February 2001 - Volume 16 I Number 1

Branded generics and specialty products in strong demand

Visitors at the 44th Expofil, held December 5-7 in Paris.
Photo: Pierre Girard

By Geoff Fisher, European Correspondent

The 44th Expofil yarn fair, which took place December 5-7 at the Espace Eiffel-Branly in Paris, proved as popular as ever with the textile trade. With a total of 194 exhibitors, the show attracted more than 6,850 visitors — a slight fall on the corresponding event in 1999.
For the first time the 68 Italian exhibitors outnumbered the 53 French companies. The show saw the addition of 17 new exhibitors, including several fiber producers and processors — Unifi, DuPont Sabanci, Kuraray and Domo.
The show, considered by some to be Europe’s most influential exhibition for apparel yarns, emphasized sheers and lightweight fabrics for spring/summer 2002. Expofil fashion director Sylvie Tastemain described the season as “the expression of a desire for harmony, equilibrium and lightness.”
The Expofil collections were presented with sound and music as their themes, and the color range was rich in nuances and punctuated by contrasts of light/dark and neutral/saturated.

Established Brands
Expofil has always had a strong fiber producer presence. This time, more than 30 companies demonstrated new and old fibers for the European yarn sector. But compared with the flurry of activity a couple of years ago, there did not seem to be as much new-product development.
Most large fiber companies focused on reinforcing their established brands, such as Tactel polyamide 6.6 from DuPont and Dralon acrylic from Bayer. Similarly, Acordis majored on Courtelle acrylic, Tencel lyocell and Viloft viscose fibers for the knitwear, underwear and sportswear sectors, while several spandex yarns were displayed, such as DuPont Lycra, Bayer Dorlastan and Linel from Italy’s Fillattice.
Many of these mature brands are being reinvented or redeveloped. Trevira, for example, concentrated on promoting its new sub-brands of polyester fibers and filament yarns for outwear, sportswear and bodywear. (See related story, page 30.)

Polypropylene Microfiber
One of the main innovations at Expofil was Dryarn, a new polypropylene microfiber from the Italian company Aquafil Textile Yarns. Garments made from Dryarn, such as intimate apparel, sportswear and hosiery, are said to be light, comfortable and hygienic.
The fiber is claimed to be so light as to float on water and has a heat insulation higher than wool. Aquafil also says Dryarn can expel water, humidity and perspiration from a fabric quicker than other fibers as a result of its high surface tension. Garments made from Dryarn are due for market release in spring 2002.
Aquafil also demonstrated Sunfit — a fiber made from polyester combined with ceramic materials, giving it the ability to absorb ultraviolet radiation and to block heat rays.
Meanwhile, Austria’s Lenzing presented a new lyocell fiber — Lenzing Lyocell LF. Low fibrillation is achieved by chemical cross-linking during fiber production, which results in a product that can be processed like conventional cellulose fibers and without the need for special machinery.
“Lyocell LF retains its high wet strength in both the wet and dry state, and the fiber’s visual appeal, silky handle and shiny surface are not impaired in any way,” Lenzing said.
European fiber producers are now focused on bringing out new products or developments that the market wants. Consumers, and therefore downstream processors, are increasingly looking for different fabric aspects, whether it is a new look or a performance benefit.
Innovation from Unifi

Trend-setting fibers for spring/summer 2002 shown at the 44th Expofil, held December 5-7 in Paris. Photo: Pierre Girard

Certainly, European fiber producers are pulling back on basic, commodity products in favor of new specialty qualities. Performance characteristics are now becoming as important as fashion elements.
For example, Unifi, the world’s leading producer of textured polyester products showing at Expofil for the first time, launched nine new yarns as part of an aggressive product development strategy.
These innovations included specific functional benefits, while others focused on creating fashion and comfort advantages in apparel and hosiery, said Lee Gordon, senior vice president, product development.
Aimed at the tweed market, “Donegal” offers a worsted appearance, while “Eclypse,” with its differential dye appearance, gives a wool-blend look. For fabrics with contrasting surface effects, “Myriad” can create a range of highly striated to soft heather looks.
For the natural fiber touch, “Augusta” offers the light hand, soft drape and simple aesthetics of a fine spun yarn with an easier to process filament. Using a dissolvable polymer, the splittable microfilament “Sultra” gives the look and hand of suede leather, while stretchable “Sirrus” delivers a crêpe-like touch.
“Sparkle” achieves a metallic-like glitter effect and “Novva” is used where luster, brilliance and shine is required. Recycled from PET bottles, “Repreve” is a durable textured yarn for a wide range of woven and knitted products.

Moisture Control
Unifi also unveiled its Sorbtek moisture-control system for knitted and woven apparel. Sorbtek is available as continuous filament polyester or nylon in yarn counts ranging from 77-165 decitex. The yarn can be localized in certain places of a garment where moisture control is desired.
Sorbtek uses an innovative catch, move and release system that is claimed to move moisture faster and further than any other yarn. This is integrated into the molecular structure of the yarn and cannot be washed out, Unifi said.
Japanese company Kuraray, specialists in high-tech filament yarns, presented its water-soluble PVA fiber Kuralon K-II, as well as a number of novel polyester yarns with properties of stretch, antistatic, deodorizing and biodegradability.
Domo Gent, part of Belgium’s Domo group, featured polyamide 6.6 filament yarns, while DuPont Sabanci, the joint venture between DuPont and Turkey’s Sabanci group, showed an extensive range of staple fibers, POY, flat, textured and twisted continuous filament yarns.
The offering from DuPont Sabanci, now Europe’s largest polyester fiber
producer, included branded specialty products such as Dacron, CoolMax, Thermolite, Terinda and Micromattique.

Antimicrobial Yarns
Only a couple of years ago barely a handful antimicrobial fibers had reached the market. Now there are at least a dozen, such as Amicor from Acordis, Rhovyl, AS and Rhovyl, AS+, and Silfresh acetate filament yarns from the Italy’s Novaceta Group.
Italian-based Montefibre, the largest acrylic fiber producer in Europe, presented its new Terital Saniwear T15 AB antibacterial polyester fiber, which is being promoted for use in clothing (polar fleece, active sportswear, work clothing) and furnishings (bedding, tablecloths).
Montefibre also featured Leacril Saniwear antibacterial acrylic fiber, which is currently available in 2.2-3.4 and 6.7 dtex qualities for both the wool and cotton sectors.

Flame Retardants
Numerous flame-retardant fibers were featured at Expofil including Trevira CS, Rhovyl’FR, Fidion FR polyester from Montefibre and Securelle from DuPont Sabanci. Brilén of Spain featured Brilén FR, a new flame-retardant polyester, as well as Metabril, a yarn designed to enhance the gloss of fabrics.
Meanwhile, Italy’s Nylstar, the joint venture between Rhodia and Snia, announced plans to launch a microfiber version of its Elite PBT fiber. Elite is claimed to be the first manmade fiber capable of retaining the “memory” of it original shape and to be able to “share” this ability with all the fabrics in which it is blended.
According to Nylstar, Europe’s largest producer of polyamide microfiber, Elite is finding favor in ready-to-wear, knitwear, jeans, casualwear, sportswear, as well as in specialized and medical fields.
Nylstar also introduced Meryl Skinlife, a bacteriostatic polyamide fiber that maintains a natural balance of bacteria on the skin. The permanent bacteriostatic agent is inherent in the fiber and there is no migration from fabric to the skin. Nylstar is promoting the fiber for sportswear, underwear, socks, hosiery and shoe linings, as well as for medical textiles and industrial fabrics such as filters.
Finally, Nylstar launched Meryl Ecodye for use in fine colored garments where color and washability are critical. Meryl Ecodye is a polymer additive that alters the polyamide polymer to improve dyestuff absorption.

Leather Feel
Rhodia Performance Fibres of France introduced Sylkharesse polyamide microfibers for use in cotton spinning in blends with such fibers as cotton, Modal, flax and lyocell. A spokeswoman said the fiber offered a new appearance due to its dimensional stability and high pilling resistance.
The Sylkharesse process emulates the structure of leather, offering enhanced wearer comfort, with excellent results in terms of absorption capacity and quick drying. The fibers are particularly used in underwear, sportswear, casualwear and women’s ready-to-wear, while a high-tech version is also being offered for flock fabric for furnishings.
Meanwhile, Tergal Fibres of France featured Filifine, billed as the first discontinuous polyester microfiber at 0.9 decitex. The company said a number of spinners in Germany, Italy, France and Spain use Filifine in their new ranges for spring/summer 2002. Yarns are being produced in 100% Filifine as well as in blends with cotton and other synthetic fibers.

New Venue
The 44th Expofil was the last to take place in the Espace Eiffel-Branly, the show’s home for the past five years. Many regular visitors will be a little disappointed to leave the convenient, central location by the Seine and the Eiffel Tower.
The organizers, however, believe the show will be more than compensated by the extra space when it relocates on 5-7 June 2001 to the Parc des Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte, not far from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The 16,200 square meters of Hall 1 gives Expofil an extra 2,500 square meters of space that will be used equally for more exhibition space, fashion information and increased visitor comfort, said Expofil organizer Philippe Pasquet.
Paris-Nord Villepinte will be the fifth site occupied by Expofil. “Whenever an exhibition changes its venue, its causes some concern,” Mr. Pasquet admitted. “However, each of Expofil’s moves has corresponded with a specific stage in the exhibition’s ongoing development and has enabled it to steadily expand. We are confident that Paris-Nord Villepinte will now mark a new step forward.”

French Acquire USA Yarn Fair By Geoff Fisher, European Correspondent
A consortium of three French textile and fashion exhibition specialists has taken over the US trade fair assets of the National Knitwear and Sportswear Association. The acquisition, announced at December’s Expofil exhibition, includes the Yarn Fair International, CADExpo Plus and Knit West & Sew, as well as associated seminar and internet businesses. The French companies involved are: Association Française pour la Promotion des Fils Textiles (French association for the promotion of textile yarns), which organizes Expofil and has a 50% stake in the Hong Kong yarn show Filasia; Comexpo-Paris; and Fédération de la Maille (French knitting federation). The Yarn Fair International, held annually in New York, is the only specialty textile yarn and fiber exhibition in North America. Expofil President Didier Tardy said the New York event has lost ground in recent years. He said the acquisition will inject new life into	Expofil organizer Philippe Pasquet.	the exhibition, which will receive the benefit of Expofil’s expertise in the areas of promotion and fashion information, and its knowledge of the textile and yarn sector. Scheduling of the Yarn Fair in August hasn’t helped the show, either, Mr. Tardy said. Although the show’s new owners are probably locked into an August date for 2001, he indicated that it may be the last of the August runs. Mr. Tardy stressed the fair would not be too European and expected more companies to sign up as a result of Expofil’s involvement. “We now have one foot on US soil,” he said. Expofil organizer Philippe Pasquet added: “The New York yarn fair was lacking a little impetus and dynamism. We will now add our fashion know-how and exhibition skills so the show can achieve the size and credibility it deserves. “Our business is now to be the textile and yarn exhibition specialists worldwide, and to follow the main trends in Europe, Asia and the USA.”

---