Company News

Camira launches digital toolkit inspired by Pantone 2025 Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse

December 26, 2024

Camira, an international textile manufacturer based in the U.K., has launched a suite of digital design tools to assist architects and designers in incorporating the Pantone 2025 Color of the Year, Mocha Mousse, into their interior design projects.   Using artificial intelligence (AI) and three-dimensional design software, Camira has integrated a digital mood board creator, a …

Company News

FirstSpear and OSI partner to distribute tube fasteners

December 24, 2024

FirstSpear, a Berry-compliant tactical and military gear manufacturer in Fenton, Mo., and Ocean State Innovations (OSI), a high-performance textiles supplier, announced they have partnered to expand the availability and access to FirstSpear’s patented Tubes® fasteners. About FirstSpear Tubes fasteners “This collaboration with OSI marks an important step in our mission to equip the warfighter with the …

Company News

Teijin to invest in Circularise, adopt its supply chain traceability platform

December 23, 2024

Teijin Ltd., a chemical, pharmaceutical and information technology company based in Tokyo, Japan, announced that it will invest in Circularise B.V., a company based in The Hague, Netherlands, which develops product traceability management systems using blockchain technology. Teijin will also implement Circularise’s software to improve transparency in its global supply chain. Circularise’s proprietary Smart Questioning solution, which …

Company News

Tukatech welcomes Suresh Dureja as managing director of Canada

December 20, 2024

Tukatech, a fashion technology company based in Los Angeles, Calif., announced the appointment of Suresh Dureja as managing director of Tukatech’s Canada division. Dureja has an extensive background in apparel manufacturing. A graduate mechanical engineer with a postgraduate degree in manufacturing technology from the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi, India, he brings over three decades …

Company News

bluesign welcomes LIM Group as its first laundry system partner in Italy

December 19, 2024

As part of its growing denim initiative, bluesign®, a global sustainability solutions provider for the textile industry, announced LIM Group as its first laundry system partner in Italy. The partnership will enable bluesign to be a one-stop resource for LIM teams working with designers, luxury houses and international labels. LIM was founded and has been …

Company News

SDC launches 2024/2025 International Design Competition

December 16, 2024

The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) has launched its 2024/2025 International Design Competition, inviting students from around the world to tackle this year’s theme, “Color For Good – Creativity in Adversity.” The annual competition provides a global platform for undergraduate and postgraduate students studying fashion and textile design at SDC member colleges, offering them the chance …

What's New?

Graphene nanotubes used in conductive PET fibers 

December 16, 2024

Taiwan-based YAO I Fabric Co. Ltd. has unveiled innovative conductive PET fibers, with the brand name FLEX™ Yarn, that are enhanced with TUBALL™ graphene nanotubes from OCSiAl. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, valued for their high strength, low weight and resistance to moisture, UV radiation and chemicals, are essential in various high-performance applications. But electronics, clean room …

EcoNote

Partnership promotes cleaner fabric dye and finishing

December 16, 2024

Green Theme Technologies (GTT), based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has teamed up with Golden Long John to promote the next generation of cleaner and more efficient fabric dye and finishing processes. GTT is the creator of the waterless and PFAS-free EMPEL® textile finishing platform. An extremely durable product, it brings longevity to any textile or …

Features

An end-of-year industry wrap-up 

December 16, 2024

Research and development (R&D) have a direct impact on economies worldwide. In the case of textiles, including agriculture related to textiles, it provides job opportunities to millions, including an unskilled workforce. Within the textile industry, advanced textiles and chemicals sectors place relatively more emphasis on research. The nature of the industry, size and flexibility, pressure …

What's New?

NUS researchers develop multifunctional robotic fibers 

December 16, 2024

A team of interdisciplinary scientists from the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering under the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed flexible fibers with self-healing, light-emitting and magnetic properties. Scalable Hydrogel-clad Ionotronic Nickel-core Electroluminescent (SHINE) fiber is bendable, emits highly visible light, and can automatically repair itself after being cut, regaining nearly 100 per …

ATA News

Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America moves co-location debut with IFAI Expo to 2022

July 7, 2021

Messe Stuttgart announced that its new U.S.-based show Sun Shading Expo North America will not be held in 2021 as a separate trade show but will instead contribute its expertise in internal and external sun shading systems at IFAI Expo 2021 in the form of expert talks, open discussions and more. IFAI Expo 2021 will still take place …

Expo News

Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021

May 10, 2021

Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021. IFAI Expo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the show this November, and you won’t want to miss it! After a long hiatus of in-person events, this year’s show is the perfect place to reconnect with your industry. Register now to get the Early Bird rate! Early Bird rates end …

Expo News

Standard for active illumination developed in Europe

November 16, 2020

In a session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, “Smart Textiles Standardization, Active Illumination,” Dr. Jan Beringer, senior scientific expert Hohenstein Group, explained the new standard for active illumination that will soon be implemented in European Union countries.  Organizations worked together to develop the standards. It is notable, he said that both textile and electronics industries …

Expo News

Textile industry leaders call for policy changes to support U.S. production of PPE

November 13, 2020

The U.S. textile industry has stepped up to meet the demand for face masks, medical gowns, wipes and other products necessary to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but it needs policy changes from Washington so that the U.S. is not caught off-guard again in a future crisis, according to association leaders speaking at Industrial Fabrics Association …

Expo News

The larger issues in respiratory protection

November 12, 2020

Dr. Bryran Ormond, assistant professor, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State explained respiratory protection in an “Ask an Expert” session with Jing Liang, Medical PPE Consulting LLC. Dr. Ormand has typically worked in the area of chemical and biological protective equipment, but with the onslaught of the pandemic, began to focus on respiratory protection generally, …

Expo News

Surgical gowns require extra manufacturing considerations

November 11, 2020

All surgical gowns are not created equal, and a Nov. 11 presentation at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 helped sort out the differences. The finer points of surgical gowns were discussed by Dr. Martin King, a professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, and Jing Liang, president of Medical PPE Consulting LLC. …

Expo News

Rodgers: Textiles are the “T” in STEM

November 11, 2020

How do you create a channel from research to application? How do you create a pathway toward understanding complex human problems across supply chains and market sectors? STEM—a curriculum based on teaching science, technology, engineering and math—has branched out from basic chemistry and biology and physics classes, into collaborative efforts, including textiles, according to Stephanie …

Expo News

E-textile testing and standards are evolving

November 11, 2020

At the 2020 Virtual Expo session, “Ask the Expert: Textile Electronics Testing and Standards,” Jesse Jur, a professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, discussed how standards and testing continue to evolve due to the evolution of textile-based electronics (e-textiles). Jur said that standards have long been a vital resource for …

Expo News

Guidance offered in commercial insurance market

November 10, 2020

Wildfires, hurricanes, a pandemic and civil unrest have wreaked plenty of chaos on the commercial insurance market in 2020. Steve Christenson, with Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, offered guidance to business owners Nov. 9 at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. “The business insurance market has been going through several changes this year,” says Christenson, with U.S. …

Expo News

How to make your business attractive to a buyer

November 6, 2020

Thinking about selling your business—either to an outside party or the next generation? Then it’s time to start considering how your equipment and processes fit into your succession plan. Jonathan Palmer, the second-generation owner and CEO of equipment supplier Autometrix, and Autometrix director of global sales Truy Pham, led an educational session at IFAI Virtual …

Features

An end-of-year industry wrap-up 

December 16, 2024

Research and development (R&D) have a direct impact on economies worldwide. In the case of textiles, including agriculture related to textiles, it provides job opportunities to millions, including an unskilled workforce. Within the textile industry, advanced textiles and chemicals sectors place relatively more emphasis on research. The nature of the industry, size and flexibility, pressure …

Features

Noteworthy innovations in healthcare textiles

December 9, 2024

In the midst of noteworthy innovations in healthcare textiles over this past year, comes the news that the Taliban has now forbidden women to train in midwifery in Afghanistan, where the number of mothers who die in childbirth is amongst the highest in the world. Midwifery was also the last form of education open to …

Features

A plan for meeting EPA PFAS regulations 

November 18, 2024

As state and federal PFAS regulations continue to increase, textile manufacturers must prioritize thorough record-keeping and create a long-term plan for their business to accommodate these regulations. At this year’s Advanced Textiles Expo and Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC) in Anaheim, Calif., education about new regulatory requirements for PFAS substances was a major theme. Top of …

Features

Advances in Textile Recycling

November 11, 2024

Advanced textile recycling, including chemical, enzymatic, and molecular technologies, is considered by many to be the path to true circularity, making waste into materials not once, but over and over.  Globally, 73 percent of collected apparel textile waste, according to the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, is landfilled or incinerated. Textile Exchange (TE) reports that of the 124 million …

Features

Surmountable challenges

October 28, 2024

The smart fabric segment of the textile industry is poised to grow from $4.19 billion in 2024 to $15.21 billion by 2032, according to a Business Research Insights market report, but stumbling blocks remain that keep smart products from wider acceptance, and therefore even larger commercial success. The Advanced Textiles Association’s Emerging Textiles Conference in …

Features

The biomaterials alternative 

October 14, 2024

This year’s Emerging Technologies Conference, presented by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA)  had a clear focus on the topics on everyone’s minds, with sessions addressing sustainability and PFAS updates, smart textiles and e-textile technology, biomaterials, artificial intelligence, health and wellness markets, and textiles needed for space missions. Additional sessions were presented on the show floor, with …

Features

Navigating global trade compliance

September 18, 2024

Manufacturers of advanced textiles often are new entrants in young markets, so the regulatory hurdles can feel high—or invisible, until you hit them. This article highlights three regulatory issues related to global trade compliance, which advanced textile manufacturers must navigate to succeed in the international market. Unlocking government contracts The customer for advanced textiles often …

Features

Demystifying international patent rights

September 9, 2024

Seeking patent rights in the U.S. can be daunting enough to prevent some from seeking protection, and the thought of seeking patent rights outside of the U.S. is unfathomable. But even though the process can be arduous, the benefits of patent rights can far outweigh the time and expense to obtain those rights.  While the …

Features

High-tech textiles in high-growth markets

August 26, 2024

The 2024 Olympics in Paris captivated a global audience. But while the games were in progress, the athletes—and spectators, too—were feeling the effects of heat reaching 97 o (36.11 °C) prompting authorities to look for better protection. A Rings of Fire II report points out that the average temperature in Paris during the Summer Olympics months had …

Features

Smart garments for elderly healthcare

August 12, 2024

Americans over the age of 75 years are expected to account for more than 50 percent of the anticipated 19 million population increase in the country over the coming decade. This is according to a March 2024 report by Wells Fargo that goes on to warn, “Assuming the share of the population that has difficulty …

Industry News

INDA, EDANA release eighth Global Nonwoven Markets Report

December 9, 2024

The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) and the European Disposables And Nonwovens Association (EDANA) announced the release of the Global Nonwoven Markets Report: A Comprehensive Survey and Outlook, 2023–2028. It is now available for purchase through both INDA’s and EDANA’s websites. This latest edition offers an analysis of global nonwoven macro drivers, supply …

Industry News

Apex Mills appoints Chris Rojas as assistant plant manager for Apex Aridyne facility

December 5, 2024

Apex Mills Corporation Inc., a technical textiles manufacturer based in Inwood, N.Y., has named Chris Rojas as assistant plant manager for the Apex Mills Aridyne facility in Graham, N.C. Rojas brings over a decade of production, process and quality improvement experience in warp and circular knitting, dyeing, and finishing from multiple manufacturing facilities.  Rojas most recently …

Industry News

Jones Family of Companies, ECO Fiber enter joint venture

December 2, 2024

Jones Family of Companies Inc., headquartered in Humboldt, Tenn., and ECO Fiber Inc., based in Charlotte, N.C., announced the formation of a joint venture to establish a new company, ECO Fiber Packaging. ECO Fiber Packaging will provide sustainable cold chain packaging solutions and operate as a new entity under its own brand. This new venture …

Industry News

Techmer PM releases 2024 Sustainability Report

November 27, 2024

Techmer PM, a materials design company in Clinton, Tenn., announced the publication of its 2024 Sustainability Report. Key highlights of the 2024 Sustainability Report: “We are incredibly proud of the progress we have made in our sustainability journey,” says Mike McHenry, CEO at Techmer PM. “Our 2024 Sustainability Report reflects our core values and relentless …

Industry News

Eastex Products LLC names Brian Foley new national marine, outdoor and RV sales manager

November 19, 2024

Eastex Products LLC, a textile producer based in South Bend, Ind., announced it has named Brian Foley as its new national marine, outdoor and RV sales manager. In this position, Foley will drive the growth and success of the company’s products within the marine, outdoor and RV markets. He will also be involved in developing …

Company News

NC State announces registration open for first-ever Wells Fargo Entrepreneur Pitch Event

November 18, 2024

North Carolina State University (NC State) Wilson College of Textiles announced its first-ever Wells Fargo Entrepreneur Pitch Event, a competition sponsored by Wells Fargo. Registration is open until Wednesday, Nov. 20. The competition is open to all undergraduate and graduate students at NC State and all staff, faculty and alumni from Wilson College of Textiles, …

Industry News

Paper submissions open for 2025 Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress & Innovation Days

November 14, 2024

The Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress is inviting researchers, experts, manufacturers and practitioners to submit papers for the 64th edition, taking place in September 2025 in Dornbirn, Austria. This congress offers a platform to present research and innovations that will shape the future of the fiber and textile industries. Submissions for the 2025 Dornbirn Global Fiber …

Industry News

XFS Global LLC announces acquisition of HeyTex USA

October 15, 2024

XFS Global LLC, a service-disabled veteran-owned manufacturer of semi-permanent engineered fabric shelters and support equipment technologies headquartered in Natural Bridge, Va., has announced its acquisition of HeyTex USA Inc., the manufacturer of Bondcote® engineered fabrics. HeyTex USA Inc., formerly BondCote Corporation, has been renamed Bondcote Performance Textiles LLC. Established in 1949, the company is headquartered in Pulaski, Va. The …

Industry News

PFAS reporting roll-out could be delayed

September 9, 2024

The start date for businesses to report PFAS data, previously Nov. 12, 2024, may be pushed back until July 11, 2025. This proposal went up for public comment in early September. Affected businesses who wish to submit a formal comment on the reporting delay can do so here. The public comment period ends Oct. 7. …

ATA News

ATA, other textile industry associations announce formation of Alphabet Soup Collective

September 3, 2024

A collaboration of associations representing the global sewn products, textile, apparel and nonwovens textiles industries — known collectively as the Alphabet Soup Collective in a nod to their various and plentiful acronyms — officially launched in Raleigh, N.C. last month. The group includes 11 industry associations: The Alphabet Soup Collective inaugural meeting, which was held …

Out There

Rewoven silk cocoon waste used as a leather alternative 

December 9, 2024

Japanese designer Hiroto Ikebe recently showcased a leather alternative he developed using rewoven silk cocoon waste. His exhibition COCOON ANATOMY, shown during DESIGNART Tokyo 2024, displayed clothing that was designed to demonstrate that silk materials typically discarded or not used for mass production can be repurposed into fabrics and materials with multiple uses.  The leather alternative comes from raw silk, …

Out There

Project explores human-bacterial interaction in textile design

September 18, 2024

Carolina De Lara’s project, Bacterial Brickbats, explores the interaction between bacterial cellulose and knit textiles to challenge traditional, human-centered design in fashion and textiles. The project negotiates human/non-human liaisons by proposing a study where sharing agency between designer and bacterial cellulose produces a material library illustrating differing needs, creative or biological, resulting in an expressive …

Out There

Solid-knitting machine builds reconfigurable objects

August 12, 2024

A new materials technique has blended the usefulness of knitting needles and yarn with cutting-edge technology to create the equipment and process to make a solid-knit object of almost any kind. Yuichi Hirose first dreamed up this technique when he was a student at Keio University in Tokyo. There, working on digital fabrication methods in …

Out There

FLOAT designed for moving on the Moon

June 24, 2024

NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2024 Phase II awardee Ethan Schaler has proposed the first lunar railway system to provide reliable, autonomous and efficient payload transport on the Moon. The Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT) system is a durable, long-life robotic transport system—a function that will be critical to the daily operations of a …

Out There

Color-changing resin material is heat-activated

April 22, 2024

Artist and designer Kim Mesches has unveiled his “Collection 5,” featuring garments made of a color-changing resin with a technology activated by heat. The material is a mix of thermochromic dyes, pigments and other ingredients, which are then mixed with hardened resin to create the garments.  For example, on sunny days the garments change themselves …

Out There

U.K. firm launches second-generation invisibility shields 

April 8, 2024

Following the successful development of functional invisibility shields in 2022, U.K.-based Invisibility Shield Co. has launched its second-generation invisibility shields on Kickstarter. Among the products is the “Megashield,” which the company claims is the largest one ever created. According to a report on designboom.com, more than four years ago the company focused on refining optical …

Out There

E-skin can produce tactile feedback

March 25, 2024

In recent years, materials scientists and engineers have introduced increasingly sophisticated materials for robotic and prosthetic applications, including a range of electronic skins, or e-skins, designed to sense the surrounding environment and artificially reproduce the sense of touch. As explained on techxplore.com, researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing recently introduced a new dual-modal tactile e-skin that could …

Out There

Interactive pavilion knitted with smart yarns 

February 26, 2024

An interactive installation that combined textile arts, smart materials and engineering and received a 2023 Black Rock City Honorarium at the 2023 Burning Man. Set against the vast and surreal backdrop of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, Burning Man is an annual gathering that transforms the flat, barren expanse into a vibrant playground for artistic …

Out There

Augmented reality T-shirts demonstrated at Art Basel

January 15, 2024

Avery Dennison has completed a project with NRVLD, a community-based agency comprised of artists, technologists and media personalities supporting disruptive innovation. Innovation in Textiles reports that the company created limited edition augmented reality T-shirts worn by the NRVLD executive team during an immersive event held during Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2023. The 30 …

Out There

New inks make it possible to draw stretchable LEDs

September 11, 2023

Although we’re hearing more about stretchable electronics, the fabrication of such devices’ components is far beyond most people’s abilities. Now, however, scientists have created inks that let anyone draw stretchable LEDs onto various surfaces, including fabric, using regular ballpoint pens. The inks were produced at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., by a team led by Assoc. …

What's New?

Graphene nanotubes used in conductive PET fibers 

December 16, 2024

Taiwan-based YAO I Fabric Co. Ltd. has unveiled innovative conductive PET fibers, with the brand name FLEX™ Yarn, that are enhanced with TUBALL™ graphene nanotubes from OCSiAl. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) fibers, valued for their high strength, low weight and resistance to moisture, UV radiation and chemicals, are essential in various high-performance applications. But electronics, clean room …

What's New?

NUS researchers develop multifunctional robotic fibers 

December 16, 2024

A team of interdisciplinary scientists from the Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering under the College of Design and Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has developed flexible fibers with self-healing, light-emitting and magnetic properties. Scalable Hydrogel-clad Ionotronic Nickel-core Electroluminescent (SHINE) fiber is bendable, emits highly visible light, and can automatically repair itself after being cut, regaining nearly 100 per …

What's New?

New kinetic energy harvesting material is in development

December 9, 2024

Scientists are working to create a new textile material for the U.S. Navy Seals that will generate kinetic energy (from movement) and temperature changes. Backed by the U.S. Office of Naval Research Global (ONRG), this innovative textile is designed to power communication systems and health monitoring devices. The project, named “Dual Envelope Multifunctional Fabric,” is led …

What's New?

Jackets are made from NASA’s rover mission parachutes

November 18, 2024

Specialty clothing brand Vollebak has made “Martian Aerogel Jackets” from space parachutes that NASA used in developing its Rover mission on Mars in 2021. The jackets are fabricated using two materials that NASA employed during its missions. The parachute fabric is used for its exterior, while the inside uses the laser-drilled aerogel built by the same team …

What's New?

MIT’s 4D knit dress created by a robot arm

November 11, 2024

MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab team has developed the 4D Knit Dress, a new way to personalize a dress in any size using a six-axis robot arm (typically used in the automotive industry), computerized knitting and heat-activated yarns. Led by Sasha MicKinlay, a recent graduate of the MIT Dept. of Architecture, in collaboration with fashion company Ministry of Supply, the 4D Knit Dress …

What's New?

Innovations on the horizon

October 28, 2024

In a show floor presentation, textile industry expert and consultant Paige Mullis provided an overview of “Innovations shaping our world.” Her opening question, “Why the Consumer Electronics (CES) show?” launched a review of highlights from the annual event, considering the perspectives of brand positioning, business intelligence, brand development and market relevance.  Artificial Intelligence (AI), sustainability …

What's New?

The well-dressed spacecraft

October 28, 2024

Juliana Cherston, Ph.D., an emerging technology consultant at the MIT Media Lab, led an Emerging Technologies Conference session about the development and launch of the first electronic textile sensor in space. She also discussed how to create academic partnerships to further textile research and development—and how to secure funding for these projects. There are an …

What's New?

Apparel design for extreme heat

October 14, 2024

Konrad Rykaczewski, who spoke at this year’s ATA Emerging Technologies Conference, hails from Arizona State University, the perfect location for his research topic of clothing and human survival in extreme heat. To illustrate the impact of climate change he used the example of temperature changes at Phoenix airport comparing the period 1970-1980 where the mean …

What's New?

Vest with soft robots can relieve anxiety

September 18, 2024

During the recent RIMOWA Design Prize 2024, the winning entry came from Janne Kreimer and her wearable technology, RO. The Anhalt University student of Integrated Design presented  a therapeutic smart vest wrapped with small, pod-like soft robots that swell with air when the wearer is anxious. These inflatable pods target the acupressure points around the body that can help reduce anxiety and …

What's New?

E-textiles can be electronic musical instruments

September 18, 2024

Researchers Dr. Sophie Skach and Dr. Victor Shepardson have been doing research into fabrics, as part of their work in the Intelligent Instruments Lab, University of Iceland. Recently, they devised a set of smart fabrics that can produce sounds like musical instruments when people handle them, producing sounds comparable to ASMR scratches and water sloshes.  The fabrics incorporate materials …