A higher fabric modulus, improves the recovery power and efficiency of fabrics...
David Trerotola, President of Invista Apparel speaks about the importance of comfort factor in fabrics and apparels as he converses with Fibre2Fashion Correspondent Manushi Gandhi.
Synopsis:
Invista's Apparel business produces a wide range like swimwear, intimate apparel, legwear, outdoor wear, workwear etc. This business of Invista comprises of powerful global brands like Lycra fibre, Coolmax fabric and Cordura Fabric. Each of these fabrics are a result of endless research and development initiatives by the company.
David Trerotola is the President of Invista Apparel. He had previously served as global president of Invista's Performance Materials business. In addition to his experience at Invista, he has 20 years of management experience with DuPont, General Electric and Diamond Shamrock Chemical / Oxychem, including leading several consumer brand businesses for growth and expansion.
Excerpts:
What factors have helped Lycra fibre to achieve a high position in the market that it has at present?
The evolution of technology as well as fashion and the drive for comfort from a consumer perspective has seen the Lycra fibre achieve a high market position. A constant stream of innovative Lycra fibres, over the last 50+ years, has driven the growth of this fibre into all type of garments from hosiery and lingerie in the 60’s to swimwear in the 70’s to active sportswear in the 80’s and ready-to-wear and tailored clothing in the 90’s. Since the turn of the century, it’s been a combination of integrating new fibre innovations with textile innovations to bring a whole new degree of comfort, fit, freedom of movement and performance to a wide range of clothing that has continued the growth of this fibre.
Why a manufacturer should prefer the Lycra brand fibre when compared to the similar kind of fabric by other brand?
It is the world’s leading brand of elastane fibre and other premium stretch fibres and fabrics that can be combined with many other fabrics such as cotton, wool, leather or even cashmere. It is a brand that delivers the consumer promise of comfort, fit and freedom of movement.
Both the Lycra fibre and Lycra brand adds value to manufacturers and consumers. For example: With Lycra fibre, we deliver quality and consistency globally – our sites follow the same manufacturing standards globally which means quality and consistency for their products too; from a Lycra brand perspective Invista also innovates through world-class service, introduction of innovations and consumer recognition all along the value chain, from fabric mills to garment producers to brands & retailers.
Since it was introduced, this fibre has been available in a wide range of solutions, offering different benefits targeting the specific needs of each clothing category. In the world of lingerie, the new fabric technology Lycra Beauty makes underwear and swimwear gently shape your figure. At the cutting edge of fashion and movement for over 50 years, Lycra fibre regularly talks to fabric developers, garment designers and consumers to continue to respond to the demands of users in every area of textiles and clothing. Engineers continue with their research to offer new functions and help make sure that Lycra fibre continues to make clothes even more comfortable and practical, for young and old alike, from head to toe. Throughout its history, it has shown that it is more than capable of taking up the challenges of today, and tomorrow.
Production of spandex uses nitrogen, solvent gas, macroglycol, diamine etc. What damage can be caused to the environment during this process? What precautions should be taken during this process?
Our goal is to create long-term value for our customers and society by using resources more efficiently; protecting the environment and the safety and health of our employees and others; consistently applying good science; and employing Market Based Management.
In all of our elastane manufacturing operations, we seek ways to reduce our environmental footprint by conserving resources, reducing emissions and eliminating wastes. For example, our Maydown Plant in the United Kingdom, has reduced the amount of fibre waste going to landfill from 7 per cent in 2007 to less than 1 per cent of production today and our Paulina Plant in Brazil has reduced water intensity by 23 per cent from 2003 through 2011 and has had no lost time incident for more than 38 years. We are committed to reducing its energy intensity 20 per cent by 2020, through optimising its current energy practices and capital investments.
Which countries are best in terms of government policies that facilitate the production of fabrics?
We have customers in all the major textile regions and countries around the globe and feel privileged with the ability to work with them and supply them our fibre. We offer to work with all our customers to help them establish their own position of fabric quality, cost and value/differentiation when it comes to stretch fibres and we have customers that are successful with their business strategy and positioning around the globe.
As a fibre supplier, we are not necessarily connected to all the details and subtles of fabric sourcing dynamics around the globe and leave that to our customers.
What types of information technology developments have helped you to improve your business and achieve better client satisfaction?
In the manufacturing of our fibre, we take advantage of advanced computer and control technology to monitor over 100 parameters to release each tube of yarn. This insures we produce in right the first time and our product conforms to the highest standards of quality, expected by our customers. Invista has a business intelligence unit from which we manage our operations, services, market and consumer insights.
In the marketing arena, we are starting to experiment with new web-based, digital and social media platforms to be more effective in how we conduct consumer research/insights as well as communicate the benefits of our products to our customers, from mills to brands/retailers to consumers.
What is that advancement which has completely changed your business?
The integration of fibre innovations, textile innovations and consumer marketing/branding has allowed us to create new offerings that respond to the needs and desires of consumers around the world, we call this market-back innovation. Historically, our business was technology forward, in which we develop new fibres and worked with our customers introduce those fibres into fabrics and garments.
About 15 years ago, we made a conscious effort to focus more of our innovation process on the consumer and work “market-back” to identify the consumer’s needs, desires and wants from their clothing. This starts at a very high level, with an understanding of macro-trends, that impact all our lives, not just the apparel we wear. We then segment those macro-trends and look for opportunities in apparel, across all segments and garment categories where the consumer is dissatisfied with their clothing and/or looking for new features and benefits. All this time, continuing to test ideas with consumers with the real trick to find solutions to opportunities, before the consumer even knows they need/want them.
What is the relation between spandex consumption and fabric weight, fabric width and elastic behaviour of the knit fabric?
Typically, the higher the spandex content or consumption in a fabric, the heavier the fabric weight and the higher the modulus, all other factors (knit construction, heat-setting, dyeing & finishing) being equal. A higher fabric modulus, improves the recovery power and efficiency of fabrics, which is especially important for shapewear and athletic wear.
You will find Lycra fibre in lightweight fabrics for lingerie (100+gms and typically 10% elastane content) to heavier denim fabric (300gms and 2% elastane content), but with the innovation we are seeing in fabric constructions, machine technology and fibres, today you can find a 120gms fabric with 50% Lycra fibre content, targeted the lightweight shapewear market.
What is the difference between the spandex fabrics used by luxury innerwear brands compared to the ordinary ones?
Although we produce over 25 types of Lycra fibres and hundreds of SKU’s they are differentiated more by their features, attributes and intended garment category and not necessarily by the price point of the final retail garment. As an ingredient, the role of LYCRA fibre is to add, comfort, fit, freedom of movement to all fabrics and garments, and the other materials used in the fabric and garment construction, coloration and design are often what create the difference between various brands.
Spandex fibres are used less in men’s clothing. How can its usage be increased in this segment? Is there any scope?
We have just launched a new segment within our company for underwear thanks to consumer research undertaken with both men and women. We found that when looking for underwear 26 per cent of men look for comfort, 57 per cent want their underwear to fit well and 49 per cent are looking for quality. Here it is clear that Spandex fibres have a strong case to live within underwear and can help match the attributes men are looking for. As a result we have teamed-up with leading French underwear company Pull-in in designing a promotional fabric men underwear (90% cotton/10% Lycra fibre1), to highlight the value-add of underwear garments providing a comfortable, long lasting fit.
We are also seeing growing interest in stretch for men’s denim/jeans and last year introduced Toughmax Lycra Fabric, which delivers twice the strength of 100% cotton denim, but still all the comfort and fit you’d expect from a fabric with Lycra fibre. On the more fashion oriented styles, Lycra fibre in both denim and trousers bring the contemporary that the new generation is looking for.
From a sportswear perspective there is no doubt that the Lycra brand is one of the main criteria sports oriented men look after in their performing clothes.
In summary likewise it happened with women, male adoption will happen through fashion styles, technology and the drive for comfortable clothes.
How Lycra can be efficiently used in shape wear?
Lycra Beauty fabrics are designed to improve the effectiveness of shapewear and expand the range of options available to women who want that secret advantage. Lycra Beauty fabric is the secret asset to shapewear that delivers what you want...sculpting, smoothing, comfort, style, quality, confidence.
This fabric collection is the foundation for silhouette enhancing garments with the versatility to range from firm control to featherweight smoothing, from understated elegance to high fashion drama.
Its fabric collection is segmented into four categories which provide solutions for the diversity the market requires and helps our customers to easily identify which fabrics are ideal for their needs.
The four categories are:
-Smoothing
-Sensual Curves
-Sculpt
-Control
Shapewear is a fast growing category – both in volume and consumer relevance. We conducted a global consumer study that confirms that nearly all women (93%) show interest in the shaping attribute when purchasing intimate apparel. Whatever their age or body shape, women want truly performing garments without compromising comfort, that they can wear on special occasions or every day, year-in, year-out. These fabrics are engineered to meet extremely demanding standards that can create new solutions for shapewear that satisfies the expectations of this changing category.
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