — November 28, 2017 — Two Jefferson (Philadelphia University + Thomas Jefferson University) fashion design students won the “Good Morning America” competition to re-design a wedding gown into a totally new fashion-forward look.

Fashion students Keren Espina and Tommy Heidebrecht first looked stunned and quickly broke out in broad smiles as “Good Morning America” host Lara Spencer announced the winners on the November 24 show.

The students’ winning design was a three-piece ensemble in shades of yellow and blue featuring shorts, bustier top and a jacket with stunning handwork of a large Van Gogh-inspired sunflower on the back.

“We’ve gone to thousands of fashion shows,” said celebrity stylist Joe Zee, one of the judges. “That could be on a runway.”

“It is incredible to win,” said Heidebrecht, a junior. “It’s great to know that all the hard work paid off, and to have it validated by some important people in the industry is amazing.”

The “Good Morning America” competition kicked off in New York on August 29, when the Jefferson students and teams from Marist College and Montclair State University were presented with the design challenge: take a traditional long, white, beaded wedding gown and turn it into a sensational new outfit.

Through several weeks of sleepless nights and weekend work — and with visits by GMA to record their progress on camera — Espina and Heidebrecht deconstructed, designed, dyed, sewed and ironed their way to the top.

The students presented their final designs to judges during a runway show taped Sept. 14 at the “Good Morning America” studio, where Espina and Heidebrecht were declared the winners. The students were asked to keep their win under wraps until the segment aired.

The competition was judged by Zee and Anne Fulenwider, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine. The designs were judged on creativity, technical skills and sustainability—using as much as possible of the original gown, including beading, lace and trim.

“I’m beyond excited, as well as grateful for the opportunity to participate and proud to represent Jefferson and the fashion design program,” said Espina, a senior. She expects the experience of designing the winning outfit and competing on national television in a high-pressure environment will help open doors as she enters the fashion industry after graduating in May.

“I’m so proud of Tommy and Keren,” said Sheila Connelly, director of Jefferson’s fashion design program. “The original wedding dress is unrecognizable with the dyeing, surface detail and embellishments they created during many sleepless nights. Winning this challenge is wonderful recognition for our internationally acclaimed Jefferson fashion design program.”

Posted November 28, 2017

Source: Thomas Jefferson University

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — November 28, 2017 — Warson Brands is proud to announce the arrival of three “Old School Tough” work boot series to its Iron Age Footwear line.

Iron Age Footwear, with its proud, long-standing history in the United States, is going back to its roots as an “Old School Tough” work boot for “Old School Tough” workers who perform dangerous, dirty, yet glorious work — all day and all night.

The Iron Age product development team has been getting its hands dirty by visiting and observing tough workers in tough work places all around the nation, seeking their guidance and advice to develop and test new footwear in the field with those who are actually performing the toughest work. The fruit of this work is the proud introduction of three new product series, hitting the shelves in January 2018: Galvanizer™, Troweler™ and Groundbreaker™.

The Galvanizer series energizes welders and fabricators over long days on concrete floors, providing ultimate top-of-the-foot comfort and protection with Cushguard^™, an innovative internal metatarsal guard. St. Louis welders who wore the prototypes for over a month in real fabrication shops noted that the slip-on and lace-up models were “super comfortable” with “lots of cushion and snugness around the foot.” Both feature Scuff Tough abrasion-resistant toe and heel guards to prolong the life of the boots, while the lace-up versions come with Spark Arrestor™ fire-retardant laces.

Concrete, construction and utility workers as well as plumbers will approve the toughness of the hardcore Troweler 6” work boot. These composite-toe waterproof boots can handle all of the mortar and mud that can be thrown at them. Concrete workers in Tennessee and Illinois have been testing the boots over the past six months, just to make sure they were perfect for the toughest use. The outsoles feature slip-resistant tread on traditional lugs with extra stabilization features for climbing and balancing on grating. With features such as the Shift Kicker™ abrasion-resistant toe guard, and Iron Age’s new super comfortable BootBed™ footbed, Iron Age is backing the Troweler with a 60-day Tough Guarantee.

The Groundbreaker series is being extended with two high-heat outsole metatarsal guards for the toughest metal and smelter environments. The 6” work boot version features a traditional external metatarsal guard while the slip-on version features the new Cushguard internal metatarsal guard. Both models feature the Vibram® TC4 Alpha high heat rubber outsole, Kevlar® stitching, and the new Bootbed footbed by Iron Age.

Posted November 28, 2017

Source: Warson Brands

GREENSBORO, N.C. — November 28, 2017 — Cone Denim and Unifi Inc. are excited to introduce the latest in advanced stretch technology — S GENE® with REPREVE®.  Combining the advanced stretch technology of S GENE with the superior sustainability and performance of Repreve recycled polyester fiber, the newest S GENE denim offers the most advanced sustainable dual-core stretch denim on the market.

“It is very exciting to continue our celebration of 10 years of S GENE technology with the addition of S GENE with Repreve,” says Kara Nicholas, vice president Product Design + Marketing for Cone Denim. “This newest addition to Cone’s SUSTAINBLUE™ collection of fabrics maintains the authentic look and feel of traditional denim while offering advanced stretch, recovery and durability in an eco-friendly fabric that is increasingly more important to consumers today.  S GENE with Repreve offers the best of both worlds.”

“We are proud that Cone Denim has chosen Repreve, the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, for its sustainable collection of S GENE denim,” said Jay Hertwig, Vice President of Global Brand Sales for Unifi.  “This collaboration brings together two global leaders in the textile industry aimed at driving innovation in the denim market.”

S GENE with Repreve denims utilize as many as three post-consumer plastic bottles in one pair of jeans.  They are designed for today’s denim lover offering the next level of sustainable superior stretch to the market and opening a wide range of opportunities to denim brands to offer and promote the advanced performance of both S GENE technologies and Repreve recycled fibers.  Cone Denim offers the SUSTAINBLUE collection of fabrics, an environmentally friendly collection comprised of denim constructions using recycled cotton, recycled polyester and other sustainable yarns.

Cone Denim’s S GENE innovation was the first of its kind, originally introduced in denim fabrics in 2007.  S GENE yarn with dual core technology is designed to provide superior stretch and recovery. To create these yarns, Cone starts with two core components — spandex and continuous filament which optimizes stretch and maximizes recovery.  The dual-core yarn is wrapped in a spun covering to provide soft cotton hand and natural appearance with added stretch performance.

Posted November 28, 2017

Source: Unifi

PARIS — November 28, 2017 — Implementation of the technologically advanced FocusQuantum laser airbag cutting solution has enabled HMT to consolidate its number-one ranking position on the thriving airbag market in China.

An Ambitious Growth Strategy

China-based automotive airbag supplier HMT New Technical Materials was among the first companies to acquire FocusQuantum OPW for one-piece woven (OPW) fabric. Founded in 2002, the company underwent tremendous growth in a short period, and now ranks number-one in market share in the Chinese airbag market.

HMT devised an ambitious new growth strategy at roughly the same time Lectra launched the revolutionary new laser airbag-cutting platform FocusQuantum, comprising production preparation software, advanced cutting technology and value-added consulting services designed to enable manufacturers to achieve optimal quality and increased capacity.

Implementation of the technologically advanced solution has helped HMT to gain a competitive edge on the thriving airbag market by considerably augmenting production capacity and driving down the overall cost per bag. The company has since followed up with three more units — a second FocusQuantum OPW and two FocusQuantum FT 6K.

Rapid Ramp-Up OF Production Capacity

Lectra has supported HMT’s business growth since the publicly traded company first began manufacturing airbags. Equipped with Focus Airbag OPW and three Focus Airbag XHP, HMT sought to substantially increase its airbag manufacturing capacity. “We are determined to build the largest airbag production base in China,” remarked Charles Zhang, general manager, HMT. “That’s why we want the best equipment.”

“We needed a technology partner with the industry leadership to support us into the long term as we expand our operations. With FocusQuantum, Lectra is revolutionizing the way airbags are produced. They are the only company with the technology and local support in China to help us ensure quality as we increase production. They also provide the airbag cutting expertise to support our growth strategy.”

Based on the customer’s objective of quickly ramping up capacity to lower costs, Lectra benchmarked two OPW programs. HMT provided two different types of airbag fabric to perform benchmark tests. Favorable results meeting the customer’s lower cost target convinced HMT to implement a first FocusQuantum OPW before later acquiring a second unit along with two FocusQuantum FT 6K.

Consolidation OF Competitive Advantage

Perfect control of quality and automated cutting processes enabled by FocusQuantum OPW were decisive factors leading to HMT’s final choice. The field-tested expertise and proven methodology of Lectra’s project-oriented approach ensured smooth implementation for each FocusQuantum. A service contract signed with Lectra enables HMT to benefit from ongoing preventive and predictive maintenance and customer care.

“With OPW, performance improvement is 2.6 times greater compared to the previous generation,” observes Berlin Liang, Plant Manager, HMT. “That considerably reduces our costs of cutting. FocusQuantum’s SmartCutting can perform multiple base point positioning to achieve greater cutting accuracy. FocusQuantum also uses more advanced marker making software, which can save on material. According to our data, there’s been an improvement of around 0.5 percent in the utilization rate for multi-ply fabric.”

By driving down costs and consolidating its competitive advantage, HMT rapidly expanded its OPW airbag cushion activity in China. Implementation of FocusQuantum OPW and FocusQuantum FT 6K has been instrumental to HMT’s business growth.

Posted November 28, 2017

Source: Lectra