Textile Insight

will include updates to its brand identity, advertising, point-of-sale materials and more. Minimize to Maximize Impact Life today is about extremes. In efforts to provide stabilization and balance, companies are taking steps to minimize those plateaus. When it comes to climate, ermore VP of Global Marketing, Laura Beachy, has witnessed a shi from warmth to comfort. "In the past, the focus was on providing maximum warmth, but now we see consumers asking, 'Can you make it cooler?' is stems from the fact that weather patterns are more unpredictable." e new "comfort" equation involves versatility, breathability and functionality. In September 2024, the ermore team launched Invisilo, a slim insulation combining warmth without the volume of classic insulation. Invisilo is packable and made with 100% recycled fibers from PET bottles. "Comfort is about balance – ensuring a garment provides the right amount of insulation without overheating," Beachy said. Dovetail Co-Founder Sara DeLuca is seeing a similar movement with her client base for workwear. Many women need apparel with full coverage that is also lightweight for their jobs outdoors. e Dovetail D-fender pant combines the comfort of a nine ounce stretch canvas with the reinforcements of a 12 ounce Cordura canvas for a combo of hardcore performance with comfort, breathability and stretch. While Dovetail doesn't provide layering systems, their core customer "is layering and mixing and matching her wardrobe to meet her needs, so we build a product that enables that customization," according to DeLuca. For Spring 2026, a collaboration with Lycra and Sapphire Textile Mills will introduce a lightweight, cooling, wicking, strong, breathable offering with stretch for the female workwear consumer. e future of sustainability may be about simply lightening, brightening and streamlining for a better planet. When it comes to curbing greenhouse gas emissions and decarbonizing supply chains, science-based targets and implementation to monitor progress are imperative. "No one company can solve a massive challenge like this, so in the end, industry-wide collaboration is key," said Ramesh Kesh, PhD, SVP at Polartec. Polartec has worked to reduce microfiber shedding for many years, with its first construction-based product Power Air, launched in 2019. Shed Less is a process that combines yarn construction, knitting, chemistry, and manufacturing to reduce home laundry fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85%. Kesh explained that "All fabrics, regardless of construction – wovens or knits – will shed (micro/macro) during washing and there is no delineation if they are made from natural or synthetic yarns." Polartec creates fleeces that stand the test of time and are tested rigorously to mimic how clothing is washed at home, including the AATCC 212-2021 fiber fragment test using detergent. In December 2024, Under Armour, testing laboratory Hohenstein and testing device maker PPT Group published a standardized test method enabling the determination of microfiber release from textiles under simulated washing conditions. With the DIN SPEC 19292 test procedure, apparel and textile firms along the value chain can measure and evaluate fiber release for materials during product development. Much research is being conducted concerning microplastic pollution, with an emphasis on synthetic materials. Educational opportunities are abundant to separate fact from fiction along the value chain. n textileinsight.com Winter 2025 ~ Textile Insight • 29 COVER STORY "Traditionally, chemical suppliers were seen as transactional, providing materials but leaving manufacturers to figure out the rest. Now we've evolved to offer more than just a product. We actively collaborate with mills and manufacturers offering technical support, training and integration assistance, ensuring that mills can achieve the best results with our products." Courtney Harold, director of marketing for Green Theme Technologies.

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