#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2020-09-24

Eastman Naia™ and DuPont Biomaterials collaborate to launch new sustainable fabric collection

To meet a growing demand for sustainable fashion options, Eastman and DuPont Biomaterials today announced the launch of a fabric collection made with sustainable, biobased materials. The collaboration blends Naia™ from Eastman and DuPont™ Sorona® fibers to create garments with exceptional stretch and recovery, luxurious drape and a smooth, soft hand feel.

The new collection will expand the future of sustainable textiles for designers to use for comfortable everyday casual wear. Visitors to the Intertextile show this week in Shanghai, China, will be able to experience the new fabrics by visiting booth 4.1 -E103. Brands can also see the collection at the Première Vision marketplace site.

Eastman Naia™ cellulosic fiber is the perfect choice for fabrics in womenswear. The Naia™ portfolio of sustainable fibers gives designers more choices and versatility to create. Naia™ filament yarn transforms fabrics into luxurious, comfortable, and easy-to-care-for fabrics, while Naia™ staple fiber blends perfectly with other eco-conscious fibers to create supremely soft, quick-drying fabrics that consistently reduce pilling. Made with responsibly sourced wood from sustainably managed pine and eucalyptus forests and plantations, Naia™ brings the richness of nature to comfortable and effortlessly luxurious fabrics. Produced in a safe, closed-loop process where solvents are recycled back into the system for reuse, Naia™ is made through optimized, low-impact manufacturing. It has a low tree-to-fiber environmental footprint and a third-party-reviewed life-cycle assessment compliant with ISO 14044. Naia™ is also certified as biodegradable in freshwater and soil environments and is compostable in industrial settings, receiving the "OK biodegradable" and "OK compost" conformity marks from TÜV AUSTRIA. Most recently, Naia™ staple fiber received the "OK compost" certification for home settings.

With a rich history of textile innovation, DuPont has invented groundbreaking fibers such as nylon, Lycra®, DuPont™ Kevlar® and rayon. Its Sorona® brand — made from 37% renewable plant-based ingredients — offers a high-performing, responsibly sourced material option. Fibers made with Sorona® polymer are currently used in various apparel applications, including athleisure and athletic wear, insulation, swimwear, outerwear, suiting, faux fur and more.

DuPont™ Sorona® polymer is a breakthrough, biobased, high-performance polymer offering unique benefits for the apparel industry. Sorona® minimizes the impact on the environment without sacrificing quality and performance. It offers unique performance benefits, including incredible softness, stretch and recovery, and inherent stain resistance without the need for topical treatments. Sorona® is a USDA certified biobased product and received OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 Certification.

“With Naia™, we are committed to building a more sustainable fashion industry in collaboration with industry partners. We are very excited to be working with the Sorona® team to launch a collection of wonderful fabrics that are a great choice for womenswear fashion. More and more, designers are looking for sustainable fabric choices. And this sustainable fabric collection with biobased, renewable materials showcases that fashion can come without any compromise on beauty, quality or comfort,” said Ruth Farrell, global marketing director of textiles for Eastman.

“We believe collaboration is the only way we will deliver on our promises to the textile industry. Our collaboration with Eastman’s Naia™ branded fibers will allow more apparel brands the opportunity to address tomorrow’s challenges through renewably sourced fiber materials without compromising performance and value. Sustainable fashion is the future, and this new collection is a great example of how you can create stunning designs while caring for our planet,” said Renee Henze, global marketing director at DuPont Biomaterials.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.