Hong Kong company Texon's ProWeave opens up new design possibilities

17 Apr '21

3 min read

Pic: Texon

Texon’s ProWeave – a patented, jacquard weaving technology - has opened up new design possibilities, by enabling the production of continuous woven substrates with the zonal features product designers want, exactly where they want them. The technology makes it possible to seamlessly integrate functional and design weaving into a single sheet of material.

Reimagining fabrics for the footwear, apparel, fashion and luxury goods industries, ProWeave transforms the way performance fabrics are made and how they look, feel and function. Creating different elasticity, tenacity and abrasion zones within the same weave, ProWeave can help brands bring new creative concepts to life. The innovative technology effortlessly blends diverse yarn thicknesses, weights and fabric references together – creating intricately designed fabrics with distinctive gradient, rib, waffle, colour, stretch, transparency and 3D effects.

Actively aiding the design process, ProWeave is suitable for the production of all kinds of woven footwear and is the ideal solution for clothing, apparel and accessories manufacturers that want to employ novel performance fabrics. ProWeave is set to prove popular in the fast-paced sports and outdoor sector where the trend for woven footwear has been growing quickly, and where demand for innovative materials for garment manufacturing is continuous.

Texon also sees big opportunities for ProWeave in the production of top luxury and premium branded footwear and clothing. In the luxury market, where the main drivers are style and creativity, having the ability to use custom yarns and an innovative manufacturing process to create something truly unique is a compelling proposition.

Paul Jackson, business acceleration leader for ProWeave at Texon, said: “ProWeave takes the production of performance fabrics to the next level. Combining Texon’s know-how in branded footwear, with our Italian division’s expertise in high performance occupational and safety woven fabrics, this exciting technology can help manufacturers differentiate their designs and unlock significant creative advantage. Technical and functional, yet innovative and inspirational, the design possibilities enabled by ProWeave are endless. Using ProWeave, we can help manufacturers pinpoint the physical characteristics, functional zones and visual patterns they want to achieve on a performance fabric, and then make their vision a reality. ProWeave is radically different to anything else on the market and we’ve been getting really enthusiastic feedback from customers around the world. There is a real curiosity about a technology that can free designers from conventional fabric restraints and help them unleash their imagination.”

With the ability to mix together different high tenacity, flame retardant, stretch and TPU coated yarns to create hard-wearing materials, Texon also sees significant opportunities for ProWeave in industrial footwear and safety apparel applications.

Texon is aiming to be a zero waste business by 2025. ProWeave is designed to support the industry’s sustainability drive. Using a single efficient process to create woven uppers with localised features means less energy consumption for manufacturers and recycled yarns can also be incorporated to build recyclable structures for circular projects.

Texon can provide ProWeave for mass production projects, with multiple designs for uppers, garments and accessories on one roll. The business can also provide ProWeave in small quantities for series or limited-edition collections. ProWeave is produced at Texon’s plant in Prato, Italy and at the company’s newest manufacturing centre in Vietnam, which opened in mid-2020.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SV)

More Textiles News - Italy...