Recently I had the amazing opportunity to attend Texworld which is North America's largest sourcing event for apparel fabric buyers, research and product development specialists, designers, merchandisers and overseas sourcing professionals. I was able to visit many different vendors and booths as I learned more about new developments within the fashion industry and the role of sustainability that is being incorporated though new technologies and developments. This was very beneficial as both a sustainable fashion student and an emerging fashion industry professional.
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| Refibra Advertising |
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| Mannequins wearing garments made using TENCEL |
Something in particular that sparked my sustainable interest was the booth by a company called Lenzing which is known for being a leader when it comes to fiber innovation. The company developed new Refibra fibers, which are the new Tencel fibers, and are made from pulp that contains cotton scraps left over from cutting operations and wood. The representative told me how the fibers are produced in the lyocell production process. I also learned that worldwide, Lenzing is the first manufacturer to offer cellulose fibers featuring recycled material on a commercial scale and is a pioneer with this technology. Reducing the need to extract additional raw materials from nature lowers the impact on natural resources. With this advancement, Refibra fibers have initiated an important step towards a circular economy for textiles.
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| TENCEL Display |
In a world that is becoming increasing fixated on fast fashion, it is vital for everyone from consumers all the way through to manufactures to embrace new developments when it comes to fibers and the resulting fabrics that they can create. Bio-based textiles are more eco-friendly and have the ability to decrease the amount of thrown away that clothing that sits in landfills for years and years without going anywhere.
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| Circular Textile Economy |
Maybe these innovations can influence the way they fashion cycle operates and will be able to serve as a viable option for the manufacturing of apparel when it comes to the fibers and fabrics that are used. Regardless, this amazing advancement should be embraced and enforced by all of us since we are the future of a sustainable fashion industry and have the power to make a change!
Baylen- Great job describing who attends the show- which nicely puts the purpose of Texworld into context for your readers. And I am delighted to read you visited the Lenzing booth and learned about how their are innovating with their new Refibra fibers and with Tencel. You explain very well how the recycled fibers in Refibra will help the future of textiles. Your photos (and their captions) nicely add to your story and I like that you included a graphic of the circular economy. Circularity (once we have it down) is the main answer for future production. Thank you!
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