TRENDS IN APPAREL + FOOTWEAR DESIGN AND INNOVATION • JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 • A FORMULA4 MEDIA PUBLICATION MODERN MOBILITY TEXTILES THAT ARE GOING PLACES textileinsight.com • @textileinsight STROKE of Introducing LYCRA® FitSense™ technology for lightweight, targeted support. A breakthrough innovation that can be printed onto any part of any fabric. Discover more at LYCRA.com LYCRA FitSense EcoMade AO Textile Insight Print Ad x 2.indd 1 10/28/19 8:28 AM ® TEXTILE INSIGHT Editor/Associate Publisher Emily Walzer [email protected] Editorial Director Cara Griffin Art Director Francis Klaess Contributing Editors Suzanne Blecher Kurt Gray Jennifer Ernst Beaudry Kathlyn Swantko Publisher Jeff Nott [email protected] 516-305-4711 Production Brandon Christie 516 305-4710 [email protected] JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 Advertising Katie O’Donohue [email protected] 828-244-3043 Sam Selvaggio [email protected] 212-398-5021 Subscriptions: store.formula4media.com One year, $24.00 (U.S. Funds) in the United States. All other countries, $54.00 (U.S. Funds). Formula4Media ® Formula4 Media Publications Footwear Insight Footwear Insight Extra Outdoor Insight Team Insight Team Insight Extra Textile Insight Textile Insight Extra Trend Insight sportstyle PO Box 23-1318, Great Neck , NY 11023 Phone: 516-305-4709 Fax: 516-305-4712 In the Market ...................................................... 6 Footwear ................................................................ 34 www.formula4media.com A roundup of what’s hot for F/W 20; test method for Industry expert Simon Bartold discusses the materials and microfiber shedding debuts; new wools to watch; and more. science behind Nike’s much talked about VaporFly shoes. Textile Insight® is a registered trademark of Formula4 Media, LLC. ©2020 All Technology ....................................................... 15 Trendsetter ....................................................... 36 rights reserved. The opinions expressed Despite challenges, the cotton market aims to move forward Vionic Pro Footwear gets the job done with style and by authors and contributors to Textile Insight are not necessarily those of the in 2020. Writer Debra Cobb offers an industry outlook. substance for professionals on their feet all day. editors or publishers. Textile Insight is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, Made in America .............................................. 18 Survey ............................................................... 40 photographs or artwork. Articles Textile suppliers and domestic makers are revitalizing regions This installment of Trend Insight Consumer delivers research appearing in Textile Insight may not be with investment, employment and strategic direction. on purchasing decisions by active outdoorists with feedback reproduced in whole or in part without conducted on MESHI’s Insight Platform. the express permission of the publisher. Strategies ......................................................... 20 Textile Insight is published bi-monthly: Small firms with big ideas are finding traction in the apparel Jan/Feb; Mar/Apr; May/Jun; Jul/Aug; Education ............................................................... 44 Sep/Oct; and Nov/Dec. space with innovation backed by unique story telling. Researchers at University of British Columbia create a chemical process to convert cotton waste into high-value nanofibers. Postmaster: Send address changes to Cover Story ...................................................... 26 Textile Insight, P.O. Box 23-1318 Performance textiles are increasingly modern travel Out of Context ....................................................... 46 Great Neck, NY 11023 companions. We spotlight the latest developments. Staying warm is about a lot more than test results, writes textileinsight.com Kurt Gray, outlining how real world performance factors in. TEXTILE TALK | EMILY WALZER Will Performance Define Outdoor in the New Decade? 24/7 on-the-go culture. These trends take shape on the following pages. Stories explore how textile suppliers re-frame innovation in new and different ways, and how small companies are having a big impact using textiles to tell stories that align with customer values. We spotlight multi-tasking textiles that raise the bar on apparel and footwear tuned for travel, workwear and service industry professionals — categories to watch in 2020 — and provide updates on cotton, wool, microfibers and insulation essentials. was caught off guard at a trade show recently when But here’s the thing: where does this leave an exhibitor stopped me in the aisle and asked what performance? Has our planet-saving state of mind pushed II thought were the most influential trends of the past performance aside? Does the desire for comfort and decade. I felt like I was on a game show and had to buzz convenience take an important edge off of hard-core in my answer quickly so as not to be eliminated from functionality? Is low-impact the new high-tech? the conversation. Off the top of my head I responded: Textile driven performance put outdoor on the map, “sustainability,” “speed to market,” and “active and yet “performance” wasn’t on the tip of my tongue lifestyle.” The exec nodded in a manner indicating for when asked about game-changing industry trends. I like me to elaborate. I ventured on, rattling off a number of how my North Face parka keeps me snug while waiting on climate-positive examples of material innovation and the platform for the 7:08 train from New Haven into Grand supply chain practices introduced during the past few Central on a stormy winter morning. And my hiking years. I made a case for speed to market pointing out buddies swear by their SmartWool baselayers. This been- the fact that new product is now presented constantly there, done-that functionality is all well and good. But at Has our and seamlessly year-round, with no regard to season, the upcoming trade shows, it will be my turn to ask that planet- or traditional time lines. I explained that in fact I had exec: How will performance influence the next decade? In attended a seminar about consumers’ “want it all, and the meantime, feel free to buzz in with your responses. I saving want it now” expectations. Fairly out of breath at this welcome your thoughts! state point, but determined to fulfill what I now deemed an of mind impromptu work assignment, I mentioned to the exec Happy 2020, how an increasingly urban-centric outdoor audience over pushed the past decade played a big role in ushering in a new performance breed of comfortable, versatile fabrications that fit the aside? everyday needs as well as the fitness requirements of our Emily SUSTAINABLE TEXTILES Textile-Based Product Solutions MEAN THE WORLD TO US. For nearly 40 years, we’ve scoured the globe, seeking only the best partners to help us design and develop the most sustainable fabrics and eco-friendly textile innovations. Why? So the world’s favorite brands can build better gear while also preserving the one planet we all share. VISIT US! proud partner of Booth 54069-UL conceptiii.com 4 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2020 textileinsight.com IN THE MARKET | OR+SS PREVIEW Eco Performance in Lightweight Weather Protection Directional in Fall/Winter 2020. Warming Trends breathable. Previously a single fabric development for four years the aero- technology, the new Pro is differenti- brane membrane’s unique structure ated into three products: one optimized consists of an ultra-fine, hydrophilic for 20 percent stretch, another for polyurethane fiber composite that dif- breathability, and a third for durability, fers from other film-based membranes allowing apparel makers to tailor the and offers a softer feel and beautiful, tech for specific activities. The new fluid textile characteristics. aerobrane Gore-Tex Pro features recycled content features in Outlier’s Experiment 200 nnovation is in high gear for materials and solution-dyed backers “Ecstasy in the Rain” jacket launched the season ahead as textile sup- to minimize environmental impact. in December. Ipliers continue to explore new Toray unveils new technologies Unifi previews sustainable and tech- and improved ways to deliver that provide significant upgrades nical developments, an evolution lightweight, yet highly functional regarding fiber production from in activewear knits, and program fabrications for cold weather wear. PET plastic bottles. One technology initiatives. New is availability Advancing product development produces a pure white fiber, provid- of Repreve cationic qualities in and supply chain practices that ing greater end use applications, response to demand for perfor- focus on sustainability is also a key while the other new tech offers a mance heathers but with recycled element of introductions slated for proprietary traceability system that polyester. The company also spot- Fall/Winter 2020. can identify specific contaminants lights the Repreve Our Oceans, Important too are upgrades in in the raw materials. Toray has a global initiative that works to membrane technology. This cat- created a new brand called “&+” prevent bottles from entering the egory has gotten buzzy in recent to market the development. waterways via programs in coastal seasons with an uptick in e-spinning Concept III Textiles showcases sus- areas of development regions. 33 capabilities and creativity around tainability throughout its collections, percent of the flake that goes into air permeability in waterproof/ including a new collaboration