Material World: Infrared Blankets, Wearable Water Harvesting and Textile Tie-ups
Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas that are reshaping the materials sector. It covers the latest developments in how fashion is designed, engineered, and scaled—from emerging biomaterials and next-generation leathers to engineered fibers and sustainable alternatives.
Bangladesh-based woven fabric manufacturer NZ Tex Group is formalizing its partnership with Finish cellulosic fiber maker Spinnova . Related Stories Sustainability Prickly Pear Peel Waste Shows Promise as Sustainable Wool Dye Sustainability Material World: Recover Launches Yarn Platform and Birla Boosts Lyocell Capacity
In recent years, NX Tex Group and Spinnova have teamed up on research and development, with the mill testing weaving, dyeing and finishing textiles containing Spinnova, including denim fabrics. The partners say that Spinnova has “strong suitability” for denim. Some of these creations will be on view at Kingpins Show New York in July.
“This partnership perfectly aligns with our promise to deliver innovative, yet sustainable yarns and fabrics to the global clothing industry, and Spinnova’s fiber technology has strong potential for tough fabrics like denim,” said Saleudh Zaman Khan, chairperson at NZ Tex Group.
As NZ Tex Group becomes part of Spinnova’s ecosystem, it will scale up its manufacturing using the cellulosic material. According to Spinnova’s chief product and sustainability officer Shahriare Mahmood, this collaboration will bring these “denim developments closer to the market.”
Celliant and Dream Recovery are teaming up to boost the restful and restorative properties of a weighted blanket with infrared technology.
The collaborative blanket design features Celliant embedded into the woven fabric. The basis for Celliant’s technology is a mix of natural, bioceramic minerals that captures body heat and then reflects it back as infrared light. As this energy is emitted, it supports circulation, oxygenation and thermoregulation.
“The combination of deep pressure stimulation and infrared energy creates a synergy that supports both how the body feels and how it functions during rest,” said Seth Casden, founder and CEO of Hologenix, LLC, the company behind Celliant. “We are excited to see what this partnership delivers for athletes, busy professionals and anyone who takes their recovery seriously.”
Material technology company I.S.T Corporation is growing the partner base for its Merino wool treatment IST Platinumwool. Through processing that polishes the individual wool fibers, the technology allows wool to have more luster, a softer hand feel, drape and elastic recovery.
To-date, IST Platinumwool has aligned with wool organization Woolmark ; yarn manufacturer Gruppo Tessile Industriale (GTI), part of Südwolle Group; yarn producer Mister Joe, part of A Zeta Filati; and knit fabric maker CM Tessuti.
As its network expands, I.S.T is launching the collaborative platform Platinumworld, which will be a hub for innovation across brands, designers and manufacturers. This concept will be introduced first with a showcase at Pitti Immagine Filati on June 24-26, with a second presentation at Milano Unica on July 7-9.
Asahi Kasei’s stretch fiber brand Roica is getting a new look. The company has updated the branding for Roica, including the rollout of updated visuals, a new tagline and revamped website.
The new visual features a partial outline of a person, intended to communicate movement. The graphic also nods to textiles with a design that appears stitched together. A key message reads, “Stretch Your Future,” referencing the brand’s global ambitions to “create a more flexible world.”
This rebranding also extends to Roica’s digital platform, which underwent a user-centric redesign. The goal is to give visitors more background on the brand, including its approach toward sustainability and innovation.
“This brand update marks an important step as Roica enters its next phase of evolution,” said Takaaki Kondo, senior executive manager of the Roica division at Asahi Kasei. “Building on over 50 years of expertise, we are strengthening our technologies while enhancing collaboration across the supply chain. Through our new visual identity and digital platform, we aim to clearly communicate Roica’s core values—premium quality, continuous innovation and solutions designed to reduce environmental impact.”
PET recycling firm GR3N has closed a Series B funding round, which raised 15.5 million euros (approximately $17.8 million).
The company plans to put the added investment toward its first industrial-scale plant, accelerating its solution beyond the pilot stage.
Located in Spain, the Modus facility will be able to produce 40,000 tons of PET chips from waste per year. GR3N’s microwave assisted depolymerization technology (MADE for short) breaks down polymers into monomers, allowing them to be turned into new chips for applications like textile fibers. The process can handle tricky to recycle materials like colored plastic bottles, and it has the ability to turn textile waste into either plastic bottles or new textiles, creating a circular stream for polymer-based fabrics and replacing fossil fuel-based inputs.
Water is a valuable resource, particularly for individuals performing outdoor activities or living in dry climates. A team of engineers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a jacket design that can capture and collect water from the air.
The jacket incorporates a biomass-derived hydrogel textile that absorbs moisture. When heated by sunlight, the moisture in the fabric condenses and is funneled into harvesting units on the garment.
When tested in both the arid climate of the Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico and the Austin area’s comparably humid clime, the jacket succeeded in capturing a significant 14 to 30 ounces of water per day. The researchers are considering applications beyond apparel, including backpacks, tents and other outdoor gear.
“Water harvesting from air is usually imagined as a stationary device such as a box, a panel or a large sorbent bed,” said Guihua Yu, chair professor of the Cockrell School of Engineering’s Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering and Texas Materials Institute. “Here, we wanted to rethink the form of the technology. If the fabric itself can collect water from air, it opens a new direction for personal and portable water access.”
As part of its mission to convert the fashion industry toward circular systems, non-governmental organization Redress recently wrapped a month-long secondhand clothing collection campaign.
Get Redressed Month ran throughout May in Redress’ hometown of Hong Kong, with 85 partners ranging from schools to businesses participating to collect clothing. The drive amassed 14.8 metric tons of used apparel, which will either be redistributed, resold or downcycled.
Roughly 400 participants joined a “sort-a-thon” in June, determining where items would go. Some of the merchandise that is ready for resale will go into Redress’ Summer Secondhand pop-up from June 23 to 28.
In May, the organization also ran a campaign educating the public and companies on their roles in combatting textile waste through consumption habits. Influencers shared how they are embracing the campaign slogan, ”Keep It. Wear It. Share It.”
Italian printing technology firm Durst Group is setting up shop in the Como area that is also home to many high-end textile producers.
The new site, Durst Como, will be the company’s third research and development facility. This hub will focus on advancing the use of inkjet applications for digital textile printing in apparel and home textiles. It will eventually extend its activities to textile production automation and software creation, and the location will also provide a meeting place for collaboration between Durst and its customers.
Durst is investing roughly 20 million euros (around $23 million at current exchange) into Durst Como’s buildings and infrastructure. Just in the last 12 years, the company has spent more than 50 million euros (approximately $57 million) on its textile business, including international expansion, updates to its sites in Brixen and Kufstein and investments in its laboratories. As part of this textile push, the company also acquired Aleph. Following the transaction close in 2025, Durst has integrated Aleph’s inkjet technologies for direct-to-fabric printing.
The company is aiming to double its revenues—which are currently more than 430 million euros—over the next five years, with its textile investments poised to support this scaling.
“This project represents a key milestone in our growth journey,” said Alessandro Manes, director global sales industrial textile at Durst Group. “Our objective is to create in Como a highly specialized technology and production hub, capable of attracting expertise, developing new professional skills and generating new opportunities for the local area.”
Textile technology nonprofit Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) has officially opened its new headquarters in Bedford, Mass. A ribbon-cutting event was attended by academics, government officials, leaders at brands like Puma and Shark Ninja and manufacturers such as textile producer Draper Knitting.
Along with its more than 150 members, the public-private partnership works to develop fiber and fabric technologies as well as manufacturing innovations.
“Our new facility enables AFFOA to expand its technical development capabilities, better serve the U.S. advanced textile ecosystem and create an environment to inspire the next generation of innovators,” said Sasha Stolyarov, Ph.D., CEO of AFFOA. He called the headquarters “a hub for collaboration, innovation and workforce development.”
Información reportada originalmente por WWD. Leer la nota completa en la fuente original.
