Textile producer Maxxam Textiles, renowned for its pioneering seamless crinkle stretch Maxxam fabric used by dresswear, sports, and swimwear brands, was developed and patented by Rosemary Moore in 1983. Moore talks to Paulami Chatterjee about her journey that led her to discover the Maxxam fabric, and the brand's newly launched sustainable Eco-Maxxam fabric.
Maxxam has been in production for the last 35-40 years. How has it moulded itself to the changing tastes of people since then?
It has always been in fashion due to its scope, texture and unique properties. It will always be around I hope as it's loved by so many for its comfort, and especially now for the larger size groups. You Swim, a brand we helped establish, are focused on appealing to all sizes and shapes which is perfect for the fabric. One size fits all. New fibres and sustainable developments will make it even more appealing.
Graduating from RCA to founding Maxxam Textiles. How has your journey been so far?
Gosh where do I start! It's been quite a journey over the last 40 years since I started in the early 80s after leaving RCA. Maxxam fabric is such a popular concept that I learnt a lot very quickly. It was like bees round the honey pot; everyone who saw it wanted to use it as it was such an original idea. Plus, the aspect of a seamless one size fabric offering cost effective and no waste manufacturing, which at that time, due to the recession, provided the perfect solution.
It was so novel as a textile idea but I met so many rogues too who tried to copy it, as well as great partners who have continued to use it for 40 years, such as Hunza.
How did you arrive at the idea of making an elastic seamless crinkle fabric? How much time was spent on researching on this?
It was over 6 years in the making. It originated from a physical and technical inspiration and as my knowledge and training developed, out popped the idea. As a child I was very focused and determined to achieve something original, and thought I would focus on garment design as I loved sewing and making. Then I discovered textiles at college and I realised that if could make an original cloth I could create an original concept in clothing. This became my passion and what drove me to making it. I work like a sculptor / artist at heart and see cloth as an outer layer to sculpture on the body so 3D is important. As I trained I looked for methods to achieve this. I was a gymnast too as a teenager and I was very conscious of the proprioceptive touch of cloth on body and how it gave me confidence mentally in my movements; so this too connects to the cling of the seamless cloth on the skin like a second skin. Protective, secure, and attractive.
What is the durability of the Maxxam fabric? How long can a garment made from it last on an average?
It has a long life span -- people contact us who still have a design from the 1980s and whose children want to buy it now.
From where do you source the raw materials from?
From Europe, make in UK.
What were the initial challenges you faced while developing the Maxxam fabric?
Making it in production... going from a college machine to industry and running at high speed ... but my connection at Courtaulds helped me connect the idea to a suitable factory.
What has been the growth story of Maxxam till now? What is the current valuation of the company?
It was vast for many individuals in the 80s and 90s as it was licensed all over the world. I received royalties at that time which were reasonable but my profit now is far more lucrative as I'm handling the converting, not licensing and leaving it to other companies or converters to manage. Desire for the fabric has grown pretty fast in last 3 years again. The companies I work with now are doing extremely well and I've also helped some friends from scratch by handling their garment making too, taking them from a few hundred pieces a week to a few thousand a week. During lockdown the Maxxam Textiles business has doubled and we are now expanding our knitting capacity to support our customer's growth for the short and long term.
What makes me happy is that it has regenerated so many jobs in both garment making and textile manufacturing here and overseas and keeps my factory very busy too. We keep all manufacturing in the UK so we can control its production.
How many partner factories of UK are you associated with to produce the finished fabric?
We only work with one maker in the Midlands and dye in the North of England, but we are exploring other options now that we are expanding.
Which are your major domestic and export markets?
UK, US and Canada, Australasia and Europe.
What is the market of Maxxam fabric today?
It's extremely popular worldwide and has a long future ahead of it as we expand on many more of its seamless innovations.
Who are your major customers from the industry?
Hunza, You Swim
What steps do you take to ensure sustainability across your value chain?
Through care in materials and making locally.
What are the future possibilities with the Maxxam fabric?
Its future will depend how quickly we can move into sustainable fibres and finishing, exploring other types of latest technology too. I still have developments from the 1990s which are very unique like Maxxam so I'm looking for partners to manufacture them outside of the UK.
What is the new Eco-Maxxam all about? What are its special properties?
Q-Nova, from our Italian spinner, is an environmentally sustainable nylon 6.6 fibre obtained from regenerated raw materials and certified by Global Recycled Standard. It is a highly ecological product which aims to reduce CO2 emissions, consume less water, and use renewable energy.
What are the new fibre/fabric technologies you are working on at the moment?
Looking at multifilament for softer handle to reduce the use of softener in finishing. Plant fibre based products which are sustainably produced. Better garment dyeing solutions. And my husband, a skilled inventor in alternative energy and research & development is looking at creating fibre from air.
What are your future plans as a company? What are your revenue targets for the current fiscal?
We have doubled in size over the last few years, and we are expecting continued growth so I'll be focusing on sustainable ways to expand and invest in better equipment.
Maxxam has been around for over 40 years and it has become a standard product in the swimwear market but it has so much potential across other clothing groups. It started out being used for bodycon clothing and only moved into swimwear in the late 1980s. I can see a big demand for multipurpose clothing. I have co-founded a clothing brand with my daughter Iona Clive - Moore Maxxam currently offers 4 incredible multipurpose stretchy designs for kids aged 6 months to 14years. The future looks bright.
Published on: 19/05/2021
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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