World retailers told wool supply linked to price

A delegation representing Australia’s woolgrowers has told customers throughout Europe that continued supply of Australian wool depends on a fair price being paid.
The delegation led by Yass woolgrower Barry Walker, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) Director Dr Meredith Sheil and AWI Strategic Adviser Stuart McCullough met with processors in Italy, Germany and the UK and delivered a powerful message … “if you want the world’s best wool – produced to the world’s highest ethical standards – then you just have to ask for it and pay for it”.
According to Barry Walker the realisation that large amounts of ethically produced wool were already on the market came as a relief to processors.
“It was an important trip … so that we could look these customers in the eye and assure them the Australian industry had listened to their concerns,” Mr Walker said.
“We were able to tell them that in the six months since the introduction of the National Wool Declaration (July 08), over 68,000 bales or more than 10 million kilos had been sold identified as either Non-Mulesed (NM), Ceased Mulesed (CM) or Mulesed with Pain Relief (PR).
“This represents a greater amount of apparel wool than from any other major wool producing country - like New Zealand, South Africa or Uruguay.”
AWI Chairman Wal Merriman said informing international customers empowered them to purchase Australian wool knowing they could satisfy their corporate social responsibility policies.
“We are encouraging retailers and processors to source their wool in line with their corporate social responsibility standards through their existing supply chain arrangements.
“Wool is now clearly identified and readily available through the auction system and supply chain alliances”, he said.
“While this milestone is great news, AWI continues its investment in the pursuit of better animal welfare outcomes and alternative flystrike prevention solutions.
“Millions of dollars has been spent to-date on projects such as clips, intradermals, breeding, integrated parasite management and pain relief studies.
“AWI remains focused on developing viable alternatives and we have in-fact increased program expenditure since the change of the AWI Board in November 2008.
He said AWI continued to research viable alternatives and present shareholders with a range of choices for them to use in their wool-growing enterprises.

XFIT LYCRA® FABRIC ALLOWS YOU 360° FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT!

*Innovative fashion project with BOGNER JEANS
and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover*

INVISTA, the largest elastane and nylon producer in the world and owner of many leading brands including the LYCRA® fibre brand, has supported a denim design initiative with top fashion brand, BOGNER JEANS and University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hanover.
Eight budding fashion designers from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts have been briefed to create a collection that will form part of the BOGNER JEANS’ autumn/winter collection 2009/2010. All of the students have used INVISTA’s patented fabric innovation for denim: XFIT LYCRA® fabric within their fashion designs. Prototypes of the denim designs will be exhibited at Munich Fabric Start, Munich/Germany which is taking place in the M, O, C, (Münchner Order Center), Zenith Halle, Hall 5, Blue Zone, Stand No. C00 (3.-5. February 2009).
On account of its multidirectional elasticity, the XFIT LYCRA® fabric has allowed the students to create a variety of different styles without limiting their creativity. All of the outfits offer outstanding comfort in wear, a perfect fit and a long lasting shape even after repeated wear and wash thanks to the benefits of XFIT LYCRA® fabric. Using this innovative fabric, the students can also create garments which have 360° freedom of movement even around difficult areas such as the knees, hips, waist or seams.
Tuula Salo, project leader, professor of fashion design and international coordinator of the University of Applied Sciences and Art Hanover, said: “Using XFIT LYCRA® fabric has given free rein to the creativity of the students. Even the jeans which are shaped close to the body are very comfortable to wear because of the flexibility of XFIT LYCRA® fabric which allows the denim fabric to follow any movement of the body.”
The BOGNER JEANS brand, developed and distributed under license by MUSTANG Group, Künzelsau/Germany, is well-known for its innovative collections characterised both by their aesthetic appeal and functional design. Jacqueline Sefranek, Managing Director and responsible for the BOGNER JEANS brand, says that only XFIT LYCRA® fabric was eligible for this project. “If you have ever worn jeans made of XFIT LYCRA® fabric you will never want to wear other jeans again. This functional high-tech fabric offers stretch in all directions and the greatest possible freedom of movement – that’s exactly what ‘active jeans’ are designed for.”
Marco Lucietti, RTW Segment Manager, INVISTA Apparel said: “We are delighted to be involved with this ambitious project and work with BOGNER JEANS and the University of Applied Arts and Sciences in Hanover. It is a great opportunity to develop new talent within the industry and to see these up and coming designers demonstrate their creativity using the latest innovation within the denim segment, XFIT LYCRA® fabric.”

ICEBREAKER SUPPORTS CHANGE: FREE MERINO UNDERWEAR OFFERED AT PORTLAND STORE THROUGH VALENTINE’S DAY

- Asks Oregonians to Change and Join “Take Care of Oregon Days” -

Portland, OR – Icebreaker, the New Zealand company that pioneered the outdoor merino wool apparel category, agrees that America must change. It must change out of cotton and polyester and into soft and sensuous merino underwear, which is silky against the skin, is lightweight, and doesn’t itch or scratch like traditional wool.

From February 7 to Valentine’s Day, February 14, 2009, Icebreaker will offer a free pair of its women’s NATURE underwear to any customer who agrees to change their undies at its Portland Touch_Lab store on 11th and West Burnside. (No need to bring your undies into The Touch_Lab- they're happy to take your word for it!) (Limit one per customer; while supplies last; offer does not apply to leggings; offer valid from Feb 7 – Feb 14, 2009.)

As part if the promotion, Icebreaker is also encouraging Oregonians to change Oregon and register to volunteer for “Take Care of Oregon Days.” Scheduled for May, Take Care of Oregon Days will be the largest day of volunteerism in Oregon history. A day when Oregonians from all over the state will come together and roll up their sleeves and change Oregon by cleaning up natural areas and playgrounds, make improvements to local schools and host community food drives. Take Care of Oregon Days is a project of Oregon 150, which is planning the state’s 150th birthday celebration.

Designed to keep a merino sheep feeling good in the harsh winters and scorching summers of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, Icebreaker merino regulates temperature to prevent wearers from freezing or overheating. It’s super-breathable, and the fiber contains millions of tiny air pockets to lock in body heat in cold conditions. Icebreaker merino is biodegradable, sustainably-produced and annually renewable.

Icebreaker offers beautiful, lightweight merino underwear for men and women in its BEAST and NATURE lines. BEAST is a premium underwear range that gives lovers a chance to reconnect with their inner Beast. Garments include briefs, boxers and t-shirts (crew and v-neck).

NATURE for women comes in two weights: Ultralite and Lite. Ultralight is our finest, lightest range of pure merino underwear, while Lite has extra merino fibre for added warmth. Garments include camis, bikinis, hipsters and leggings, and come in stunning colors and nature-inspired prints.

About Icebreaker
Launched in 1994, Icebreaker was the first company in the world to develop a merino wool layering system for the outdoors. It was also the first outdoor apparel company in the world to source merino directly from growers, a system it began in 1997. There are now 10 distinct pure merino fabrics in the Icebreaker system, covering underwear, mid layer, and outerwear.

Icebreaker is sold in more than 2000 stores in 24 countries throughout Europe, Asia, Australasia and North America. Based in Wellington, New Zealand, Icebreaker uses only pure merino hand-picked from 120 high country stations in the country's Southern Alps to create edgy outdoor clothing that combines nature's work with human technology and design. The company is committed to sustainability, ethical manufacturing and animal welfare. In 2008 the company launched “Icebreaker Baacode,” its pioneering transparency program. Each Icebreaker garment includes a unique Baacode, which enables customers to trace the garment online through the supply chain and right back to the farm where the fiber was grown. www.icebreaker.com

Dramatic improvements in productivity for high quality Wholegarment knitwear

Like the SWG®-X on which it is based, the new MACH2®X is a WHOLEGARMENT specialty machine that features 4 needle beds and Shima Seiki’s original SlideNeedle™. And like the SWG®-X, it can knit beautifully shaped, high-quality WHOLEGARMENT® products which conform to the body for improved comfort and a more elegant silhouette.
As the “MACH” name suggests, what sets the MACH2®X apart is its speed and productivity. The new R2CARRIAGE® system increases maximum knitting speed and permits quicker carriage returns for higher effi ciency per knitted course. New Split Stitch technique furthermore allows effi cient knitting by eliminating empty courses.

More and technical specification

Expofil, 10-13 February, Paris

Sustainable development, respect for the environment, ecology, recycling,… those are some of the final consumer’s concerns that the textile chain has been gradually integrating and that can be found in the collections of the fibre producers and spinners exhibiting at the forthcoming Expofil that will be held from 10 to 13 February 2009 at Parc d’Expositions de Paris-Nord Villepinte. However, performance is not left aside as shown in technological innovations applied in spinning as well as in treatments. Firmly anchored to the realities of market, Expofil has always favoured an approach that made it possible to give visitors a comprehensive, yet selective, offer that suits their needs precisely.
36 spinners and fibre producers from 15 countries have already registered for the next edition, among them 2 newcomers:
MITSUBISHI RAYON (Japan): This important Japanese group produces, among other fibres, 120 000 tons of acrylic fibres annually, of which 90% are exported. It will present at Expofil a range of products with special properties : anti-pilling (Vonnel H6 Series), anti-static (Corebrid-B), super fine denier fibre (Miyabi) and Funcle, a flat cross-section fibre. Its main markets are knitting (flat-bed and circular), hosiery, hand-knitting yarns and technical uses.
DARE GLOBAL-SINODENIM (China): This company, specialising in dyeing and finishing, presents CPRD (Continuous Pigment Ring Dyeing), an environmentallyfriendly new pigment dyeing process that allows an energy saving of 40% and a 95% water reduction. Its annual production capacity is 3 000 tons of dyed yarns, in a wide range of colours and fibres (bamboo, linen, Modal, viscose, cotton, polyester, Spandex, Tencel, etc.). These yarns are aimed at apparel weaving and flat-bed knitting.
We also see the return of the Italian spinner FILMAR, specialist of 100% long staple, mercerized, Egyptian cotton.
Designed this season by Dutch designer Mies Splinter, the Expofil forum is an inviting way for buyers to discover, as in a jewel case, the spinners and fibre producers’
products. The space is conceived as an unfolded house, a curio cabinet, with unexpected openings, poetic passages, disconcerting seethrough. It builds up a precious and sophisticated showcase of artistic know-how for the preview of yarns and fibres for autumn-winter 2010/11. This intimate space features interferences, with a winter season evolving between discretion, palpitations, precautions, perturbations and exaggerations. A space that unfurls and brings to broad daylight the updated products for spring summer 2010 as well as technological advances and fibre innovations.
The yarn/fabric cooperation continues in the «Pulsation» forum of hall 5, designed by Matali Crasset. In this area, a specific space is dedicated this season to environmentally- or human-friendly products. Developments centered on technological advances, especially in finishing processes, will be displayed alongside the innovations of fibre producers, spinners and weavers.

Used flat knitting machines for sale

1 Shima Seiki SEC202FF 5 80in. (203cms) 2 John Williams Textile Machinery

4 Stoll CMS430 7 90in. (229cms) 4 John Williams Textile Machinery

1 Shima Seiki SFE202T 12 12in. (30cms) 2 John Williams Textile Machinery

4 Shima Seiki SEC214K1 12 84in. (213cms) 4 John Williams Textile Machinery

2 Shima Seiki SES234FF 7 90in. (229cms) 4 John Williams Textile Machinery

2 Shima Seiki SES122S 7 48in. (122cms) 2 John Williams Textile Machinery

6 Shima Seiki SES122FF 3 48in. (122cms) 2 John Williams Textile Machinery

1 Shima Seiki NEW SWG-V 5 72in. (183cms) 3 John Williams Textile Machinery

4 Shima Seiki SES122F 10 48in. (122cms) 2 John Williams Textile Machinery

10 Shima Seiki SES122S 6 48in. (122cms) 2 John Williams Textile Machinery

3 Shima Seiki CMS433.6 10 98in. (249cms) 6 John Williams Textile Machinery

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Geosynthetics demand to increase to $2.1 billion in 2012

A new study from The Freedonia Group Inc., shows that demand for geosynthetics is projected to advance 2.5 percent annually to over 900 million square yards in 2012, valued at $2.1 billion. Gains will be promoted by rebounding road and highway construction spending. The study also says that in the near term, demand is also expected to be promoted by components of the Obama Administration’s economic stimulus program that involve public works.

Geosynthetics are used to stabilize foundations, promote drainage and prevent erosion, generally at a lower cost than alternative products. Demand for high-performance geosynthetics, such as geomembranes, geogrids and preformed geocomposites, will outpace demand for less costly geosynthetics the study says. These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in US Geosynthetics, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

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