"At present, the modern world tends to follow minimalist ideas,” says Hungarian textile designer Zsuzsanna Szentirmai-Joly. “Everybody seems to simplify and purify.” When developing her signature fabric and business, Laokoon, Szentirmai-Joly threw pure and simple out the window. She opted instead for opulent colors, texture resembling curved fish scales, and the ability to take on [...]

The 2015 AATCC Technical Manual is now available, featuring two new test methods, 10 significantly revised methods, and nine editorially revised methods. Published each January, the manual contains close to 150 test methods and evaluation procedures used worldwide to evaluate and characterize fiber and textile materials. You can order it as a cloth-bound book or [...]

Installing graphic wraps for motor vehicles is an art and a science, and businesses competing for work need to provide high quality wraps on quick timelines. Mutoh America Inc., a Phoenix, Ariz., manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers, joins vinyl film materials company Avery Dennison Corp., Glendale, Calif., in a road show that can give graphic [...]

A joint project to develop a long-lasting regenerative patch for cardiac-repair applications will receive support from a program created by Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to promote collaboration between the medical and industrial fields. Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki, Fukui Warp Knitting Co. Ltd., Fukui City, and Teijin Limited, Tokyo, are working together to [...]

New York City announced a $3.5 million investment in a new Manufacturing Innovation Hub located in Brooklyn in a 160,000-square-foot facility with research, design, development and manufacturing resources for emerging designers and apparel manufacturers. The hub will include a specialized sample-making factory; research and development center; design accelerator to create a pipeline of fashion and [...]

The Textile Protection and Comfort Center (T-PACC) at North Carolina State University’s (Raleigh) College of Textiles is inviting industry members to participate in its Consortium on Outdoor Materials Performance Ensembles, Testing and Evaluation, intending to establish an industry-based collaborative research consortium to study principles of human performance and comfort and the influence clothing provides to [...]

A study by consultants Frost & Sullivan of Mountain View, Calif., found the market for micro-encapsulated phase-change materials (MPCMs) earned $45.1 million in 2013 and estimates the market will reach $99 million in 2018. The study covers MPCMs incorporated in textile and mattress components such as fibers, yarns, fabrics, foams and gels, reporting that the [...]

Ameritex Fabric Systems, Bradenton, Fla., leased space in Rome City, Ind., two years ago, bringing its engineered canvas enclosures, tops and covers to pontoon and sport boat manufacturers in the upper Midwest. Ameritex will double its regional production space by moving the Rome City operations to a leased facility in Kendallville, Ind., and establishing a [...]

Garmatex Technologies Inc., Vancouver, B.C., Canada, and Diagnomics Inc., San Diego, Calif., have signed a five-year letter of intent to develop health care scrubs and linens, using Garmatex’s fabric treatment expertise and Diagnomics’ biotech testing and genome sequencing to produce the next generation of antimicrobial textiles that fight hospital-acquired infections. Diagnomics will make a significant [...]

Sigmatex Ltd., Cheshire, England, makes carbon fiber textiles for composite materials in Rochdale, England; Shanghai, China; and Benicia, Calif. In its latest expansion, the company will invest $12 million in a 75,000-square-foot facility in Orangeburg County, S.C. The Matthews Industrial Park near Orangeburg has enough space for future company growth in the aerospace and automotive [...]