By Neena Bhandari, IANS,
Sydney : Flame-proof, anti-piracy, stab-resistant and a host of other cutting-edge fabrics, produced by New Zealand’s government-owned research group AgResearch, will be on show at the country’s annual fashion week beginning Tuesday.
A team of AgResearch textile scientists has worked with 10 of New Zealand’s top fashion designers to create a special collection of garments made from the revolutionary fabrics, based on Merino wool.
The AgResearch developed fabrics include Natural Easy Care 100 percent wool shirting and suiting fabrics.
“It breathes better than other shirting fabrics and is fully machine washable without the use of chemical treatments for shrink-proofing. This means that there are significant environmental benefits, which we believe will also be an advantage for retailers eager to serve the needs of discerning, environmentally aware consumers,” says AgResearch senior scientist Surinder Tandon.
Scientists Monday demonstrated a world-first technology that can detect a fake designer garment. The textile tracing system called Verifi TT, developed by AgResearch scientists in partnership with an Australian company DatatraceDNA, is set to revolutionise international textile markets by eliminating fraud and protecting valuable brands.
AgResearch general manager (food and textiles) Robert Finch says traceability and value chain authentication is becoming increasingly important to consumers and brands alike and the ease with which this technology solution can be applied represents a real value-adding opportunity for many companies.
The other cutting-edge fabrics include non-woven windproof fleece that carries moisture out through the fabric to keep you dry, yet it blocks the wind coming in.
Stab-resistant and flame resistant fabric, produced by combining wool with an ultra-high-strength polymer called Vectran, resists puncture or knife penetration, protects from flames, is lightweight, comfortable to wear and has the benefits of the breathability and comfort of wool as well as flame resistance.
“By profiling our fabrics we hope to attract the interest of manufacturers who may want to commercially produce and market our textiles,” says AgResearch corporate affairs manager Allanah James.