VELLUTO
a new yarn technology
- The concept of unisex clothing is getting stronger and stronger day by day. It is now believed that dividing people based on their genders is just another way of discriminating them.
- Forecasting section of Project Blue Book has predicted that the demand of soft and premium hand feel will raise in denim market.
- Foreseeing this demand, our developers have worked on a premium air blown yarn technology. The idea is to impart bulkiness by blowing air in the core of the yarn while maintaining a sufficient yarn strength.
- Definitely the yarn technology is supported by other important factors like fiber staple length and maturity of lumen. It is further reinforced with an according construction of fabric focusing majorly on cloth cover factor.
- The entrapped air allows the yarn to get compressed by pressing and touching, mimicking an improved hand feel and premium touch without using any special fiber.
THE ORBIT COLLECTION
a new – more sustainable – way of dying
The modern denim industry is moving in the direction of sustainability starting from the raw material source to end product. We are witnessing denim washes with minimal dry process and raw looks to encourage lesser processing and thus lesser use of resources for a pair of jeans. The forecast in denim industry is very clear and everybody is looking for sustainable denim products. The overall denim industry is wasting a lot of resources, starting from the cultivation land and water required for growing cotton, use of excessive chemicals to energy consumption in denim processing and supply chain. In such a situation specifying a corner of stores for a bunch of extremely sustainable products is not a long term solution. We must adopt sustainable practices throughout the supply chain of denim industry. For instance, promoting the use of Organic Cotton and Post Consumer Cotton even in small percentage are better options because any product can be converted into a sustainable one. Similarly we need to evolve denim processing in a much responsible way.
In this regard researchers at Indigo Textile Pvt Ltd have introduced a sustainable technique not only for the denim fabric processing but it is also supportive in garment low impact washing. This dyeing technique ensures deposition of indigo dye only in the circumference of yarn making sure that there is no dye loss in the core, as shown in Fig 1 where cross section of warp yarn is white and bright with only outer deposition of Indigo.
Fig 1: Cross Section of Orbit Dyed Yarn
The sustainable benefits of Orbit Dyeing Technology can be divided in to denim processing and garment washing. Firstly, I will discuss the savings of Orbit dyeing during denim processing.
In usual rope dyeing technique for instance, a 6% shade has a typical dye loss of 2% in the core so the visible part is only 4% which is present on the yarn surface. With Orbit dyeing the same shade appearance can be achieved with 4% dye shade as there is no loss of dye into the core of the yarn and all of the dye molecules are present on the surface. This way we can reduce the chemical consumption upto 35%. Similarly, we can achieve a 4 dips shade in 3 dips as the yarn is more prepared for absorbing the dye much quickly. Therefore, water consumption and energy requirement can be reduced depending upon the shade depth. According to in-house calculations water and energy consumption can be reduced upto 30%.
Chart 1: Benefits of Orbit Dyeing
Denim fabric with Orbit dyeing is an ideal base fabric for sustainable denim washing mainly because of its brilliant cut off against laser. As the core of the yarn is white, it requires less laser intensity in comparison to normal denim fabric. For instance if normal fabric requires an intensity of 70 then Orbit dyed fabric can produce similar results at an intensity of 50. This not only reduces the energy consumption, but it also helps in avoiding the strength issues which are usually associated with laser washed denim. However, the biggest advantage of Orbit denim is time saving in laser dry process. Usually, to achieve required fading and brightness in dry process additional/manual touch ups are required in laser washes specially in production, with Orbit technology this can be reduced significantly as the colour cut off is already bright. In addition to this, another benefit is the quick wash off property of orbit dyed fabric, which results in reducing the overall wash time, thus saving energy.
Fig 2: Orbit Dyed Jacket
We have seen that it is really easier to achieve low EIM scores during garment washing with the help of Orbit dyeing technology. It is a step forward towards sustainable practices in denim processing by Indigo Textile.
LowCO2
The next shout out for the fast adaptation industries is responsible product development. From fuel efficient and renewable energy cars of automobiles to biodegradable composites, the ethical and responsible product line is important for the planet we all love equally. Just like other global industries vigorous working is in progress in fashion and denim industry for sustainable clothing.
In denim industry the use of water, energy and CO2 emissions are extremely high. Therefore, the overall carbon footprint of the industry is high which is needed to be reduced significantly. A lot of work has already been done in the area of water savings. For example, the demand of organic cotton (in which water consumption is 80% lesser than conventional cotton and no harmful pesticides are used during cultivation) is increasing as consumer is getting educated on these matters. The latest automations in denim machinery are also reducing the energy consumptions for instance e-Flow Technology by Jeanologia is a great example. However, a lot of work has to be done in the area of processing to further reduce the energy consumptions. A lot of transportation and gas emissions also result in a higher CO2 emission level.
However, the most alarming fact about clothing industry is the used textile waste. Only in USA over 15 Million Tons of used clothing is generated every year. About 35% is either reused/recycled or combusted for energy, rest of 65% is sent to landfill on an additional cost of approx. 45$ per ton. This shows the significance, need and importance of recycling of textile waste.
Fig 1: 100% Recycled Denim
The Project Blue Book at Indigo Textile has launched a Low Footprint Denim collection including 100% Recycled Denim Fabric. The researchers at Indigo Textile have come up with a feasible solution of converting reused fibres into denim without incorporating any new fiber. Previously, strength loss remained a major issue that restricts the use of PCW fiber upto 30% at max, in the overall fabric composition and it will be resolved with this innovative technology. This will help us in avoiding the use of fresh water i.e. over 2500 Liters of water which is required to grow fresh cotton needed for a pair of jeans. In this collection we will be launching a few more brainstormed sustainable products like cotton free fabrics. For sure this is the direction which is needed to be followed to significantly reduce the footprint values of our products.
5th Element
to produce a better fabric
- Creating a perfect jegging fabric is always a challenging task. As it is difficult to maintain a balance in the ideal requirements for such a fabric.
- For instance, higher stretchability usually results in lower fabric width and has adverse effect on recovery as well. Addition of polyester to control growth compromises the hand feel and causes itchiness. Furthermore, the denim character is missing as the yarn counts used are usually too fine.
- The Fifth Element is a ground breaking fabric construction by Indigo Textile that helps in maintaining equilibrium in all the fundamental elements required for a perfect jegging fabric.
Fig 1: Attributes of 5th Element Collection
