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Tag: Dyestuff Fabric A pparel fabrics trade shows in Paris are increasingly focusing on new technologies along with new fashions. Survival in the global market depends on innovation, creativity and being first to have both. From fibers to yarns to finished fabrics, all in close proximity at the shows in Paris, buyers are able to track saleable new trends. At the recent Première Vision Pluriel — which included Expofil, Première Vision, Le Cuir á Paris, Indigo and Mod’Amont — and Texworld shows, there was continuing interest in fluidity and shine. Color, printed fabrics, performance and everything that is earth-friendly are in demand. Along with fabrics for Spring/Summer 2009, fiber and yarn developments were shown for Fall/Winter 2009-10. Exhibiting at both shows, technical teams from Cotton Incorporated worked with customers to report new developments. Collections of knitted and woven fabrics were shown, created with new yarns and finishing techniques. Wovens of special interest include 10-ounce, 100-percent cotton stretch denim; speckled and heathered piece-dyed corduroy; and a group of fabrics called Elephant Skin made using uncut pile velvet that is washed and brushed to produce a surface resembling elephant hide. Knits that caught buyers’ eyes are double-faced fabrics knitted together with a different construction on each side. They are engineered for jackets and outerwear. Super-soft and ultrafine interlocks and jerseys range from stretch heather French terry to heavyweight Ponte di Roma with thermal properties. Some of these are all-over metallic-printed. Storm Denim™, a water-repellent process introduced by Cotton Incorporated a few years ago, will be sold in menswear this fall at Barney’s. Supima® also was at both shows presenting yarns, fabrics and commercial garments. Of special interest are compact yarns, ultralong-staple Supima cotton and blends of Supima with cashmere. Milan-based Pozzi Electa S.p.A., an Expofil exhibitor, was showing cotton yarns blended with cashmere and baby camel hair. The focus at Switzerland-based Hermann Bühler AG is on comfort, luxury and performance. It is spinning Supima cotton into ultrasoft, fine yarns. One new knit construction is made with Outlast® viscose on the inside for thermal regulation and Rainbow cotton — a yarn introduced by Bühler a few seasons ago — on the outside. Men’s shirts woven with Rainbow cotton are available at Brooks Brothers. It was also noted that organic cotton is in demand. Another Expofil exhibitor, Hong Kong-based Bros, reported a demand for organic cotton. The company is selling it blended with Lurex® to Japan. A vintage collection of yarns with a wash-out effect and cotton blended with microwool are popular. At Texworld exhibitor Raymond Uco Denim, India, menswear buyers were sampling rustic qualities of 13- to 15-ounce denim with a dry, stiff hand. Also selling were bistretch vintage denim and light shades. New are wax coatings, denim woven with recycled indigo yarns and blends with linen and coconut fibers. Some are dyed with tea. At Première Vision, Uco Sportswear International, Belgium, also pointed out heavier denims, vintage, bistretch and denim woven with a linen weft. New is bleached indigo with a red cast and denim with shine. Fancy denim at Japan-based Toko Shoji, a Texworld exhibitor, is selling to Ralph Lauren, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton. There are silky finishes and jacquards. Artistic Denim Mills, Pakistan, showed comfort stretch, vintage and organic cotton denims. Also at Texworld, Mauritius-based Socota Textile Mills showed yarn-dyed, piece-dyed and printed shirting fabrics woven with organic and fair-trade cotton. Japan-based Osaka Eiko Boeki is printing fabrics with cosmetic products that it claims are good for the skin. India-based Armstrong Knitting Mills is blending organic and non-organic cottons for T-shirt knits and home products. Of special interest at Japan-based Hokkoh, a Première Vision exhibitor, are huge pink chrysanthemums printed on cotton voile and poplin. Slubbed voile is shrink-finished or has a ripple surface.