#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2020-09-10

Collaboration between DuPont™ Sorona® and Sateri’s EcoCosy® results in innovative fabrics for fashion and athleisure

DuPont™ Sorona® and Sateri’s EcoCosy® have together developed a new fabric called StretchCosy™. The fabric uses a blend of Sorona®, a partially plant-based fibre, and Sateri’s ultra-comfortable and near weightless EcoCosy® fibres to achieve a soft material that is highly stretchable, shape-retaining and, most importantly, sustainably sourced.

StretchCosy™ combines the mechanical stretch of Sorona® stretch fibres, which gives it excellent stretch and long-lasting, consistent recovery, with the soft, cotton-like breathability and smooth silk-like texture of EcoCosy® for an unparalleled fabric that is high-performing and well-suited for fashion and sportswear.

Created in 2019, StretchCosy™ is a fabric breakthrough that made it possible for natural plant-based fibres to be more extensively used in various applications, e.g. t-shirts, shirting, bottoms, jackets, dresses, hoodies and underwear. Previously, cellulosic fibres were rarely found in sportswear, due to concerns such as pilling. The combination of Sorona® and EcoCosy® in StretchCosy™ has eliminated this concern, hinting at the future of activewear where performance combined with sustainability will be the norm.

Tom Liu, Sateri’s Vice President for Commercial, said, “StretchCosy™ marries the best of Sorona® and EcoCosy®. In addition to their complementary properties, both fibres are derived from plant-based materials. Sorona® is partially made using renewable plant-based ingredients, while EcoCosy® fibres come from certified and sustainable wood sources. The end product, StretchCosy™ fabric, is not only a natural and comfortable fabric, but also sustainable.”

The global sports apparel market is forecasted to reach around USD 208 billion in 20251. Combined with the rise of the athleisure fashion movement and an increase of stay-at-home workouts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, demand for clothing that is high performing yet comfortable is expected to continue growing. StretchCosy™ embodies these characteristics, a win-win situation for sustainable clothing.

Renee Henze, Sorona® Global Marketing Director, said, “It is encouraging to see members of the same industry come together to collaborate for the better good. Our partnership with Sateri in creating StretchCosy™ combines innovation from both fiber offerings into a superior product that we believe not only will exceed consumer expectations, but is kinder to the environment.”

StretchCosy™ has been well-received by fabric manufacturers and various brands, including Shui Bing Yue, In & On, and famous women’s fashion Eifini. Such feedback has prompted both companies to formalise and deepen the strategic partnership with the introduction of StretchCosy™, and confidently look forward to a greater success across segments in the near future.

Freudenberg accelerates local production for apparel market by expanding its site in India

Freudenberg Performance Materials Apparel (Freudenberg Apparel) celebrates the grand opening of a major expansion at its manufacturing facility in Chennai, India, on October 14, adding 20,000 square feet of production space and introducing new production lines tailored to the Indian apparel market. This strategic investment is aimed at significantly reducing lead times and enhancing the availability of high-quality, locally produced interlinings for the fast-evolving apparel sector in India and South Asia.

KARL MAYER develops seersucker WARP KNITS with even more character and style

Seersucker fabrics are icons of the clothing industry and assure their manufacturers' success. Just in time for ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025, the textile product developers at KARL MAYER have succeeded in creating brand new variants of this material. These fancy newcomers feature unique bubble effects and, with their new dimensionality, inject extra dynamism into the textile surface – and into the market.

The Address of innovation and investment in textile technologies: ITM 2026

Sales for ITM 2026, one of the world’s most comprehensive and prestigious exhibitions in textile technologies, are continuing at full steam. The record number of exhibitors and visitors achieved at ITM 2024 once again proved the industry’s confidence and the commercial success of the exhibition; meanwhile, the strong interest shown in ITM 2026, to be held on 9-13 June 2026, has far exceeded expectations.

STOLL in focus:

At the beginning of this year, KARL MAYER announced that it would be shifting its focus back to its core areas of warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles. As part of this strategic realignment, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand will be discontinued. The Reutlingen plant will close down on 31 October 2025. Production in China will end in December 2025. This was an extremely difficult decision for KARL MAYER.

Heimtextil 2026 strengthens the global home textile industry with trends, designs and AI technologies

With an optimised hall layout, progressive design collaborations, inspiring trends and AI-driven innovations, Heimtextil 2026 reacts to the current market situation – and offers the industry a reliable constant in challenging times. Under the motto ‘Lead the Change’, the leading trade fair for home and contract textiles and textile design shows how challenges can be turned into opportunities. From 13 to 16 January, more than 3,100 exhibitors from 65 countries will provide a comprehensive market overview with new collections and textile solutions. As a knowledge hub, Heimtextil delivers new strategies and concrete solutions for future business success.