#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2023-06-15

Teijin Frontier develops new functional fabric featuring unique span-like texture and high stretchability

Teijin Frontier Co., Ltd., the Teijin Group’s fibers and products converting company, today announced the development of SOLOTEX® LIBERTE, a new functional fabric for sportswear and casual wear. SOLOTEX® LIBERTE fabric features a unique span-like texture and exceptional stretchability, as well as excellent colorability, luster and natural swelling. This innovative fabric combines comfort with sustainability, thanks to its incorporation of plant-derived raw materials.

SOLOTEX® LIBERTE uses polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) fiber featuring a proprietary low-shrinkage technology and a distinctive yarn processing method that maximizes the properties of PTT while controlling the raw yarn’s heat shrinkability. Specifically, this product uses side-by-side composite yarn (*), which Teijin Frontier cultivated with its variety of SOLOTEX® stretch fabrics, that combines PTT polymer as the core yarn with newly developed low-orientation, low-shrinkage PTT monocomponent as the sheath yarn. The result is a blended yarn with two different shrinkage properties. After the core and sheath yarns are randomly mixed using fiber processing technology, they are knitted using high-density knitting equipment.

Technical details for SOLOTEX® LIBERTE

*Side-by-side composite yarn achieves high stretchability by laminating two types of polymers with different heat shrinkability characteristics to form a coil-like crimp structure.

SOLOTEX® LIBERTE fabric features a soft texture and smooth finish. It also provides beautiful aesthetics, including vivid colors and a luxurious matte glossy appearance. The material has a high silhouette with a moderate drape. Apparel made with SOLOTEX® LIBERTE provides comfort, thanks to its soft stretch, light weight, water absorption and quick drying properties.

Material requirements for sportswear and casual wear are becoming more sophisticated. In addition to superior texture and appearance, consumers are demanding exceptional comfort and lower environmental impact. Teijin Frontier’s SOLOTEX® fiber delivers soft, smooth fabric with an attractive appearance, and supports sustainability by using approximately 40 percent plant-derived raw material.

SOLOTEX® has variety of lineups such as stretch fabrics using side-by-side composite yarn and soft and smooth fabric with colorability using PTT monocomponent taking advantage of PTT fiber’s characteristics. Teijin Frontier has been widely promoting SOLOTEX® in the global market and also developing fabrics that make the most of its characteristics, however, it could not achieve excellent stretchability and sufficient swelling at the same time due to the difficulty in controlling the heat shrinkage of PTT polymer.

Teijin Frontier will begin promoting SOLOTEX® LIBERTE globally for the autumn and winter 2024 collections of sportswear and casual wear. The company expects sales of SOLOTEX® LIBERTE to reach 500,000m by fiscal 2026.

Teijin announces availability of DPP-compliant products aligned with Europe’s ESPR Environmental Regulation

Teijin Limited announced today that it has started rolling out initiatives to enable aramid fibers and carbon fibers to be accompanied by Digital Product Passport (DPP) technology, which enhances supply chain transparency by verifying the origins of materials and supporting sustainability claims. The company is using the supply chain traceability system from Netherlands-based Circularise B.V., in which Teijin has invested since November 2024, to develop DPPs for each product.

Teijin Carbon showcases new eco-friendly Tenax Next™ R2S 513 6mm short carbon fiber at JEC World 2025

Teijin Carbon, a leading manufacturer of carbon fiber products, is presenting its latest development in sustainable materials at JEC World 2025 (hall 6, G22). New Tenax Next™ R2S 513 6mm is a short carbon fiber product in rice-shaped form for reinforcing thermoplastic compounds that not only offers exceptional performance characteristics but also reinforces the company’s commitment to environmental responsibility and circularity.

Teijin to invest in Circularise B.V. and adopt its supply chain traceability platform to promote the Circular Economy

Teijin Limited announced today that it will invest in Circularise B.V., a company based in The Hague, Netherlands, which develops product traceability management systems using blockchain technology. Teijin will also implement Circularise’s software to improve visibility into its global supply chain. Circularise’s proprietary “Smart Questioning”(*) solution, which utilizes Zero-Knowledge Proof (ZKP) technology, provides both anonymity and transparency to ensure a highly reliable product traceability system.

Mario Jorge Machado re-elected President of EURATEX

The EURATEX General Assembly has re-elected Mario Jorge Machado as President of EURATEX, renewing its confidence in his leadership at a crucial moment for the European textile and clothing industry. The sector is facing rising costs, global competitive pressure and an increasingly challenging transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

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.

New spinning package with two-step filtration for recycled yarns and more

At the ITM in Istanbul, BB Engineering unveiled its new, patented ValuePack spinning package for the first time, which features a two-stage filtration system. This is particularly beneficial for re-cycling processes. Until now, spinning packs have used either metal powder (“sand”) or filter candles as filter media. Both options are suitable for differ-ent applications, and each has its own specific advantages and dis-advantages.

ITMA 2027 gains strong momentum

In line with the theme "Co-creating the future of textiles", ITMA continues to strengthen its support for start-ups, recognising their role in driving innovation and shaping the future of textile and garment manufacturing. Through the Start-Up Valley, emerging companies gain access to a global marketplace where they can connect with industry leaders, potential partners, investors and customers.

Mongolia: Workshop on Italian textile technologies kicks off in Ulaanbaatar

The workshop dedicated to Italian textile technologies will kick off in Ulaanbaatar from 21 to 23 June 2026. Focused on the most advanced innovative solutions for the textile industry, the initiative will bring together 13 Italian textile machinery manufacturers, confirming the growing interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries and highlighting Mongolia’s strategic importance for Italian textile machinery producers.