Textile Insight

IN THE MARKET NE MATERIALS SHOW Functional Bling Materials with Shine, Sheen & Color Brighten the Season Ahead. Top, On-trend for next season: "dynamic color" shown here by Pony Leather. And Avery Dennison teams with adidas to create an eye-popping baseball cleat using sophisticated textile construction. Whether for performance or lifestyle, knits continue to be where the action is with more sophisticated constructions and aesthetics evolving along with new thread developments that tie in nicely with the knit revolution. In fact, such is the popularity of knit footwear that "stitched" is overtaking "woven" in descriptions of the latest innovations. The season ahead also brings an emphasis on materials that stretch, shine and offer unique color-shifting properties. These advances, along with refreshed conversation around eco, were identified as key trends at the NE Materials Show held August 23-24, in Wilmington, MA. It was the second time around for the Show's new venue, the Aleppo Shriners Auditorium, and vendors were pleased by the new carpeting, better layout and larger exhibitor presence (over 160 vendors) that combined to create a more pleasant event atmosphere. The NE Show followed up on the bigger NW version held the week prior in Portland, OR. The east coast show attracts a local crowd that includes brands such as Puma, Clarks, Rockport and a significant contingent of designers and developers from nearby New Balance. Indeed, such is the extent of NB people attending that some are now dubbing the NE fair the "New Balance Show." Aesthetics Play with Performance An over-the-top decorated baseball shoe on display at the Avery Dennison booth highlighted the SS19 trend direction of blending eye-catching aesthetics with subtle technical performance. The shoe, an adidas Boost Icon 3 NYC cleat complete with gold charm on the shoelace, was inspired by Biggie Smalls' sweater aesthetic, according to Avery Dennison's Leah Sheely. "There is an aesthetic play and an engineering play," said Sheely, explaining the company's textile expertise. The company is well known for its label business but also is well regarded for developing specialty jacquards with textiles that exhibit high-end looks as well as tech features like breathability –something difficult to achieve in wovens. "These new looks are like jacquards to the 10th degree!" said Sheely, who leads creative design, engineered footwear. Reflectives are also getting more sophisticated as suppliers level up color-shifting capabilities. Jason Eric Brown uses the term "dynamic color" to explain this next generation of color technology. "It's thinking of color in 3D, it's more nuanced," said Brown, a VP Design/Development, representing brands Pony Leather and Tai Ruey Fong. "It's like an automobile color, not flat like paint. It's living color." Sunnylite International has upped its game with a new reflective thread offering. "Before you couldn't stitch (reflective) because the thread would snap," explained company representative Bill Pickett. But the new threads allow for the ability to do more innovative looks like embroidery. "The same material is now a thread; now you can stitch and knit rather than just weave," added Pickett. Faytex previewed a wide assortment of products and new technologies. Commenting on aesthetics for next season, Faytex sales and marketing manager Katie Stangl noted, "Metallic glitter and sheen are big. We're also seeing a lot transparent looks." The bling factor was trending throughout the hall, but nowhere more so than at the Marlene Plastic Components booth that showed an array of crystal encrusted footwear heels. Performance Priorities Across the board, vendors talked about the importance of stretch. Engineered breathability, lightweight durability and softness are all part of the stretch story going forward. Sheehan Sales, for instance, has introduced etcMD, a new member of the company's etc workhorse technology. The new product combines heat and moisture control with 4-way stretch flexibility. "The MD stands for Multi-Directional," explained Mike Sheehan. "The stretch material is also abrasion resistant, yet soft, and is ideal for variety of applications." MatMarket exec Ned Cheston showed a new and improved 3-layer composite that combines the performance of Ariaprene with aesthetic characteristics. Cheston, Asia Region sales manager, explained, "This performance leather ups the durability, support and has stretch." The Ariaprene Exoskeleton performs like a second skin to offer durability, protection and stretch. Outdoor lifestyle and soccer are just two applications targeted. For soccer the flexible exoskeletal construction gives more stability and responsiveness on the field. For outdoor lifestyle the composite construction proves outer protection against the elements while maintaining lightweight comfort inside. Eco is also part of the EXO equation. The new formula uses a toxic free solvent that will not appear on any RSL (Restricted Substance List), said Cheston. Everyone is asking about eco, according to vendors, who site a surge in interest in eco-friendly materials and new chemical free processes. Coats, for example, introduced a PFC-Free thread, and OrthoLite has a number of eco offerings with a new development coming soon, according to Dan Legor, director of marketing.

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