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IN THE MARKET | PERFORMANCE DAYS Winter Warmers A Variety of Thermal Applications Provide New Direction in Cold Weather Protection. By Louisa Smith On trend highlights, from top to bottom: 90/10 poly/wool blend from Long Advance; 98/2 poly/spandex from Shinkong; and 100 percent poly from Glowtex. erformance Days, once again, confirmed its position in the ever-busy textile show calendar as an appealing done in a day trade event for brand developers and designers looking for the latest functional fabric innovation. Top of the agenda at the most recent Performance Days was the focus on thermal technologies, especially thermal regulating garments that can react between active and resting modes. Adaptable technology can now be found in a wide range of products from heating yarns, traditional insulation and down through to padded and quilted qualities and thermo prints. The ongoing trend for lighter weight warmth continues, redefining the concept of "the thicker it is the warmer it is," which is good news for the consumer as a higher level of comfort comes through in the newest applications. Heat generated via textured surfaces in the form of fleece, spacers and three-layer insulation, doesn't just deliver thermal regulating performance, but also allows for a strong direction in a refreshing creative aspect, from thermo printing effects to garment engineering utilizing contrasting fabrics. For example, WidePlus presented thermal double-sided knits, further enhanced through the use of melange yarns. Thyssen & Birk's new product enhances the air trapping aspect of a spacer in a merino wool/polyester/Tencel/spandex blend for soft-shells. Technow presented a new sonic quilting with aluminum thermal foil to reflect the warmth back to the wearer. The more the surface is printed the more warmth is generated. A smoother finish is achieved through the sonic quilting process, elimi- nating the need for stitching. The construction includes two recycled polyester fabrics with soft insula- tion sandwiched, which is then sonically bonded, resulting in a controlled and even effect. Heating garments are set to become much more connected as the demand for zoned and con- trolled heating increases. Schoeller launched a new heatable E-softshell material. Structured like a conven- tional soft-shell, with innovative laminating technology in the form of Schoeller's corkshell, the fabric can be cut to size and targeted within a garment. The special backing of the fabric is made of conduc- tive threads from ester that allows for heat distribution. Designed for specific heating areas or a uniform heat distribution, the heating function is powered by conventional voltages. Conductive yarn technology also featured with the KnitWarm by Lenzing for warm and comfortable garments. The conductive yarn is processed in the fabric with a patented 3D knitting technology. Combined with natural fibers it is an ultra-soft and localized heating system. You only have to connect the cable with a 5V/2A power bank via USB and the fabric warns up in less than 60 seconds. Iwarm 3.0 by Flying Textile consists of a soft heating membrane that enables 38-53° intelligent warming. The soft FPC panel with a high precision sensor allows con- stant temperature. An app combines with smart software monitors and controls the heating. Data can be sent to the user's smartphone via Bluetooth. The system only needs 10 seconds to generate the desired warmth. Naturally Warm Merino wool has established itself as the natural offering on the fiber front, delivering thermal regulation alongside anti-odor properties. Predominantly blended, the develop- ments in merino wool this season are much finer and also aimed towards a higher level of performance. Hybrid blends P Adaptable technology can now be found in a wide range of products from heating yarns, traditional insulation and down through to padded and quilted qualities and thermo prints. 18 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2018 textileinsight.com