#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2022-09-12

BASF at Simac - Go!Create your shoes with BASF materials

First concept shoe made entirely from sustainable BASF materials co-created with design house Maddy Plant © 2022 BASF

Simac, the international machinery and technology exhibition for shoes, will once again be opening its doors. This year BASF (hall 14 booth, F33/F37/G34/G38) will exhibit its wide range of new solutions for the shoe industry: a concept shoe made entirely out of BASF materials, boots which stay soft even at minus 40 degrees, light and high rebound soles for safety shoes and sustainable footwear solutions. On top BASF will present 3D printed shoes as well as coatings solutions to protect the soles.

More energy@work: Light materials with high rebound

For extreme conditions: Boots that remain soft at winter temperatures

Win-win: High performance solutions are made sustainable

Bubble shoe: Creativity in times of lockdown

New dimension: Completely 3D printed high heels and climbing shoes

From sports to safety shoes: low density, high elasticity

Light and high rebound are main requirements when it comes to the midsole of sports shoes. In this field BASF is one of the top suppliers of polyurethane (PU) materials. But what is valid for sports shoes should also be true for safety shoes. High rebound which guarantees soft dampening effects and lightweight soles are decisive for the comfort also of safety shoes. BASF transferred their knowledge from the sports sector to the safety shoe sector. The result are PU materials that safety producers waited for – it allows highest productivity by the direct soling process and comes with conformance to all safety norm requirements.

Completely 3D printed high heels © 2022 BASF

Winter boots made from PU stay soft even at minus degrees

Thanks to close cooperation with boots manufacturers, BASF further improved the performance of Elastopan® polyurethane systems for boots. The result is a PU system for winter boots that provides outstanding properties: highest thermal insulation, keeping the feet warm, and provides high comfort even at low temperatures until minus 40 degrees. That makes this Elastopan® perfect for boots to wear during your winter adventure or – if combined with a toe cap – even on an oil rig in Alaska.

BASF offers a broad portfolio of sustainable footwear solutions

BASF will present a concept shoe that is entirely made of sustainable products – the athleisure shoe ‘MADGAMMA - Intertekk Saturn’. The upper of the shoe is made with the 100% recyclable monofilament fiber Freeflex™ thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The replaceable midsole consists of the comfortable and biobased Elastopan® N polyurethane series. Another replaceable midsole option is made with TPU foaming, which has a lower density, high energy return, and is recyclable.

Beside these products, other sustainable solutions such as the biomass balance approach and Ccycled Infinergy®, will be shown. BASF experts will be glad to discuss with you the right material for your environmental goals.

Footwear Design Content: In the lockdown we lived in bubbles, which now appear in award winning shoes

The creations from the last design contest of the school for design Calzaturiero Politecnico, Padua, Italy reminds us to the how we lived during Covid – like in bubbles. This feeling inspired the designers for the soles – the outsole is a transparent tread made of multiple bubbles. These bubbles enable us to look through to the midsole, which is bright and colorful. For the upper the students used recycled material from footwear and textile manufacturing scraps. The perfect combination between technology and craftsmanship can be found in the three winning shoes which are presented at Simac.

Less is more – the first in-mold coating with integrated demolding properties

Furthermore, BASF will present NovaCoat-D that combines in-mold coating and release coating in a new way. Besides its demold properties, the coating provides additional functionalities for soles such as protection against sunlight, scratches, and dirt. Thanks to its many years of expertise, BASF can offer a wide range of colors and effects. NovaCoat-D can be applied either manually or automatically.

The perfect combination between technology and craftsmanship – the winner shoe from the Footwear Design Contest 2022 from BASF and Politecnico Calzaturiero, Italy © 2022 BASF

3D Printing materials and solutions for the footwear industry

Forward AM, the brand of BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, will present information at SIMAC 2022 on 3D printing materials and solutions for the complete design and development process of footwear. Along with samples of molds, lasts and soles, visitors can discover 3D printed climbing shoes made with the flexible Ultrasint® TPU01 powder. By leveraging the principles of design for Additive Manufacturing, the first individualized 3D printed climbing shoe came to life. This innovative technology not only simplifies the assembly of the shoe, but also reduces the production time required for customized footwear. Forward AM’s flexible materials, such as Ultrasint® TPU01, are based on Elastollan® by BASF, which offers customers across industries broad cross-technology solutions.

More information: http://www.simac.basf.com

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.

Reju opens its first R&D Center in the U.S. in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania

Reju, the company specializing in textile regeneration, today announced the opening of a Research and Development (R&D) Center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, the company's first proprietary research center in North America. Located within Technip Energies' existing Advanced Materials and Catalysts research center, the lab will allow Reju to accelerate the rollout of its recycling technologies and develop its next-generation circular solutions.

Itema reaffirms its commitment to the Syrian textile industry at NasTex 2026

From July 18th to 21st, Itema will exhibit at NasTex at the Damascus Fairground (Hall 11 – Stand C02), marking its return to one of the Middle East’s historically significant textile markets. Itema will showcase advanced weaving technology designed to support the competitiveness and technological evolution of Syrian manufacturers and announces a new partnership with Growfast Agency as the sole agent of Itema in Syria.

KARL MAYER's HKS 2-SE Expands Possibilities for Premium Stretch WARP KNITS

Warp knitted fabrics with a woven look are more in demand than ever in the fashion and apparel industries. Stretch WARP KNITS, in particular, impress with their freedom of movement, breathability, and virtually wrinkle-free wear – thereby opening up new style worlds such as smart casual or business casual. When it comes to the highly efficient production of premium-quality stretch WARP KNITS, the HKS 2-SE has long been the machine of choice. KARL MAYER’s best-selling tricot machine produces standard elastic fabrics characterized by high gauges, smooth, delicate surfaces, and a soft hand feel.