Textile Insight

textileinsight.com 12 • Textile Insight ~ September / October 2017 IN THE MARKET | ECO UPDATE Raleigh Rallies Around Sustainable Fashion A Round Up of the Latest Developments in Textile Sustainability. Designed by Giovanni and Teresa Perna, this brilliant red trench coat is made with Cordura Ecomade fabric. n a first time collaboration with the ReDress Raleigh Fashion Show, Cordura "went all in," according to Cindy McNaull, global Cordura brand and marketing director. "It was a great opportunity to educate designers on the breadth of Cordura and in doing so create a capsule col- lection using Cordura eco-Made, recycled poly; Cordura Solution Dyed, which has a great LCA story; Cordura Combat Wool that highlights the eco efficiency of wool; and our Cordura Denim." Cordura served as the Revolutionize sponsor for this year's ReDress Raleigh Fashion Show held in August in downtown Raleigh's Contemporary Art Museum (CAM). McNaull credits ReDress executive director of Beth Stewart with "creating something local that is now getting inter- national attention." Important positioning for Cordura was to create aware- ness on how durability and sustainability go hand-in-hand. McNaull explained, "With ReDress Raleigh's focus on sustain- able fashion and responsibly produced apparel, alongside our Cordura brand belief that 'sustainability begins with products that last' you can see how this sponsorship was such a natural fit." McNaull also noted, "Our objectives were to intercept the designers' thought process, broaden Cordura's horizons, show a softer side of durability and create new ambas- sadors for Cordura." She added, "Garments and gear using Cordura fabrics are not made for the 'throw away society.' These are not things you wear once or twice, nor do they fall apart easily. They are here for the long haul." Cordura supplied fabric for the designers and provided trend insights for a Redress Raleigh x Cordura brand Capsule Collection. Linda Keppinger, CEO and founder of MaterialsMove, appeared on behalf of the Cordura brand to brief attendees on the latest fabrics and trends. Keppinger also moderated the Fashion Show event. Organic Products Reach Record Sales Beyond food, sales of organic items across the board keep climbing. Organic fiber sales in the U.S. reached another record in 2016, hitting $1.4 billion and posting a 9.2 percent increase from 2015, according to the 2017 Organic Industry Survey from the Organic Trade Association (OTA). The organic fiber and textiles category continues to rank as the largest non-food organic category in the $43.3 billion U.S. market. Organic fiber sales now account for almost 40 percent of the total $3.9 billion in organic non-food sales in 2016. Confirming a trend that's now fairly established, the OTA survey showed that today's consumers aren't just eating more organic food, they're also using more organic prod- ucts in their wardrobes, their bedrooms and bathrooms and throughout their homes. Sales of non-food organic products increased by almost nine percent to $3.9 billion. Organic fiber, supplements and personal care products accounted for the bulk of those sales. Adequate supplies of organic textiles are a continu- ing challenge in the organic fiber market. However, U.S. organic cotton farmers produced a record 17,000-plus bales in 2016, which should help allevi- ate some supply concerns. Increasing consumer aware- ness that what we put on our body is as important as what we put in our body is driving the growth in organic fiber sales, while a growing desire for trans- parency, clean ingredients and plant-based products is spurring sales of organic supplements and personal care products. O "Our objectives were to intercept the designers' thought process, broaden Cordura's horizons, and create new ambassadors for Cordura." Cindy McNaull, global brand marketing, Cordura

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