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Awaiting Apparel



despite a lot of interest, nonwovens have not yet made inroads in clothing



Karen McIntyre




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Ten years ago it looked like nonwovens’ proliferation into the apparel market was on the horizon. PGI’s Miratec fabric was being used to make Levis jeans; Freudenberg’s Evolon technology was boasting attributes of launderability and drapability and many other nonwovens manufacturers were looking to develop competing technologies to hopefully target apparel.

However, since then, few, if any, inroads have been made in that direction. PGI changed its focus and has more recently focused its resources on more traditional nonwovens markets such as hygiene, wipes and industrial applications; Freudenberg continues to promote Evolon but has shied away from apparel applications.

While nonwovens have been able to expand their role in some apparel-related areas like protective gear, adult incontinence, medical garments and even some extreme sports applications, as far as traditional garments go, their role has remained limited to interlinings and other structural enhancement areas.