Plastic bags are a major generator of greenhouse gases and hazardous waste.
Plastic takes around 300 years to degrade and are difficult and costly to recycle. They are used for packaging, containing goods such as eatables, chemicals, waste, magazines etc.
With the wide usage of plastic, with 40% only being used for a single time, they pose a major threat to Earth’s ecological system.
In order to make our Planet habitable for future generations it is imperative that sustainable options are adopted in the economy of textiles.
Reduce, reuse and recycle is the mantra for Plastic Waste.
Plastic bags between 500 billion and one trillion are thrown every year which end up in the landfill.
Plastic Usage
A Cairo-based design firm Reform Studio has come up with an innovative solution to transform the plastic bags into a fabric, with the intention of extending the life of all that old plastic.
This fabric is made by weaving plastic bags on a conventional Egyptian handloom. Also, the fabric also won the inaugural Ro Plastic Prize announced at Milan Design Week.
The final product made is washable and long lasting as well as it can keep out sand and dust.
Also, the small company has saved around 10,336 bags from the landfill and the designers have created a series of four different patterns plain, striped, zebra, and plaid that are all based on available quantities of recycled plastic bags.
They have used the material to manufacture furniture collections; including upholstering the chairs that can be found in many Egyptian coffee shops as well as other more contemporary chair designs with colorful Plastex.
The studio also launched a more general collection called “Re” that uses Plastex as its central material and includes high and low stools, benches, storage bags, and placemats.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Zero waste Fabric production can be considered as a benchmark that designers and manufacturers should aim to achieve.
According to zero-waste fashion designer Daniel Silverstein, there is 10-15% wastage of fabric in the fashion industry. Also, more than 13 million tons of fabric ends up in landfills in the United States alone.
According to the upcoming designer, his last employer spent around 500$ a month in order to get rid of the scrap from her designing studio.
Recyclable Waste from Global Textile Industry Production Cap
He finally decided to leave the company because he could see how much resources and fabric was getting wasted in cutting the designs.
It is a well-known fact that manufacturing of cloth requires dyeing, rinsing and treatment which ultimately uses large amount of freshwater.
Moreover, tons of chemical waste used in the process is released into the natural freshwater sources in addition to the 15% fabric waste from the designing studio floors ending up in landfills which pollutes the surrounding land areas.
A single T-shirt made from traditional cotton needs 2700 litres of water and a good amount of chemicals to produce.
In order to tackle the grim situation of wastage, Daniel Silverstein decided to set an example by using fabric leftovers from other companies to create his styles and eliminate waste.
The designer has created a name in the fashion industry and shown how fashion can still be fashion with zero-waste and organic fabric. He prefers locally made organic fabric and he wastes only a minimal quantity of fabric while adding the scraps or leftovers to the main cut.
This method is also very effective in creating a circular economy in textiles. Also, the designs produced by him are very modern and attractive with a lot of celebrities and models wearing the same.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Moreover, as consumers, it is our role to contribute to developing a circular economy.
Uncover five steps which will help create the Circular Economy.
A) Purchase raw vintage denim or mono-materials. Raw denim is 100% cotton and uses far less water and chemicals during production than dyed denim. Mono-materials (e.g. 100% cotton) ensure that the textile can undergo high-value recycling after you are done using it.
B) Whenever you are shopping, opt for recycled products if it is available in the market. Brands in the market are looking for signals from the market to incorporate recycled content.
C) In order to prolong the life of your jeans, you need to wash less. If you have worn it a couple of times and it is free of stains, keep it in the freezer to kill germs.
D) Repair your jeans. If your jeans are torn, try to mend them by watching YouTube tutorials.
E) Brands like H & M are looking for old clothes, such as old jeans. Send your old jeans for reuse or recycling, or donate them to your local charity shop.
In the future, humans will be able to live affluent lives on a healthy planet with robust and sustainable economies thanks to greater and more optimal utilization of the resources.
But actions must be performed immediately in order for that to be accomplished. Along with the brands, it is also the primary responsibility of the customer to live sustainably by making a sustainable lifestyle choice.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Textile is the second biggest polluting industry, using 800 billion gallons of water every year, accounting for 20% of industrial water pollution and utilising 5% of global landfills in the form of textile waste.
The rise in disposable income and rising fashion requirements of the current generation demands the need of a new system for the textiles economy.
The revolutionary reform would reduce negative impacts and capture a USD 500 billion economic opportunity by modifying the way clothes are designed, sold, and used. In such a model, clothes, fabric, and fibers re-enter the economy after use and never end up as waste.
The vision can be fully accomplished after the acceptance of the four reforms that would create better economic, environmental, and social outcomes, capitalizing opportunities missed by the current linear textiles system.
Here’s how the new textile economy can be achieved
Completely remove the use of substances of concern and microfiber release, by aligning industry efforts and coordinate innovation to create safe material cycles.
By changing the way clothes are designed, sold and used. This would help to break free from their increasingly disposable nature, by scaling up closing rental schemes; increasing durability and clothing utilization through brand commitments and new policy.
Primarily improve recycling by transitioning clothing design, collection and reprocessing; carrying on innovation to improve the economics and quality of recycling; stimulating demand for recycling materials; and implementing clothing collection at scale.
Efficient use of resources and shift towards renewable inputs.
As per Ellen Macarthur Foundation, “Achieving a new textiles economy will demand unprecedented levels of alignment. A system-level change approach is required and one which will capture the opportunities missed by the current linear textiles system.”
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Embroidery’s origin can be traced back to the 5th century BC, and its mention can be found in the Indian Vedas.
The age-old craft of embroidery may be years old or rather considered as outdated.
However, manufacturers in the sector are proving that innovation is still very much at the forefront of this important sector. With the transition in the garment industry, to meet the demands of fast fashion and ever-changing requirements, embroidery is certainly proving a very fertile ground for manufacturers.
Market Share by Operation
With the arrival of the latest technologies and computerized embroidery machines, a change is highly visible.
Here are the reasons which have driven innovation in the embroidery sector
First and foremost, it has been a case of adaptation to customer demand and, more importantly, the promise of high quality services and solutions.
In recent times, Indian embroidery motifs have gained much popularity in the global fashion scene.
Embroidery is now not restricted to only traditional clothes but has seeped into western outfits such as gowns, dresses, tunics etc.
The range of products in which embroidery is done has now expanded to accessories like handbags, home décor items like wall hangings etc.
Indian embroidery is a very fine line between history and modern times, and a distinguishing feature of Indian embroidery lies in the fact that each region of the country has a flavour of its own colour.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
The sustainable denim notion is not only used in first world nations but has also been introduced in developing countries.
To meet the ever-increasing demand of the millennials and environment, denim is undergoing a revolution in terms of aesthetics and availability.
With the arrival of latest denim technology brands like e-indigo, chrome chord, Indie-Jeans, and hybrid chinos the gap is being tackled efficiently.
Arvind Ltd., one of the largest denim producers in India, has implemented The Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) technology at their Denim’s Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP), with a capacity to treat 17,500 million liters per day (MLD) of textile effluent.
Moreover, the effluent is fully recycled and used in the process to replace the use of freshwater.
Some of the big brands like H&M as well as online website such as MYNTRA have started take-back programs, if which you can give away your old and unwanted clothes including denim. And in return shoppers get a discount voucher valid for future purchase.
The above-mentioned initiatives to reduce, recycle, reuse are certainly making us more responsible towards the environment.
Big brands are popularizing it and as responsible individuals we should carry it forward by choosing the right denim brand.
Sustainable Denim Production
With donating part profit to charitable trusts, sustainable denim brands are going beyond the bounds with eco-friendly and ethical manufacturing, building products that last—or, in this case, your new favorite pair of jeans.
We might be reckless now with our habits, however if we introspect what kind of future we would be giving our children, then we will certainly lean towards eco-friendly jeans.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Digital Textile Printing is a process of printing digital based designs and images directly on fabrics using various print methods.
In case you are looking to evolve your business and plan to enter direct to garment textile printing market, in that case, you will have a few queries about the technology and the process in itself.
Digital Textile Printing Methods
Let us find out more about these queries by scrolling down the blog.
For first-time textile printers:
With the new developments in direct to garment printing technology, the garment printing sector not only renders a diverse market, however also provides a very generous and profitable revenue stream to business owners.
The difference in textile printing when compared with flyers & brochures:
Direct to textile printing uses a very similar method to traditional print, but ideally, you should use 300 dpi and digital formats such as Tiff, PDF, EPS and PSD.
Most effective way to print on textiles:
It actually depends on the type of fabric. The best method for polyester textiles is sublimation transfer; however, you won’t be able to print white images or text.
With cotton products, one of the most common with customers exhibiting at trade shows, you can use pigment printing which means you can easily print white onto dark textile items.
The advantage of Digital Textile Printing over more traditional methods:
One of the most significant advantages of Digital printing is that is has a considerably shorter production method in terms of time. Moreover, when considering environmental factors digital printing saves a HUGE amount of water compared to conventional printing!
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Digitization can help brands increase their production multifold and reduce costs, providing more customer-specific solutions.
Digitization is the process of transmuting information into a digital format.
With the latest developments, the apparel brands and garment manufacturers have already become dependent on smart and multifaceted digitize production technologies as there is a gradual shift from conventional, manually-intensive labor operations in the supply chain.
At the brim of the IoT age, digitized technologies are a tool, connecting stakeholders with manufacturers as well as manufacturers with consumers.
Moreover, the most integral in this relationship is the need to respond rapidly to today’s fast fashion sector demands, which have been brought about by a generation of active and informed millennials who demand cheap, varied and sustainably sourced garment styles.
Benefits of Digitization
“It is extremely important to digitize production process in order for us to offer new solutions to our customers. It’s not about augmenting our current operations using digitize production technologies; it’s about what other solutions we can offer our customers that will help to boost our value proposition” says garment manufacturer.
“Whilst doing this, we also actively keep abreast of changing trends externally that affect our consumers. This gives us insight into trends that can be converted into the value in our designing phase, thereby allowing us to provide our customers with the most relevant, trending designs, “according to experts.
“Deployed in the cloud, these technologies provide a rich, multi-lingual interface for ease of use and are therefore extremely accessible to everyone,” comments Shivam Kharwal, marketing manager of ThreadSol – a software specialist based in Noida, India.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Dye Sublimation creates highly durable products with smoother and brighter colour transitions, creating a more superior look and sleeker finish as compared to inkjet printing.
Sublimation was discovered in 1957 by Noel de Plasse, a Frenchman who, while researching for a textile company, discovered that dyes could be transferred from a solid to a gaseous state without turning into liquids under certain conditions.
Dye Sublimation printing (also known as all-over printing) is a printing method that transfers ink from one sheet onto the receiving canvas (in our case, fabric).
During the sublimation process, heat causes the sublimation dye to turn into gas. Simultaneously, it also causes the synthetic fibers in polyester to loosen up, allowing gas to slip inside.
When the fabric cools, the dye returns to its solid form, and the polyester fibers tighten, leaving the dye and the fabric to bond chemically at a molecular level, thus making it bright, vibrant, eye-catching, and durable.
Compared to alternative printing methods, which are limited to a particular field, Dye-Sublimation printing is able to transfer a design on every inch of the garment.
Global Digital Textile Printing Market, by Substrate
Three most common types of fabrics used are:
Cotton:
Cotton is a topmost and the best choice when it comes to sublimation, also a lot of cotton shirts are printed in this way. Sublimated cotton apparels are soft, breathable and very comfortable for people who choose to wear it.
Though you cannot sublimate on 100% cotton, as the dye bonding with the fabric happens on the surface rather than in the fabric itself because of lack of cohesiveness between the cellulose and the dye. This will hence make the image fade, peel or crack over time after 5-6 washes.
However, there are various ways to sublimate cotton. The only thing to ensure is that there needs to be some form of intermediary between the dye and the cotton surface.
The first is to apply a special polyester surface coating to cotton. The other is that you can print the image on a special treated transfer paper, which can be transferred onto cotton in the second step. Sublimation fabric sheets can also be used to replicate the appearance of polyster sublimation.
There are other methods, like using glitter particles, cricut, or vinyl.
Sublimation on cotton requires a temperature of 360°F to 400°F. Some of the practices for getting the best sublimation result involve using a blend of 65% polyester and 35% cotton.
Polyester:
This is another kind of fabric which is typically used for the purpose of dye sublimation.
Mostly, due to the fact that the polymers present in this type of fabric can easily open up when exposed to heat. Due in its gaseous form, dye can enter the fabric through the open pores and get locked within once the fabric gets cooled after the printing process is over.
One of the most important factors which make polyester the best fabric for Dye-Sublimation is undoubtedly the fact that it remains largely free of wrinkles even when worn for a long time.
Synthetic fibers:
Synthetic fibers generally consist of acrylic, olefin, nylon, spandex, acetate, Kevlar, rayon, orlon and lastex.
Out of these, nylon, rayon, spandex and acrylic have become some of the top fabrics for printers using Dye-Sublimation technology because of the strength and durability that these fabrics come with.
Nylon :
It is possible to sublimate on all types of nylon at low temperatures (165°C to 170°C for 80 to 90 seconds), but as there are various types of nylon, each one reacts differently to the dyes.
In order to get the best results, nylon is pre-treated with additives to help with absorption.
Nylon 6 and Nylon 7 are the most common types of Nylons used, as they aid in color penetration and because of their higher durability and adaptability.
Rayon :
You cannot sublimate on 100% rayon because of its soft bonds. The fiber starts to become weak when heated above 150°C with a burning point of 250°C. So the heat from the sublimation printer causes the fabric to melt and become sticky.
However, rayon can be sublimated using either a polyester coating on its substrates or a blend of 30% rayon and 70% polyester.
The polyester coating and the image print is generally known to wash away after 5-6 washes and the color starts fading , so the best recommended and used technique for sublimation is polyester blend.
Acrylic :
As acrylic is rich in polymers, they are great dye absorbers, and thus it provides one of the best results for dye sublimation. They are also preferred because of their transparency and perceptible clarity.
The high polymer content of acrylic eliminates the need for applying any separate polymer coats, thus making 100% acrylic sublimation possible.
Extruded and cast acrylic are the two types of acrylic. Cast acrylic is used over extruded acrylic because of its higher melting point and greater heat resistance, making it a better choice for heat transfer in dye sublimation.
The most suitable temperature for acrylic sublimation is between 370°F and 400°F, with a heat press generally running for 45 to 60 seconds.
Synthetic Fibers if used 100% does not last longer, so its always advised to blend the fiber with polyester like in case of rayon, you can either blend 32% of rayon with 68% of polyester for dye sublimation or you can apply polyester coating on rayon substrates.
However, these do not offer as much comfort as fabrics like cotton. Naturally, many of these are blended with cotton to enhance the comfort factor for wearers.
With various fabrics for sublimation, polyester is one of the best fabrics to use for sublimation. It’s flat surface lends itself exceptionally well to dye-sub printing techniques, and its high quality fabric base means that vivid and bright colours are easily achievable.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Digital textile printing has revolutionized the textile industry with less turnaround time, high cost effectiveness, and higher resolution with incredible quality
In the past few years, digital textile printing has emerged as one of the most creative industries in the world.
The recent innovations in the digital printing technology are the key contributors to the rapid growth of this industry. It does not matter, whether you are an ‘Entrepreneur’ or an investor, there is an immense possibility for you to earn the profit as this industry has a lot to offer.
The digital textile printing is basically printing designs on the garments or onto the larger rolls of fabric for the purpose of advertisement, corporate branding, etc.
Source: Statista
Today, leading companies prefer to use fabric printing for promoting their brand.
Also, it is one of the best and most preferred media of advertising as it has a lower cost of production.
As we all know, there are no set rules for the market as trends keep changing from time to time. So for any business to survive in long run, it is very important that their brand image is really good for the consumers.
The leading brands are aware of this fact, that’s why they are investing such a large amount of money in branding.
Also, the growing demand in the digital textile printing industry has made it very favorable for the people who want to enter into this industry. The creative ideas and positive approach are all you need to succeed in this fabric printing industry.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
Embroidery is a beautiful handicraft and has graced many fabrics and designer pieces.
Embroidery’s origin can be traced back to the 5th century BC, and its mention can be found in the Indian Vedas.
A lot of people grew up seeing the elder females practice this fine art which can be traced back to ancient times.
There was, of course, no embroidery machine back then and needlework art was used to decorate everything ranging from household stuff to religious objects.
Embroidery Design
Advancement in technology gave rise to the earliest prototype of embroidery machine which was gigantic in size.
While the recent computerized version sits nicely in a small space, its earliest counterpart took up the whole room to fit in. The industry made its first small leap of progress with the invention of ‘hand embroidery machine’ by Frenchman Josue Heilmann.
The next important step which led to the progress of this invention was the manufacturing of these machines.
The manufacturer of the first embroidery machine was St. Gallen from Switzerland.
Embroidery Machine
The technology that was first brought into use by the Frenchman led to the development of modern-day embroidery machines.
Long before the mass usage of affordable computers, this art was carried out by punching designs on paper that ran through the embroidery machine.
It was in the year 1911 when the Singer Sewing Company developed the first multi-head embroidery sewing machine. After a temporary halt due to war, the machines took on the market like wildfire in the 1950s.
Later in the 1980s, the first computerized embroidery designs were introduced by Wilcom. From there to the modern highly advanced versions, embroidery machines have certainly evolved a lot.
Visit Gartex Texprocess India, a leading textile and garment exhibition in India, held in Pragati Maidan, New Delhi and Jio World Convention Centre, Mumbai, and learn about the latest technology, cutting-edge equipment, materials, and services in the industry.
The jeans made from Denim were invented by Jacob W. Davis in partnership with Levi Strauss & Co. in 1871.
It has been almost 150 years since its arrival. However, the denim industry has transitioned over the years, now offering an eclectic range of denim applications besides trousers.
It is imperative that a Denim Show is crafted for the Indian market.
With the changing times and trends. Therefore, Denim Show is going to be a part of Gartex 2018.
It is a unique opportunity for denim fraternity in India. It is a reason for professionals and denim heads to get united by the love of indigo. The show renders an opportunity to discover innovations and trends in denim for the first time in India.
Denim was quite prevalent a few years back and a huge fashion trend, however, it is making a huge comeback after the athleisure trend will get stronger in the coming seasons.
The Denim Show will prove as an excellent platform to gain knowledge and latest updates on denim developments.
It can be reckoned as a much-needed platform to participate in the development of original products.
The show is an eclectic platform for exhibitors from Denim Mills, Accessories & Trims, Denim Finishing & Washing Technology, Denim Garment & Apparel Machinery and Dyes & Chemicals.
Visitors such as Garment/Denim Manufacturers, Denim Designers, Merchandisers, Apparel Brands, Export Houses, Brands, Fabric Sourcing Teams and Buying Houses will find this exhibition extremely productive as well as connect with the major Denim industry players!
Be a part of Gartex Show, and capitalize on this excellent opportunity to explore innovation combined with traditional quality and style.
