Gastonia, N.C.-based RadiciSpandex Corp. recently feted the winning designs submitted in three
categories by students from The Fashion School of Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, for the
company’s 2008 “Stretch to the Future” Design Competition, as well as designer Marc Bouwer as
honoree judge for the competition. The event was held May 20  at the Italian Trade Commission’s
offices in New York City.

Eighteen junior-class design students at the school submitted eveningwear, swimwear and
lingerie designs using stretch fabrics made with RadiciSpandex fiber and provided by Brookwood
Cos., Charbert Fabrics, Darlington Fabrics, Guilford Performance Textiles, McMurray Fabrics,
Milliken & Company, Sextet Fabrics, Startex and Symphony Fabrics. Competition winners included
Jenni Smas, Grand Prize/Eveningwear; Andrew Spargo, Swimwear; and Sydney Sustarsic, Lingerie. Smas
used Stretch fabrics from Milliken for her floor-length evening gown. Spargo’s one-piece swimsuit
and cover-up ensemble was made with black fabrics from Darlington and Sextet. Sustarsic designed a
two-piece intimates ensemble using fabrics from Milliken and Startex.

Luciano Radici, regional director, Americas, for RadiciSpandex’s parent company, Italy-based
The Radici Group, presented the 2008 Stretch to the Future crystal award to Bouwer. Marty Moran,
CEO, RadiciSpandex presented scholarship awards to Smas and Spargo for their winning entries. Barry
Ross, president of Lingerie Award sponsor The Underfashion Club Inc., a Clinton, N.Y.-based
lingerie industry trade association, presented the Lingerie Award, which was accepted by Dr.
Elizabeth Rhodes, director, The Fashion School of Kent State University, on behalf of Sustarsic,
who was not able to attend.

May 27, 2008

Atlanta-based Urban Expositions LLC and Arlington, Va.-based American Apparel & Footwear
Association (AAFA) — producer and sponsor, respectively, of the Material World trade show
presenting the fashion and style industry supply chain, technology and trends — have announced they
will present a West Coast fall edition of the event beginning in 2009. Material World West will
take place Sept. 30–Oct. 2, 2009, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, as a
counterpart to the show’s flagship spring edition in Miami Beach, Fla.; and is targeted
particularly to exhibitors and attendees from the Western United States and Pacific Rim.

Material World West will replace Material World New York, which previously has been held in
the fall in alternation with Material World Miami Beach, and which will not take place this coming
fall.

“While we were happy with the New York show, we felt we had to strongly evaluate the
geographic opportunities our show could provide to our exhibitors moving forward,” said Tim von
Gal, president, Material World.

“The industry has been encouraging us to bring Material World west for many years. California
has the most important fashion manufacturing and import base in the United States,” he added. “It
is the home of top name brands and leading designers. California’s international accessibility
lends itself to a diverse mix of participation. For those reasons and L.A.’s indisputable
reputation as a Fashion city, it is the ideal location for a fall edition of our event.”

The West Coast edition of Material World is endorsed by the Atlanta-based American Apparel
Producers’ Network, Los Angeles-based California Fashion Association,  Boston-based National
Textile Association, and Washington-based National Council of Textile Organizations. Carlstadt,
N.J.-based Pantone Inc. and New York City-based Stylesight also will support the Los Angeles event
as official color authority and trend partner, respectively.

“The apparel and textiles industry is the largest manufacturing sector in L.A. County, and we
are looking forward to hosting such a popular trade show that will showcase one of our city’s most
well-known attributes,” said Mark Liberman, president and CEO, LA INC. The Los Angeles Convention
and Visitors Bureau. With an annual wholesale volume totaling $24.5 billion, the Los Angeles
industry employs a larger workforce than the industry in New York City.

May 27, 2008

Charlotte-based Polymer Group Inc. (PGI) has started an approximately $50 million expansion of its
plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The plant will house the new Reifenhäuser Reicofil® 4 line, a
state-of-the-art multi-beam spunmelt line that will produce hygiene and medical fabrics for the
North America market.

“The high-quality, skilled local workforce and support from the government has enabled PGI to
grow and thrive at this plant since we began operations in 1994,” said Rolando Dominguez, PGI’s
vice president and general manager for Latin America. Since the company purchased the plant in 1994
from Bonlam S.A., a subsidiary of Cydsa S.A. de C.V., PGI has made several expansions to the
facility, which have more than quadrupled overall employment. PGI currently employs around 400
people at the plant, but the expansion is expected to generate more than 40 jobs and have a
positive economic impact on the community through supplier relationships.

The new spunmelt line — expected to begin production by mid-2009 — will add approximately
15,000 metric tons of production capacity and will produce high-quality, lightweight, strong
fabrics used in diaper parts such as fine denier back sheets and leg cuffs, as well as fabrics that
give high-barrier protection and comfort for medical garments.

May 27, 2008

Greensboro, N.C.-based textured yarn manufacturer Unifi Inc. has announced it will shut down its
polyester yarn beaming and warp drawing plant in Staunton, Va., and move that operation to its
manufacturing facility in Yadkinville, N.C. The approximately 140 employees in Staunton are being
offered jobs at Yadkinville.

According to Ronald Smith, Unifi’s CFO, the move will enable the company to reduce expenses
by removing the cost of transporting product back and forth between the two plants. In addition, he
said the company will implement upgraded beaming and warp drawing operations in Yadkinville to help
satisfy customer demands. The transition of operations is expected to be complete by the end of
September.

“We’re looking at savings, but we also will be improving our flexibility and the productivity
of our assets,” Smith said. He added that once the move is completed, the company’s entire domestic
polyester business, worth some $500 million to $550 million, will be located in Yadkinville and
will employ some 1,400 workers at that facility.

Unifi also has a polyester operation in Brazil. In addition, it employs about 1,000 workers
in its domestic nylon yarn business.

May 27, 2008

A global alliance of suppliers, manufacturers and associations has developed a guidance document
providing information on how to assess the flushability of consumer products. Coordinated by Cary,
N.C.-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) and the Brussels-based International
Association Serving the Nonwovens and Related Industries (EDANA), the document defines flushability
and describes assessing a product’s compatibility with home plumbing fixtures and drain lines, as
well as measures for onsite product disposal and municipal wastewater treatment options.

INDA and EDANA will publish the guidelines, which will be presented at the World of Wipes
International Conference to be held in July in Atlanta. Members of either association can obtain a
copy at no cost, while non-members can purchase the guidelines for $3,000.

May 27, 2008

Effective June 2, Wellman Inc., Fort Mill, S.C., will implement a 4-cents-per-pound price increase
on all Fortrel® polyester staple fiber products. The company cited rising crude oil prices in
announcing the price increase.

May 27, 2008

Germany-based Freudenberg Group’s Nonwovens Spunlaid Division North America (NA) has launched a new
Lutradur® post-consumer-recycled (PCR) product range. Products in the Lutradur line, which is part
of Freudenberg’s spunlaid nonwoven polyester products portfolio, are manufactured using PCR chips
made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles that are collected and reclaimed in the
United States.

“This PCR product range combined with our existing post industrial products (PIR content)
offers great alternatives to our global customer base who are looking for ‘green’ and sustainable
products to include in their product and systems offering,” said Stephan Liozu, vice president and
general manager, Spunlaid Division NA. “Every square yard of our 85 grams Lutradur PCR nonwoven
fabric contains one PET bottle that is not being sent to landfill.”

The Lutradur line is available in different weights and widths for various applications,
including tuft-backings for automotive carpets, bath mats, broadloom carpets, carpet tiles,
carpets, dust-control mats and throw-in mats; as well as nonwovens for upholstered furniture and
wall preparation.

In other news, Freudenberg Nonwovens has received a Visteon Important Partner Award from
automotive supplier Visteon Corp., Van Buren Township, Mich. Selected as one of Visteon’s 23 top
suppliers for 2007, Freudenberg was honored in the Climate category for outstanding overall
performance related to supplying its micronAir® cabin air filters to Visteon.

The awards are presented based on ratings of its suppliers for quality, cost-control,
delivery, technology and launch performance. The 2007 winners received their awards last month
during a ceremony at Visteon’s Corporate Offices and Innovation Center.

“We’re honored to be recognized by Visteon as a top supplier and are dedicated to providing
them the highest-quality cabin air filter products,” said Barry F. Kellar, vice president and
general manager, Freudenberg Nonwovens Filtration Division. “With drivers spending more and more
time on the road, concerns about the cabin environment inside a vehicle is on the rise. micronAir
cabin air filters address these concerns by removing contaminants from the air that enters the
passenger cabin.”

May 20, 2008