Industry Beefs Up Lobbying Organization


A
 s US textile manufacturers gear up for what some industry leaders have called a life or
death struggle over international trade, the industry’s lobbying operations have gone through some
major changes. It appears the new-look lobbying operations will have a broader reach and presumably
more influence, and their leaders expect them to play a major role in the upcoming presidential and
congressional elections.

Gone is the American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI), which for more than 50 years was
a major voice for the industry in Washington. In its place is the new, more broadly based National
Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). The American Yarn Spinners Association, which from time to
time played a major role in Washington, also soon will be phased out, but there will be an office
in Gastonia, N.C., to provide administrative assistance to the Southern Textile Association, the
Textured Yarn Association of America, the Craft Yarn Association and others.

NCTO was launched at a Capitol Hill news conference, at which NCTO Chairman Allen E. Gant
Jr., CEO of Glen Raven Inc., said the new organization would serve as the “central policy
development and implementations body” of the US textile industry in matters involving international
trade and governmental regulations. What NCTO brings to the table is an organization that for the
first time incorporates all segments of the textile industry from fiber to yarn to fabric and gives
major suppliers such as machinery manufacturers, power companies, banks and other suppliers to the
industry an equal voice. Gant believes the new organization can have “significantly more clout”
than the textile industry has had in the past.

One of the industry’s shortfalls in the past has been that while it is viewed as a powerful
regional industry with a lot of friends on Capitol Hill, it has fallen short of its goals when it
has run up against the free trade philosophies of several administrations. The new-look lobbying
organizations may be able to help change that with a broader geographic reach, and they will
benefit from the growing concern in Washington over the loss of American jobs to overseas
competition.

The 76-member American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC), which has a strong
textile element, reaches into a much broader range of states and congressional delegations, with
members representing metalworkers, paper products companies, chemical manufacturers and
woodworkers.

AMTAC’s approach is to go beyond textiles and demonstrate the harm being done to many
manufacturing industries by what it sees as illegal and unfair trade practices such as currency
manipulation, illegal transshipments and export subsidies offered by overseas countries to their
domestic industries.

In connection with some issues AMTAC has been joined by the Union of Needletrades, Industrial
and Textile Employees, which itself will be expanded to include hotel and restaurant workers come
June.

A third textile lobbying force is the National Textile Association (NTA), a result of the
merger of the Northern Textile Association and the National Knitwear Association. Having 150
members with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and representation
in Washington, NTA adds further to the geographic reach of the textile lobby.

All of these organizations and their supporters in Congress have a basic goal of developing
fair trade as opposed to the free trade policies they say have resulted in the loss of 3 million
manufacturing jobs, including 86,300 in textiles alone this past year. They plan to conduct
grass-roots education efforts with employees and in communities where plants are located, to
explain the link between job losses and free trade. In addition, they will meet with candidates and
promote greater voter registration and get-out-the-vote campaigns. They do not plan to endorse
specific candidates in the congressional or presidential elections, but they will support
candidates who demonstrate a strong commitment to saving American jobs.

At the launch of NCTO, Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.) said: “The American textile industry is
battered by import competition. To fight back we need new ideas, new organizations and new
resolve.”

It will be interesting to see if the new lobbying organizations are the key to getting the
job done.


Free Trade Versus Fair Trade

While US textile manufacturers, their supporters in Congress, importers and the administration
all contend that the industry can compete in an atmosphere of fair trade, the question is how to go
about getting there in the face of low-wage overseas manufacturers, currency imbalances, illegal
transshipments, high tariffs and a rash of non-tariff barriers to trade. When you move beyond the
free trade versus fair trade rhetoric, there are a number of areas — some highly controversial —
where the United States and other governments are being pressed to help the beleaguered US textile
industry:


Free Trade Agreements


The administration, textile manufacturers and importers of textiles and apparel all believe
that preferential trade agreements with individual countries or groups of countries in a region can
provide at least part of the solution to the problem of dealing with burgeoning imports from China
and other Asian countries. However, they disagree as to how free trade agreements should be
structured. Textile manufacturers want strict yarn-forward rules of origin with no tariff
preference levels (TPLs) or cumulation that permits use of a given amount of yarn and fabric from
non-participating countries. Importers and the administration say TPLs and cumulation are necessary
to provide them with flexibility that will help make them less dependent on China and a handful of
other major suppliers.


Combatting Illegal Transshipments


All parties are agreed that something must be done to eliminate illegal transshipments that
evade quotas and take advantage of the tariff preferences in free trade agreements. The General
Accounting Office has uncovered what it says are serious flaws in the policing of textile and
apparel imports. Little is likely to change, however, as Customs officials devote most of their
resources to policing illegal drug traffic and the increasing demands of homeland security.


Section 301 Petitions


In a dramatic, unprecedented move, the American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial
Organizations (AFL-CIO) has filed a petition under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, which
permits the United States to invoke sanctions against countries engaged in unfair trade. This
action charges that Chinese trade is unfair because of its labor-rights abuses. In a related
action, a coalition of manufacturers, including textiles, has filed a Section 301 petition accusing
the Chinese of unfair trade because of currency manipulation, which amounts to a subsidy for its
exports. How the administration reacts to the petitions is crucial, as favorable action could lead
to a whole new ball game that could result in sanctions against a wide range of products.


Safeguard Mechanism


The US textile industry has successfully used a provision in its bilateral agreement with
China that permits the imposition of quotas on products where it can be demonstrated they are
causing market disruption. The administration supported the industry’s first such petition, and a
7.5-percent growth cap has been placed on three product categories for 2004. US textile
manufacturers are pressing for a comprehensive agreement that would place similar caps on the
growth of all textile and apparel exports of sensitive products. That action is strongly opposed by
retailers and other importers of textiles and apparel.


Extension Of Import Quotas Beyond 2005


There is a movement underway, spurred by US textile manufacturers, to extend the deadline for
removing all textile and apparel quotas beyond the currently planned date of Jan. 1, 2005
(See “
Textile World News,” this issue). This will be a very hard sell, as members
of the World Trade Organization (WTO) have agreed to that date, and it would be difficult for many
countries, including the United States, to back off that commitment now.


WTO Trade Negotiations


The WTO has launched a trade liberalization effort calling for worldwide tariff reductions.
The US textile industry is opposed to any tariff cuts until other nations bring theirs down to US
levels. Domestic importers of textiles and apparel, on the other hand, want the US tariffs phased
out as soon as possible.

The extent to which any or all of these actions will be taken and what impact they might have
is problematic. But in this election year, US textile manufacturers are going to give it the old
college try.



May 2004

Shakespeare Co Announces Price Increases

Shakespeare, a subsidiary of K2 Inc. Sporting Goods, has announced its plans to increase filament
as well as polymer prices effective May 31, 2004.

In commenting on the planned increases, Doug Kale, vice president of sales for the company,
said, “We have worked diligently over the past several years to contain our continually escalating
costs. Investments have been made to improve efficiencies and quality. At this point, however, we
find it necessary to increase our prices in order to continue to invest in our operations and
technologies.”

For additional information, contact Doug Kale at cdk@shakespeare-mono.com.

April 2004

TAKK Static Meter Measures Charges Up To 150, 000 Volts

Cincinnati-based TAKK Industries Inc. has introduced its model 5730 static meter for use in plastic
and textile, converting, packaging, printing, general manufacturing and other processing. The
hand-held meter measures static charges of up to 150,000 volts on any stationary or moving web or
conveyor surface and provides a 100-volt resolution. Features include a liquid crystal digital
display, machined metal housing and one-button operation. The unit comes equipped with a 9-volt
battery, alligator ground clip and carrying case. Manufacturers can use the unit to help them
position as well as evaluate static elimination equipment.

May 2004

BASF Petronas Cuts BDO Production, Enters Venture With Toray

Citing unfavorable market conditions, BASF Petronas Chemicals Sdn Bhd – a 60/40 joint venture
between Germany-based BASF AG and Petroliam Nasional Berhad (Petronas), Malaysia – has begun
operating its 1,4-butanediol plant in Kuantan, Malaysia, below capacity.

“Both BASF and Petronas are firmly committed to the success of this joint venture,” said John
Fastier, managing director, BASF Petronas. “The ability to react to market conditions in a flexible
and effective way is an important prerogative for this success.”

In related news, BASF Petronas recently entered into a 50/50 joint venture with Toray
Industries Inc., Tokyo, for the manufacture of polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) base resin. Toray
BASF PBT Resin Sdn Bhd will build a facility with an annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons in
Kuantan. The plant is expected to be operational by 2006.

May 2004

O’Mara Introduces Antimicrobial Yarns

O’Mara Inc., Rutherford, N.C., has developed two new antimicrobial yarns, MicroFresh and SoleFresh,
which feature Spartanburg-based Milliken Chemical’s AlphaSan® antimicrobial agent for odor control.
O’Mara developed MicroFresh for activewear, while SoleFresh was designed for hosiery applications.

O’Mara’s new SoleFresh yarns for hosiery applications feature Milliken Chemical’s AlphaSan®
antimicrobial agent.

“We developed these new high-performance yarns in response to market demand for value-added
yarns that offer specific benefits to consumers,” said Tim O’Mara, manager. “We would like to
expand the use of AlphaSan antimicrobials to more of our yarn products. We have been testing
different applications in value-added areas such as automotive and industrial furniture coverings,
and have been extremely pleased with the results.
”

May 2004

Study Cites Chinese Price Advantage

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) has issued a report designed to demonstrate
that China has a significant price advantage with its textile and apparel exports to the United
States. NCTO took a look at prices for three product categories where import quotas were recently
removed and found that China has a 30-percent price advantage over dozens of countries including
Mexico and the Caribbean nations. The cause, NCTO said, is an array of illegal and unfair trade
practices by China.

NCTO said the 30-percent price gap has enabled China to amass a 60-percent import market
share in the decontrolled product categories, increasing its exports by 700 percent in just two
years. During the same period, the import market share held by China’s competitors declined from 91
percent to 40 percent.

NCTO President Cass Johnson said: “China’s artificially low prices are the result of an array
of illegal and unfair trade practices, which our government continues to be reluctant to attack.
The worst of these is China’s manipulation of its currency, which so distorts the free market that
literally no other country can compete today with China’s exports. He says the administration’s
reluctance to attack the China trade problem calls into question the administrations commitments to
help the domestic industry survive.



May 2004

Imports Of Raw Cotton To Be Permitted

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced it will permit textile mills to import a
limited amount of raw cotton under the program designed to help make US textile manufacturers
competitive in world markets. This is the third time this year the USDA has announced special
import quotas in the 2003-04 marketing year. The clearance to import was taken under the so-called
Step #3 of the government’s cotton competitiveness program, and it will allow imports of about one
week’s domestic mill consumption, or about 119,000 bales. This is because the price for domestic
cotton has exceeded the world price. The special import quota will cover purchases made between May
20 and August 17 and entered into the US no later than Nov. 15. Despite some of the earlier import
quotas, the USDA reports that only 2,600 bales of upland cotton have been imported since August of
2003.

May 2004

Lectra Reports Strong 2003 Performance

Paris-based Lectra has reported its revenues for fiscal 2003 totaled 184.7 million euros, up 8
percent at constant exchange rates over the previous year. Of this total, 105.2 million euros came
from sales of new systems, representing a 14-percent increase over 2002. Net income, 7.4 million
euros, was double that of 2002; and net cash, 52.4 million euros, set a record for the company.

Lectra said revenues from the Asia-Pacific region increased 38 percent, compared with a
5-percent increase from North America and a decline of 5 percent from Europe.

May 2004

A Call For Action


A
 rmed with what they believe are beefed-up lobbying organizations, US textile industry and
labor leaders have embarked on a major effort to bring about what they call a “level playing field”
in the arena of international trade
(See ”
Washington
Outlook,”
TW, this issue).

Below, six of these leaders tell

Textile World
 readers how and why they expect to go beyond the rhetoric and achieve that goal.



chesnutt_CopyJames
W. Chesnutt, CEO, National Spinning Co.; vice chairman, National Council of Textile Organizations
(NCTO)


People are fed up with plant closings, with workers losing their jobs and families losing
their savings. They are fed up with reading about Chinese and Vietnamese sweatshops taking their
jobs away. They are fed up with trade deals that benefit Wal-Mart at the expense of good-paying
manufacturing jobs. Since George Bush became president, we have lost 3 million manufacturing jobs
nationwide. Since January 2001, we have lost one textile job every nine minutes. The big problem
lies in Washington, which has made it easy for countries, especially China, to gain access to this
market, despite the fact that they circumvent trade laws and create their own rules.

Secretary of Commerce Donald Evans told us George Bush is a “friend of the textile
industry,”but we have seen little of that as we have lost one quarter of our entire textile
workforce since President Bush took office. We have heard lots of promises made. It all comes down
to honesty and integrity, and the Bush administration has not kept its promises.

We have set the base to make this election year the most political year in this industry’s
history. There will be more voter registration drives, more voter education efforts and more people
speaking out so that this industry’s issues and those of manufacturing workers in general will make
a difference on election day. We must make it clear that we will hold our lawmakers accountable. If
they are not willing to help us, we will seek someone else.



gantAllen E.
Gant Jr., president and CEO, Glen Raven Inc.; chairman, NCTO


I am a great believer in the importance of international trade. My company does business in
124 countries. Trade is important to the United States and countries throughout the world, but
their economies and ours are being undercut by the “free trade” of today that is no “fair trade.”
We have lost 86,300 textile and apparel jobs in this country just in this past year. This is due in
large measure to our government’s pursuit of free trade that disregards the importance of
manufacturing here at home. Our government has failed to uphold the rules and regulations under our
trade laws.

With NCTO, we have a broad-based coalition that will focus specifically on the need for
fairness in international trade in textiles. We also will address government regulations that
impose a cost burden on our competitiveness. We intend to be heard in this year’s election
campaigns. It’s political peril for anyone, Republican or Democrat, who does not understand the
textile trade problem and is not willing to stand up and protect the 1 million jobs in our textile
and apparel industries.



milliken_CopyRoger
Milliken, chairman and CEO, Milliken & Company; co-chairman, American Manufacturing Trade
Action Coalition (AMTAC)


The US government has four major policy tools that shape and direct the overall economy –
fiscal, monetary, exchange rate and trade policy. Today, fiscal policy is a much weakened
macroeconomic tool because of the large federal budget deficit and the massive federal debt.
Monetary policy is equally weak, to the point that even though the Federal Reserve’s discount rate
is at its lowest level since the Great Depression, it exercises little stimulative effect. Changes
in exchange rates – that is, the creation of a strong or weak dollar – also now are greatly limited
because of the vast hordes of dollars in foreign hands. Thus, over the past two decades, US policy
makers have increasingly relied on a liberal trade policy to manage the US economy.

The current US economic policy is to permit a massive inflow of foreign-made goods, and by
this suppress labor costs and deflate the price of consumer goods.

To enable US-owned producers to participate in this import-driven economic policy, the US
government has joined several agreements including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
and it supports the trade policies of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that protect US
investments in developing countries such as Mexico and China. Once established in a penny-wage,
low-regulation foreign manufacturing platform, corporations can then attack their remaining
US-based competitors with inexpensive imports.

Today’s liberal trade policies encourage the US companies to shift production abroad. It is
happening on a massive scale. Consequently, the current US trade policy is decimating the US
manufacturing base, destroying millions of US manufacturing jobs, undermining the business and
related service sectors, fiscally stressing the manufacturing communities and states, and making
the US defense industrial base dangerously dependent on foreign suppliers.

Our leaders need to balance US macroeconomic policies. The key to reducing the US trade
deficit is to quickly stop the erosion of the remaining US manufacturing base. To this end, a US
moratorium is required on entering into more trade pacts, such as NAFTA. Until this is US policy,
we must oppose the negotiation and ratification of any such deals.

Any future trade agreements must be clearly reciprocal, negotiated in the open, and ratified
in Congress using normal legislative procedures. All prior and future trade pacts must be enforced,
reviewed by Congress on a periodic basis and changed wherever necessary. Finally, the goal of US
trade policy must be the creation of trade arrangements that will substantially improve the
prosperity and security of the American people. That is the test. Nothing less is acceptable.



shusterGeorge
Shuster, CEO, Cranston Print Works; co-chairman, AMTAC


To exit a disaster requires understanding its basic cause. The gross excess of the US trade
deficit is not the result of inevitable global forces. Rather, it is directly caused by the fact
that US trade policy has established a world in which all the governmentally imposed conditions of
trade (tariffs, non-tariff barriers, subsidies, regulations, state sponsorship of business, and
others) are all heavily stacked against US exports and in favor of imports. For example, the
average tariff facing US imports is 1.6 percent; that facing US exports is 40 percent. The other
conditions of trade have equally dramatic disparities. The cumulative effect of these differences
is what makes the US trade deficit no surprise.

To reverse our cartoonish over-consumption and re-establish domestic production, we need to
correct these inequalities. First, the United States should prepare a Trade Deficit Impact
Statement (TDIS) for every new trade proposal.

Second, the United States should not enter into any agreement for which the TDIS analysis
predicts a larger deficit.

Third, the United States should insist that other countries begin to equalize all of the
governmentally imposed conditions of trade before any further access to our markets is granted.

Fourth, the United States should consider, in targeted areas, policies to overcome the
existing disparities by compensating measures, a list of which would be beyond the scope of this
brief statement.

Finally, since the trade deficit is hollowing out all US industries, textile manufacturers
should seek alliances with other sectors, such as the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition
is doing. Only in this way can the broad political support needed to achieve the above economic
objectives be assembled.



bruceBruce
Raynor, president, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE)


The first and by far the most important need of the textile industry is for an extension of
the quota system that has regulated the global apparel and textile industry for more than 30 years.
If this is not done, no matter what else is accomplished, the industry will continue to suffer
serious losses.

Our government should also enact a strategic pause in the expansion of free trade agreements
between the United States and other countries. More than 200 such agreements have been signed by
the United States and its trading partners in the last decade alone. Our government has never
evaluated the effect of these agreements on the nation’s workers and economic well-being.

We also need global trade rules to protect internationally recognized workers’ rights.
Absent such roles, all US industries that compete internationally, and this is no longer restricted
to manufacturing, will be locked in a race to the bottom with countries that brutally hold down
wages by denying workers their rights.

The US government could also help by requiring that procurement policy, at all levels of
government, be used to support crucial US industries, and that unfair competition from domestic
prison-based industries be prohibited.



dobbinsSteven
G. Dobbins Jr., CEO, Carolina Mills


In the last 3 1/2 years, we have had to close 10 plants and have been forced to let 1,400
workers go as the global textile trade picture continues to take a heavy toll. It all stems from
what I call the hypocrisy of our international trade and regulatory policies. On the one hand, we
in this country have environmental, health and safety, healthcare, and consumer protection
regulations that increase our cost of manufacturing – some say at least as much as 20 to 25 percent
– while our overseas competition does not have to meet these standards. No one is suggesting we
should lower our standards, but our government must find ways to offset this differential. We all
are sitting at the table of international trade, but at the present time, our end is tilted upward,
while our competition is at a lower level.

If we don’t correct this situation, everything will slide off the table in their direction.

We have trade laws that were passed, often with good intentions, but they are not working in
today’s environment. There are areas where our government can act if it has the will to do so. We
need stronger Customs enforcement. There are $10 billion to $20 billion in illegal textile and
apparel shipments entering this country every year. We need to have stronger penalties. Anyone who
gets caught needs to be severely penalized, to make it clear to everyone that such practices are
not worth the risk. That’s one area where Congress can do something right now.

In addition, our government must address the problem of currency imbalances with countries
like China, where their imports are in effect subsidized and our exports are more expensive. We
need to revise our economic and trade policies to reflect what is really happening to world trade,
particularly since China got into the WTO.

The world has changed dramatically since then. No one anticipated what is happening; other
countries are concerned; we are deeply concerned. Change has to come about. If we don’t like
dealing with the 300-pound gorilla that China is today, just wait until China becomes a 600-pound
gorilla!

May 2004

Technology & Novelty At Première Vision


B
 usiness was brisk at the most recent Première Vision show in Paris despite concerns about
monetary exchange rates, China and a lackluster economy. Buyers looking for fabrics for
Spring/Summer 2005 collections found a lot of innovation, creativity and quality in the lines of
more than 700 international resources.

Today, it’s not only fashion, performance and price that are important; there is another
element, well being – what is going into a fabric to make the wearer feel good. Exhibitors that had
all of the key components in place for their niche markets reported phenomenal success. Italy-based
knitter Marioboselli Jersey S.p.A.’s sales last season were up 16 percent. In March,
Switzerland-based techno-specialist Schoeller Textil AG closed its year-end books ahead by 19
percent. Scotland-based wool weaver Reid & Taylor Ltd. has lowered its prices by 30 percent;
the United States is now its largest market.

Throughout the supply chain  there is a startling amount of newness. New fibers are
coming from natural sources that are environmentally friendly and easy to process, and provide high
performance and easy care; and there are a variety of new treatments for established fibers. Color,
texture and surface treatments are other factors of note.

jackeytex_Copy
Viscose, microfiber blends and fancy yarn-dyed stripes are featured in Italy-based Jackytex’/
/ / / a / a / s current fabric line.


Fibers


Bamboo is becoming increasingly popular. The plant grows rapidly, is in plentiful supply and
produces a long, hollow fiber. Bamboo-content fabrics are antibacterial, antiallergenic,
impermeable to ultraviolet rays and pill-resistant. The fiber dyes well, imparts a rich luster to
fabrics and can be blended with other natural or man-made fibers. New York City-based Carmen Marc
Valvo is using knitted fabrics containing bamboo.

At Gartex International S.p.A., Italy, fabrics woven with 100-percent bamboo have a dry,
crisp hand, similar to the touch of silk/linen. Currently the company is buying 36/1 and 24/1
bamboo yarns from China.

Chigasaki Woollen Spinning & Weaving Co. Ltd., Japan, showed indigo-dyed denim woven of
100-percent bamboo in a weight of 370 grams per meter (g/m).

At Italy-based Milior S.p.A., stretch fabrics are available in a blend of 49-percent bamboo,
44-percent linen, 5-percent polyester and 2-percent Lycra®.

SeaCell®, introduced a year ago by Germany-based Zimmer AG, is derived from seaweed mixed
with lyocell. The fiber’s generic designation is cyl. Knitted or woven fabrics using this fiber
have antimicrobial properties, and contain vitamins and minerals that are absorbed into the skin.

Germany-based knitter Haendel + Diller GmbH blends cyl with cotton and nylon, and is selling
a lightweight ribbed jersey to the sleepwear market.

Stotz & Co. AG, Switzerland, has woven fine shirting fabrics in blends of 70-percent
cotton and 30-percent cyl. “Wellness is selling,” said Peter Hauser, product sales manager.

Six months ago, Italy-based Ratti S.p.A. introduced a line of printed jersey knitted in an
intimate blend of soy and silk. The fabrics are light and silky. This season, the silk specialist
has added fabrics of 100-percent soy.

Another new fiber that is going into printed terry cloth for Ratti’s beachwear line is
Lenpur®, a cellulosic that comes from white pine trees. It is odor-resistant and has thermal
properties. The fabrics are soft and lustrous.

Fabrics containing metal are gaining in popularity. These fabrics have memory, are
antiallergenic and antistatic, and provide stress relief. Yarn-dyed fabrics at Italy-based Mectex
S.p.A. woven with a blend of steel/cotton/nylon/spandex are reported to protect against magnetic
fields. There are coated and iridescent fabrics, yarn dyes and cross dyes in this line.

Schoeller Textil, one of the first to develop metal fabrics, has lightened the weight and
softened the hand. Iridescent fabrics with a silky touch are woven in blends of
polyester/aluminum/nylon. A heavier translucent fabric in a blend of 90-percent metal and
10-percent nylon has been dyed in pastel colors.

Japan-based Komatsu Seiren Co. Ltd. uses aluminum with nylon and polyester and coats it with
polyurethane. Belgium-based linen producer Libeco-Lagae S.A. has added metal to linen to give it
subtle shine. Lightweight loose weaves of steel/cotton at Gartex sparkle and are soft to the touch.
Two high-end silk weavers, France-based Bucol and Switzerland-based Weisbrod-Zuerrer AG, are
showing metallic summer tweeds.

One old fiber, dating back to the Middle Ages, has been reintroduced. Escorial wool, grown
primarily in New Zealand, is a curly, ultra-lightweight wool that is softer than cashmere and has
natural elasticity.

Through the British Escorial Guild, the market for this fiber will open to additional
resources. It will remain at the top end of the market because of the limited amount of wool grown
– only about 100 tons a year.

sheep
Escorial wool, from sheep bred in New Zealand, is a soft, curly, lightweight wool.


Cotton


Cotton Incorporated, Cary, N.C., exhibiting in the sportswear area, had a lot of new
developments. Ken Greeson, manager, textile chemistry research, showed denims and chinos with
abrasion-resistant finishes, 100-percent cotton with natural stretch of up to 20 percent, improved
color retention treatments, and dual-action finishes that both repel and release soil. Its
BUZZ-OFF™ technology, developed to repel mosquitoes, has successfully been launched by The Orvis
Co. Still in development are moisture-transport properties for cotton and wash treatments to give
cotton special effects, such as the look of tie-dyed fabrics.

Organic cotton was in greater evidence. Japan-based Avanti Inc. showed a line of novelty
fabrics knitted and woven using organic cotton from Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Some are blended
with silk, and others are embellished with embroidery. Most of the fabrics are ultra-light and
sheer with a soft touch. Fabrics are wash-finished. No chemicals or dyes are used during the
spinning, weaving, knitting or finishing processes.

Gartex showed a silky-soft sheer fabric it refers to as “biological cotton.” Vegetable dyes
are used in the production cycle.

Wonder S.r.l., an Italy-based company that exhibited in the sportswear sector, showed
cotton/linen blends with viscose flocking. Some of its fabrics are flocked, printed and then
piece-dyed. Others are sold for garment washing.

Schoeller Textil showed soft, sheer techno-fabrics for Summer. A soft-shell four-way stretch
fabric is ultra-lightweight, and uses 3XDRY®, Schoeller’s moisture-transport/evaporation system.
Other fabrics include Schoeller® PCM™ thermo-regulating technology to balance body temperature.

grayweave
 
Masters of Linen member company Deren S.A., France, specializes in linen fabrics for
apparel and home furnishings.


Linen


Although performance linens are wrinkle-resistant, many exhibitors in the linen sector
reported their European customers prefer crisp-hand fabrics that crease and have the look and touch
of old-fashioned linen. Treatments include rustic washed looks, all-over crushed surfaces,
sanforized finishes and stretch.

John England Textiles Ltd., Ireland, has a twill weave of linen/viscose/Lycra that looks
like a knitted fabric. Creased patterns, washed linens, open-mesh weaves, coated surfaces and
laser-cut patterns are some of the novelties in this line. The company was astonished at the number
of sample orders for a 100-percent linen jacquard fabric in fresco pastels and tapestry colors –
they are priced at $82 per yard.

Bright colors attracted buyers to Italy-based Crespi S.p.A., where garment-dyed linen
dresses were on display. Hemp with a burlap look, stretch fabrics and metallic prints were other
highlights.

At Libeco-Lagae, dry-hand crepes, sheer loose weaves, crushed effects, sateens, chintz,
color-reverse double-faced linens, Panamas and stripes are popular. Irregular, small multi-colored
stripes with rumpled surfaces are favorites.

For Spring, linen turns up in the wool sector. Scotland-based weaver Johnstons of Elgin
showed linen/cashmere blends with a soft, dry hand. Lightweight olive tweeds with a cool touch were
pointed out.

Reid & Taylor is selling wool/silk/linen classic checks to Brooks Brothers. It offers
nubby tweeds in wool/silk, 100-percent silk checks and Sea Island cottons.

Milior, Mectex and Picchi S.p.A., all based in Italy, have extensive collections of linen,
cotton and man-made blends for Spring.

At Picchi, white-on-white dobbies, speckled tweeds and stripes are favorites. Vibrant color,
stretch and performance fabrics are available at Mectex. Milior has cotton/Lycra textured cottons
and sateens, enzyme-finished silk/linen yarn dyes and stretch shirtings.


Silk


“Spring/Summer 2005 will be an orgy of brightness,” said François Damide, president of the
US divisions of two France-based firms, Solstiss S.A. and Bucol. At Solstiss, there are small
geometrically patterned laces colored in orange and white, and floral lace in vibrant shades of
pink and green or orange and pink. Bucol has sheer, iridescent silk mousseline that sparkles when
it moves. There are ink-jet prints with more than 200 colors.

At Weisbrod-Zuerrer, there are a lot of application treatments ranging from simple fagoting
on linen to elaborate pleated chiffon flowers and beads on net, ribbons applied to chiffon and long
fringe in stripes. Warp-printed jacquards and colorful crushed stripes are other novelties.
Bianchini Férier, France, has printed butterflies and scenic borders on silk taffeta, chiffon and
satin.

Best sellers at Mantero Seta S.p.A., Italy, include enormous moving stripes in black and
white, lacquered silver and Lurex® shine.


Knits


In the knitted fabric sector, Federico Boselli, president, Marioboselli Jersey, said his
customers are looking for quality. “They cannot find it in China,” he said. “What is coming from
China is selling because of the price. We are selling more plain fabrics, such as viscose matte
jersey knitted with highly twisted yarns. We also make what is difficult to do.” Boselli mentioned
printed glitz, burn-outs and linen/Lycra knitted fabrics.

Viscose is the core business of Jackytex, Italy. Highly twisted yarns, fancy yarn-dyed
stripes and microfiber blends are some of the staples. Techno-fabrics include membrane finishes,
metallic prints and velvet jacquards on sheers. A metallic coated fabric has the look of liquid
silver.

France-based knitter Billon Frères reports color and texture are selling.  Buyers
looking for immediate deliveries to fill in Summer 2004 collections found stripes and lacy knits at
Première Vision. Last-minute fabrics for Fall also were available. The major portion of the line
was the new Spring/Summer 2005 collection. White-on-white textures, bright irregular stripes, and
tonal jacquards were of special interest.

grayflowers
Best sellers at France-based Chaine et Trame included floral prints.


Prints


Color is selling in the printed fabrics sector. England-based Liberty had five color
stories: Sunlight;  Myths and Legends; Marina; Scorching; and Restoration.

Floral prints at Liberty are small and clustered, scattered, gathered into garlands; or
giant with spidery petals. Sea shells, beach balls and deck chairs are the inspiration for a group
of prints called Shore Line. Dots, circles, sun spots, rotating disks and other rounded shapes,
precious gems and sophisticated Art Nouveau looks are other themes.

Spain-based La Industrial Sedera S.A. showed colorful flat florals, tropicals, butterflies
and figuratives printed on piqué, ottoman, chiffon and jacquards. Most of the patterns are large in
scale; some are printed on black grounds.

At Chaine et Trame, France, some of the best-selling prints are reminiscent of the 1950s.
There are simple, pretty, romantic florals; Hawaiian monotone florals, and black and white flat
flowers. Positive/negative prints in black and white or red and white sometimes have a touch of one
other bright color. African abstracts colored in earthy tones turn up in patchwork patterns.

Italy-based Segalini S.p.A. has prints, solids and yarn dyes to coordinate. Some fabrics are
printed with a small-scale pattern on one side and a large design on the other. Depending upon the
fabric, the grin-through effect gives another dimension. Flat flowers in acid colors are popular.

Along with pretty, romantic flowers, tropicals, butterflies and whimsical conversationals,
Miroglio S.p.A., Italy, has nauticals, fish patterns and small, colorful abstracts. Base fabrics
include chiffon, georgette, twill and jersey.

May 2004

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