#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2022-11-10

ISPO 2022: Asahi Kasei Group celebrates 100 years featuring its key brands ECOSENSOR™, ROICA™ and RespiGard™

The Japanese textile brand ECOSENSOR™ by Asahi Kasei Advance continues its eco-high tech path and joins ISPO, the influential fashion and textile fair dedicated to sportwear and athleisure-wear, as part of an Asahi Kasei space within the ISPO Brandnew area, presenting its AW 2024/2025 & SS2024 collections, made of high-tech fabrics implementing new-generation values, with the aim of keeping nature, body and mind in harmony.

Sustainability oriented and technology based, ECOSENSOR™ AW 2024/2025 & SS2024 fabrics enriched this season by high-performance RespiGard™ membrane technology by Polypore

ISPO MUNICH, 28-30 November 2022, Asahi Kasei booth B2-102

2022 is a special time for Asahi Kasei as it celebrates its 100th anniversary. “Asahi Kasei has achieved growth by constantly transforming its business portfolio to meet the evolving needs of every age, and proactively taking challenges in new fields leveraging its capability to change and its diversity. Asahi Kasei culture of open communication and challenging spirit are our precious heritage, embodied in our Group Values of Sincerity, Challenge, and Creativity”.

For the 2022 edition of ISPO Munich, Asahi Kasei Group present its innovation world featuring three of its brands: ECOSENSOR™, ROICA™ and RespiGard™.

ECOSENSOR™ presents 47 new references that meet the needs of the contemporary consumer, such as durability, wellbeing and performance. Being capable of combining active climate control, exquisite touch, lightness and comfort with sustainable values, ECOSENSOR™ stands out as a unique eco-high-tech performance proposition in its market. The collection covers the different market applications with 3 items for INNERWEAR, 1 for OUTERWEAR, 13 for SPORT KNIT and 30 for SPORT WOVENS.

New this season is the application of the RespiGard™ by Polypore unique membrane designed for outdoor apparel. Its innovative pore structure is too small for water droplets to penetrate but features high porosity that allows for airflow and moisture evaporation.

A proprietary and patented products and manufacturing process provide a membrane that:

Is naturally hydrophobic (repels water)

Has smooth and uniform pores too small for water droplets to penetrate

Features high porosity that allows for airflow and moisture evaporation

Is naturally lightweight due to its high porosity.

Is produced using a solvent-free manufacturing process with a low carbon footprint. The polypropylene-based membrane is recyclable and perfluorocarbon (PFC) free.

In order to show at best the performances and possible applications of the fabrics made with RespiGard™, ECOSENSOR™ will feature at its ISPO space an ad hoc created outfit by the outerwear brand ZEROBARRACENTO https://zerobarracento.com

Furthermore, the majority of ECOSENSOR™ fabrics are made with sustainable ingredients which are certified by international certifications such as GRS and RCS through a traceable and transparent production process and supply chain.

100% of the stretch articles (representing 35% of the collection) are made with ROICA™ EF by Asahi Kasei, the recycled stretch yarn made from pre-consumer materials.

Even the dyeing and finishing phases - key moments for performancewear - have been certified by international labels such as bluesign® or OEKO-TEX® Standard 100.

Focusing on a selection of the most interesting fabrics of the collection, we can find:

ESS1-04824-H3LR-W

3 layers woven fabric with great wind and water-resistance performances. Entirely made with GRS certified polyamide it has a very “velvet touch” and it’s an example on how our sustainability can match technical specifications

ES1-A7890-MAC

Crispy. Stretchy. Versatile. This outerwear fabric it’s made with 90% recycled polyamide and 10% ROICA™ EF, the recycled stretch yarn.

ESS2-13584

This knitted fabric emulate the famous “seersucker”. Bright colours and crispy hand complete the peculiarities of this item that is made by recycled polyester and SOLOTEX™*: a partially bio-based yarn that enhances the sustainable credentials of this fabric.

ESS2-23865

Circular knitted, this item is made with recycled polyester and it finds its major applications in “comfort sportwear”. Despite the super-soft touch and great aesthetics, this fabric has excellent anti-abrasion qualities achieving 30,000 times in the famous Martindale test.

ESS2-31440-2

Another 100% recycled polyester knitted fabrics by ECOSENSOR™ that has been realized using a very particular technique and machineries. It’s kntted by double raschel machine allowing to “split” and separate the two “faces” of the fabrics achieving a fake-brushed effect.

Behind the new collection stands an outstanding story of performance and responsibility. “Our global team is yet again determined to innovate with a responsible approach, in order to develop solutions that meet high-performance standards as well as the transparency and traceability of both the ingredients and the supply chain.” affirms Mr. Hashimoto, Senior Managing Director of Asahi Kasei Advance, the global materials innovator and manufacturer.

“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.