Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine

More documents

Recommendations

Info

”Many synthetic fabrics in the market claim to have the ability to move moisture away from the body to the outside of the fabric,” says David Earley, Cotton Incorporated’s director of supply chain marketing. “But most do nothing more than absorb perspiration into the fabric, staying as wet on the inside of the garment as they are on the outside.” According to Earley, Cotton Incorporated spent the past year conducting moisture management testing to gauge the performance advantage of TransDRY technology, utilizing testing equipment, called the MMT Tester, from SDL Atlas in the United Kingdom. Originally developed by Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the MMT Tester has the ability to measure the differential wetness of both sides of a performance fabric and calculate a one-way moisture transfer index. “Fabrics engineered to have one-way transfer performance beat any synthetic product we’ve tested in head-to-head comparisons – it’s not even close,” says Earley. “We think this is an incredible breakthrough for cotton in the world of performance apparel that will help us compete head-to-head with synthetics.” Longworth Industries, an American manufacturer of high-tech performance apparel and base layer garments, will be the first to bring a TransDRY product to market under its new PolarMax Naturals brand. Longworth has been field testing prototype garments with branches of the military to gauge performance and acceptability of the TransDRY technology. The consumer market will be next up, says Trey Harris, Longworth’s senior director of business development “At the end of the day, people just like wearing cotton, and with the moisture-management factor of TransDRY, there’s a real advantage,” he says, pointing to the company’s cotton double-knit. “With untreated cotton on the outside of the fabric and treated cotton against the skin, moisture finds its way through better than our synthetics.” The concept of TransDRY and cotton “is phenomenal for Longworth,” Harris says. “The cotton is sustainably grown in the U.S., and it addresses a core consciousness among consumers against petroleum-based products.” “We think this is an incredible breakthrough for cotton in the world of performance apparel that will help us compete head-to-head with synthetics.” At the same time, instead of applying chemistry to the entire fabric, Cotton Incorporated uses it selectively in lower amounts on certain areas of fabrics to engineer to the right level of performance. The result is responsible and more sustainable production, says Cotton Incorporated, a program funded by U.S. growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton. Spectrum Yarns, Inc., and Buhler Quality Yarns Corp. initially will be the providers in the Western hemisphere of cotton yarn treated with the TransDRY technology. Spectrum and Buhler have aligned themselves with several knitting mills and full-package garment makers to provide performance fabrics and yarns. “TransDRY will forever change the way consumers view cotton,” says Mike Carter, director of business development for Spectrum Yarns. “The superior wicking performance of TransDRY will further launch the fiber into fabrics for performance apparel.” From the surface to the interior, this summer PrimaLoft added to its yarn offerings with the announcement of PrimaLoft Cotton Blend, a combination of 50 percent PrimaLoft fiber and 50 percent cotton. The end result is a yarn that offers high abrasion resistance and dries faster and absorbs less moisture than standard cotton, making it a solid choice for outdoor garments such as socks, hats, sweaters, base layers and linings. “Since last year’s introduction of PrimaLoft yarn, we’ve been developing new yarns with different blends,” says Ronald L. Comer, director of international sales, PrimaLoft Yarn Division. “By blending PrimaLoft fibers with cotton, we were able to create a yarn that provides softness, comfort, durability and a faster drying rate than an all-cotton product.” The PrimaLoft Cotton Blend yarn also is easy to care for, as it is machine washable and dryable, and dries faster than 100 percent cotton, says Comer. Elsewhere, there’s also development in the world of washable waxed cotton. Historic U.K. supplier British Milleran is on top of a trend toward light waxed cotton fabrics and easy care finishes. The company’s new Driden is made with special synthetic wax that has the look, feel and function of the original waxed cotton but is fully washable. Typically, waxes must be re-applied to the finished garment from time to time in order to maintain its look and weather resistance. Cleaning is done by wiping the surface with a damp cloth. The Driden finish, on the other hand, is permanently infused into the fabric, not only making it washable but also applicable to lighter weight fabrics and even to synthetics, lending itself to a wider array of product categories that require water and wind resistance but need a traditional look. 44 | InsideOutdoor | Fall 2008
Available in a variety of widths for innumerable applications, Lunabrite changes the game in terms of piping possibilities. “We have customers that wouldn’t even look at the original waxes simply because of the care factor,” says Chris Parkes, national sales manager at Concept III Textiles, through which British Millerain products are available in North America. “Now we have several sampling Driden for new outerwear projects including everything from sportswear-styled outerwear to wind shirts.” Though the new Driden washable wax finish can be applied to a wide range of fabrics, Concept III believes strongly in three stock cotton versions: Driden Kato, a twill; Driden Sahara, a cambric; and Driden Sahara Sun, a 50/50 hemp and cotton canvas. Pied Piping What do you get when you have reflective piping that doesn’t require an immediate light source to emit a reflection? The answer is all kinds of design possibilities that go beyond safety and extend into aesthetic and applications for apparel, marine, outdoor gear and even decks and patios. In actuality, Lunabrite is not a “reflective” piping technology at all but serves many of the same purposes. A sewable trim piping, Lunabrite is a photo luminescent flexible light tube technology that regenerates with sun or lamp light. Along with the obvious emergency and public safety applications, Lunabrite can be customized to attach to virtually any product, says Peter Tarlton, Lunabrite co-founder and inventor. Hence, “we are seeing it’s relevance in other industries such as architectural, marine, apparel, footwear and a wide range of outdoor equipment.” Imagine, for instance, a tent illuminated with Lunabrite trim in order to help campers find their way home after a late-night visit to the pit toilet, or tire spokes and tennis shoes tricked out with Lunabrite to enhance both the safety and aesthetic appeal of the product, while providing a point of differentiation. Activated within five minutes of exposure to a light source, Lunabrite achieves maximum brightness in about 30 minutes and can be seen as far as 100 yards away, say company sources. The brightest light is emitted during the initial three to four hours after exposure, but the perceptible glow can be visible up to a maximum of 12 hours. Lunabrite Light Technology is available in two colors (blue and green) and in diameters ranging from 5/16 inch to 1/2 inch with a 1/4 inch selvage edge for mechanical attachment or with custom profiles. It is machine washable, non-toxic, weather and UV resistant and antimicrobial. Fall 2008 | InsideOutdoor | 45
Page 1 and 2: Fall 2008 www.insideoutdoor.com UNC
Page 3 and 4: F A B R I C AS LON ONG AS THE WOR L
Page 5 and 6: Yaktrax Ice Traction keeps you safe
Page 7 and 8: Photographs by Dan Milner Every day
Page 10 and 11: Data Points 40% Consumers Conversel
Page 12 and 13: Rep Moves and News GreenRep.org ann
Page 14 and 15: Salt Lake in the Rearview Mirror Ph
Page 16 and 17: Photo courtesy Outdoor Retailer So
Page 18 and 19: Anglers enjoy the versatility of SU
Page 20 and 21: Merrell’s Bedlam is an “action
Page 22 and 23: manufacturing process that the comp
Page 24 and 25: Is your business ready to make it t
Page 26 and 27: C.A.M.P. Cosmic Helmet We all have
Page 28 and 29: M-Rock Multi-Use Camera Bags The se
Page 30 and 31: A Healthy Dose of Textile Technolog
Page 32 and 33: Information Sources: Outdoor versus
Page 34: In addition to the sporting benefit
Page 37 and 38: push for change often generates fro
Page 39 and 40: Top Five Challenges for Developing
Page 41 and 42: Optimer, 180’s Settle Infringemen
Page 43: Vibram Stands Out with 2CM Performa
Page 47 and 48: Back Office Top Sources of Shrink E
Page 49 and 50: Our full-service Marketing and PR f
Page 51 and 52: ADAPTIVE COMFORT

Fall - InsideOutdoor Magazine

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?