Textile Insight

IN THE MARKET | OUTDOOR RETAILER PREVIEW A Modern Migration 6 • Textile Insight ~ July/August 2017 textileinsight.com Going Beyond Performance to Meet Evolving Needs of Outdoor Consumers. Top right: From Schoeller, a new warp knit with Lubrizol X4zol-J fiber. Above: Hyosung's Askin polyester and creora Fresh are featured in this bra top by Black Yak. he word "migration" is popping up in conversa- tions a lot lately as a way to describe shifts in consumer buying habits, as shoppers increasingly "migrate" to online vendors, subscription services and bloggers turned brands. The outdoor industry is charting its own migration as brands and textile suppliers try to get a better understanding of today's custom- ers' wants and needs. Ross Saldarini, co-founder/president of Mountain Khakis, explains, "Reacting to consumers' migration towards city styles, but needing the functionality of outdoor apparel, Spring '18 will bring brighter, youthful color palettes with fun prints and plaids that reflect the Mountain Khakis persona while leveraging a blend of textiles that result in soft lines, functionality and the ultimate in comfort." This outlook translates directly to textile suppliers. The latest material developments strive to level up performance in combination with differentiated aesthetics and comfort components to appeal to a broader base of outdoor enthusiasts. Textile partnerships are contributing to this trend. Invista, Hyosung, Klingler Asia, and Schoeller for instance, all have new col- laborations for the season ahead. Invista, in conjunction with Taiwan's Toung Loong Textiles will introduce a blend of CoolMax AIR technology with Lycra fiber, designed to meet the needs of brands focused on women's fitness wear. The com- pany also teams with Eclat Textile to launch an "Intentional Knit" initiative designed to offer customers custom- ized, application-specific fabrics to meet specific performance parameters, including: "Relax," a new performance concept with built-in deodorizing and moisturizing capability; "Connect," a refined, high-performance knitted concept that is windproof and water repellent: and "Play," a rich mix of yarns and patterns that create a variety of unique jacquard designs. Klingler Asia has a new comprehensive Cordura collection launching for Spring '19. The year-round offering, out of Asia, targets workwear, outerwear, and for applications in high- abrasion areas needed in outdoor activities like climbing. Qualities include 100 percent Cordura knits, as well as Cordura/ cotton blends and Cordura with wool; Wovens include a 4-way stretch for bottom weights or outerwear softshell. Hyosung and South Korea outdoor brand, Black Yak, have partnered on new technology developments to offer innovative apparel to support Black Yak's global growth in activewear. Says Woon Suk Jung, president of Black Yak, "Black Yak has traditionally been a mountaineering outdoor brand. Our first initiative in this partnership was to create new COOL & FRESH garments made with Hyosung Askin polyester and creora Fresh spandex as our consumer is going from mountaineering to other, more leisure activities." Hyosung also partnered with Sofileta, an innovative European- based knitter, to develop a new collection of creora Fresh fabrics. "We are committed to leveraging our technical capa- bilities to service the needs of customers for performance plus fashion. Our expertise is to customize the fabrics for the needs of the specific end use application," says Dominique Heuillard, Sofileta innovation manager. Schoeller's new partnership with Lubrizol will debut with warp knitted materials containing X4zol-J fiber for running, trail running, cycling and athleisure categories. According to the companies, "The result provides leading garment brands with a welcome point of difference and the end consumer with clothing that meets the requirements of a modern lifestyle." Performance Plus With continued interest in performance as protection, espe- cially in the wake of Zika and Lyme health crises, brands are bringing new technologies on board. Insect Shield, for instance, has expanded its portfolio with new programs including Royal Robbins, Snow Peak, PolarMax and Tender Corp/Ben's. The company has also recently launched a new collection with ExOfficio that combines Sol Cool cooling technology with Insect Shield in BugsAway styles. Burlington's No Fly Zone also continues to gain trac- tion. The permethrin-based insect repellent can be matrixed with other tech- nologies and the treated fabric requires no further processing. Concept III has a roster of brands under its corporate umbrella: Kingwhale will pres- ent a new and broader variety of fleece textures, along with sweater knits, and performance fabrications for base and mid-layer applications; Australia- based ABMT will emphasize new textures featuring Lenzing's Tencel and Modal in addition to the company's broad range of merino wool knits and merino blends; and Bolger &O'Hearn will highlight its high-performance, environmentally-responsible DWR product, Altopel F3. Eco is on every supplier's radar and sustainability initiatives and product developments will be highlighted throughout the textile section of Outdoor Retailer. Expect to see more use of EcoNyl as this upcycled nylon product is new and different ways. O "Our expertise is to customize the fabrics for the needs of the specific end use application." Dominique Heuillard, Sofileta innovation manager

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