Textile Innovations Abound at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market
The energy was high among exhibitors and attendees at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market trade show held Jan. 31–Feb. 3 in Salt Lake City.
Jeff Canning of L.L. Bean said he was pleased with the turnout—particularly since the SnowSports Industries America (SIA) show took place Jan. 27–30 in Las Vegas.
“With the SIA show in Vegas so close to it time-wise, I thought more people would be drawn away from here, but I’m actually pleased with the number of people here,” said Canning. “Hopefully, that reflects a turnaround in business for 2003.”
Textile mills and suppliers showed off their latest innovations for winter-sports manufacturers, including technical advances in raw materials for gear, apparel, footwear and outerwear.
“Ultra-lightweight” and “soft-shell” were two buzz words at the show. Several outdoor manufacturers introduced featherweight equipment, shoes, backcountry gear, backpacks and parkas to meet the needs of consumers looking to lighten their loads in the backcountry.
On the supplier side, it seemed that every manufacturer had its own versions of “lightweight” and “soft-shell” fabrics designed to retain the high performance, breathability and comfort demanded by the outdoor market.
Here is a sampling of product developments from textile and raw-material suppliers that exhibited at the show:
bull; DuPont Textiles & Interiors (DT&I). DT&I unveiled a variety of new sweater yarns from several of its fibers, including Tactel, Supplex, Cordura, Coolmax and Lycra T- 400 for Spring 2004. All are available with the Teflon Fabric Protector finish, which the company said brings easy care to knitwear. According to DuPont, Teflon provides stain, water and soil repellency, and resistance to both water- and oil-based stains.
“All these sweaters are easy-care, easy-wear, machine- washable and tumbledryable,” said Liz Alexander, global knitwear development manager for DT&I. “I think that when you look at the attributes that these yarns provide, they translate to the outdoor market very easily.”
bull; 3M. 3M presented its new Thinsulate Supreme insulation, designed to provide a silky, luxurious feel and a nice drape.
Susan Haider, personal safety products marketing manager for 3M, explained: “Thinsulate Supreme insulation was created because there was a gap in the high-end performance insulations. And although it’s soft and silky, it’s not slippery, which is important for outdoor sports where you need to maintain body and hand dexterity.”
Thinsulate Supreme is made to retain its insulating ability even under damp conditions and to be breathable enough to preserve warmth and comfort for wearers. The insulation is designed for use in general outerwear, apparel and gloves. According to the company, the product substantially reduces fiber slippage, giving skiers a glove that grips poles securely.
Thinsulate Supreme insulation contains 100-percent polyester fibers that absorb less than 1 percent of their weight in water and dry easily. It is available in weights ranging from 40 to 200 grams per square meter and is machine-washable and dry-cleanable.
bull; Concept III Textiles. This company is a resource for the development, sourcing and production of fabric-based finished products worldwide. Concept III works almost exclusively with five top-quality international materials sources: Glenoit, Rentex, Kingwale Industries, Travis Textiles and PrimaLoft.
The show provided Concept III an opportunity to preview several new developments from its member mills.
Glenoit Mills introduced Casalana, a new wool-blend pile. Casalana looks and feels similar to wool flannel, but it is washable and has the flexibility of a knit and the patterning possibilities that pile construction offers.
Travis Textiles debuted a line developed specifically for the outdoor industry. The line included woven Lycra blends, wool/nylon performance blends, a “Country Collection” of rugged nylon fabrics with the look of cotton, and a superlight, super-thin 20-denier nylon called Zephyr.
Kingwale Industries introduced a group of power-stretch fleeces laminated to jersey and pique jersey for a new take on the soft-shell category.
bull; DuPont Advanced Fibers Systems. DuPont presented a new line of performance apparel items featuring a blend of cotton-rich fabrics and Kevlar-brand fiber. The addition of Kevlar performance technology to pants, jeans and jackets makes the clothing up to twice as strong as plain cotton garments, according to DuPont. Canvas climbing pants with Kevlar are comfortable, durable and do not rip or tear as easily as the all-cotton variety, said the company. The denim jeans and jackets with Kevlar fabric look and feel similar to regular cotton denim, yet are designed to outperform traditional denim in a variety of outdoor applications.
Kathlyn Swantko is a creator of FabricLink.com, which provides information about fabrics, apparel, home furnishings and fabric care, and TheTechnicalCenter.com, a new textile- and apparel-industry resource for textile-related product developments.
