EcoZeal

Eco-fashion is not just a cool concept but is proving a useful economic tool for Japan’s textile manufacturers.

Environment-friendly new products from recycled cotton to organically-dyed cashmere and a revolutionary treatment to make wool shrink-resistant without using chemicals were among the innovations showcased at a trade fair in Paris to woo the fashion capital’s top designers.

They have identified the emerging eco-friendly market as one way of staying ahead of the game.

Fujitex, which built its reputation on luxury – it has two entries in the Guinness Book of Records for paying the highest ever price for Australian merino wool and for selling the world’s most expensive material, vicuna – has a new range of cashmere dyed with plant extracts, such as pomegranate, acacia and cloves.

“We are trying to deploy natural dyes instead of chemicals in consideration of the environmental issues which the whole world should address,” Fujitex president Toru Fujita said.

Miyashin is experimenting with combining bamboo and traditional Japanese paper with silk. The resulting fabrics can look heavy but are in fact incredibly light, some with a “peach skin” finish. Meanwhile the Takahashi firm has found a new use for the very strong hard-wearing cottons worn by judo players for high-end coats and furnishing fabrics to cover sofas.

Toa-Knit and Aona Pile are both pioneering techniques to produce new versions of jacquards. Toa-Knit uses circular machines to produce jacquards with geometric patterns on an industrial scale which look as delicate as lace although nylon is used to give them strength. “People can’t believe they are not devore,” where chemicals are used to eat away the surface of the fabric, the company said.

Aona Pile, which specialises in ultra-high gauge fabrics, produces jacquards in dense velours which are extremely lightweight alongside fake furs, which sales manager Nobuaki Ando predicts are the future.

The real key to survival, he believes, is innovation. “We never stop researching and producing new materials. We can’t afford to.”

Source: AFP