#Textile chemistry

2021-04-01

2021 Ultrasuede® x Labelhoood Innovation Award Winner chosen

Toray Industries, Inc., and Labelhood today announced the selection of Jacques Wei as the winner of the 2021 Ultrasuede® x Labelhood Innovation Award. He is the founder of his namesake women’s fashion brand. The award was in recognition of the highly accomplished and forward-thinking approach in Mr. Wei’s design, which combines classic elements with simple, contemporary silhouettes. His ethos is in keeping with Toray’s commitment to the ongoing evolution of the Ultrasuede brand.

JACQUES WEI will unveil its Fall/Winter 2021 collection incorporating Ultrasuede on April 10 at a Labelhood event during Shanghai Fashion Week.

In its third year, this award is in collaboration with Labelhood, a fashion incubator for young independent designers in China. The two created this award program in keeping with their complementary visions. Toray’s is to foster social prosperity and a better future for generations to come. Labelhood’s is to invigorate the Chinese fashion scene.

Toray brought out Ultrasuede in 1970. Over the years, applications for this stylish, high-performance material have extended from fashion to encompass everything from automotive, aircraft, and other interiors to accessories for mobile devices.

Toray looks forward to collaborating with Mr. Wei in expanding the potential of the Ultrasuede brand in China’s vibrant fashion scene. Toray looks to continue driving the evolution of this beautiful material.

About the award recipient

Jacques Wei brought out his women’s label in 2019. Its inspiration is the enduring influence of traditional French fashion brands. He has garnered acclaim for combining classic elements and contemporary silhouettes in his designs. His off-the-rack apparel employs the precise and meticulous tailoring and other intricate techniques of haute couture and menswear and features glamorous and delicate materials in clean, simple lines that accentuate urban feminine chic.

“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.

BW Converting, Archroma and Monforts to highlight precision spray finishing at IGATEX Pakistan 2026

BW Converting, Archroma and Monforts will participate in IGATEX Pakistan 2026, held Oct. 15–18 at the Expo Centre Lahore, at Al-Ameen Trading Corporation’s stand F-2-09 in Hall 2. Together, the companies will highlight precision spray-finishing technology, textile chemistry expertise and application-development support to help Pakistan’s textile manufacturers evaluate opportunities to improve finishing performance and production efficiency.

An eco-friendly alternative to fluorocarbon treatments

Protective and outdoor clothing derives its durable water-, dirt- and oil- repellent properties from the application of fluorinated polymers or per- and polyfluorinated low-molecular- weight chemicals (PFCs). The beneficial properties thus achieved on textiles are offset by environmental and human health risks. For manufacturers of sports, medical, protective and automotive textiles, researchers at the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research have developed liquid-applied dispersions and solutions to functionalise textiles without the use of fluorine.

Archroma and Lameirinho partner in pioneering deployment of InOneGO single-step dyeing

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, and Lameirinho, a leading home textiles manufacturer based in Portugal, are collaborating to bring InOneGO by Archroma, a new single-step dyeing process, into commercial production. Lameirinho’s first InOneGo bedlinens collection is now available worldwide.

Archroma wins ICIS Innovation Award for sulfur dye breakthrough

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals, has won a coveted 2026 ICIS Innovation Award for Best Product Innovation from a Large Company for FiberColors®. These high-performance sulfur dyes are synthesized from pre-consumer wool waste, reducing industry reliance on petroleum-based inputs while contributing to the circular economy by upcycling unwanted wool that farmers would otherwise pay to dispose of.

MK SONS Denim Research to make its debut at Kingpins Amsterdam

MK SONS Denim Research, a specialist denim development and manufacturing division of Pakistan-based textile and garment manufacturer MK SONS, will make its debut at Kingpins Amsterdam on October 14–15, 2026. The company will present its approach to integrating denim product development with industrial manufacturing at stand T in the Green Area.

Syre appoints Tim King as CEO

Syre has appointed Tim King as its new Chief Executive Officer, succeeding Dennis Nobelius, who has decided to leave the company after more than three years as CEO to pursue new opportunities in another industry. King, who has been with Syre since its early days, has been responsible for the company's industrial development and the execution of its strategy.