[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
Seminar Offering at [TC]²
Two Day Technical Design Program - |
December 9-10 |
This program has been designed to provide an introductory overview of basic technical design concepts with an emphasis on:
• Fabric characteristics and selection |
This seminar will be presented at [TC]²’s facility - 5651 Dillard Drive, Cary, NC.
To register, contact Debra Gill at 919.653.3501, or use our contact form.
For more information on other educational offerings, go to: http://www.tc2.com/index_education.html.
Naturally Colored Cotton
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
Colored cotton is a naturally pigmented fiber. It has been cultivated for thousands of years. In the 1500’s the Spaniards marveled at the fields of colored cotton growing throughout Peru. Colors ranged from white, tan, maroon, mauve, chocolate brown and green. Except for a few brief resurgences in popularity, the use of colored cotton has been confined to small groups of artisans. However, with the growing interest in eco-friendly textile processing, colored cotton offers a unique and aesthetically appealing alternative to traditional textile dyeing.
History
Colored cotton has been cultivated throughout history by many cultures for utilitarian and aesthetic purposes. Some of the oldest uses of colored cotton have been found in the settlement of Huaca Prieta in northern Peru, where the arid coastal climate helped to preserve ancient textiles. The fisherman of the Peruvian settlement used chocolate brown cotton fibers to make nets and lines because they were less visible to the fish than white cotton. This practice is still used today by the fisherman of that region. At the same time, fabrics constructed with chocolate brown and tan fibers were used to make decorative fabrics.
With the introduction of synthetic dyes in the late 1800’s, the longer staple white cotton fiber could be inexpensively dyed in almost any color. Colored cotton was marginalized and its use became confined to a few small, traditional artisans.
Colored cotton experienced a brief resurgence in popularity during World War II. Green and brown cotton fibers were cultivated because synthetic dyes were not available during the war. At this time Soviet farmers began producing colored cotton products. The U.S. government enlisted the help of the famous agronomist, J.O.Ware, to study the Soviet cotton plants to determine whether the plants could be commercially cultivated in the U.S. Ware and his colleagues concluded that the green and brown cotton had no commercial viability because it did not produce enough lint and that which was produced was too short in staple length.
After disappearing into virtual obscurity, colored cotton had another resurgence in popularity in the early 1990’s. The interest in colored cotton in the U.S. was in a large part due to the research conducted by Sally Fox. Before the research conducted by Fox, naturally colored cotton was known to have low yields and short staple lengths. Staple length is an important factor in yarn spinning. Staple length also affects the strength and quality of the yarn.
In 1982, Fox began a breeding and selection program to improve the length and quality of naturally colored cotton fibers. She investigated the potential for producing commercially viable long-fibered colored cotton. By 1988, Fox had developed colored cotton hybrids with fibers long enough to machine-spin. Fox began to market a variety of naturally colored cotton fibers she coined FoxFiber ®.
Naturally colored cotton suddenly began to appear as a fashion item in the early 1990's. Big U.S. clothing manufacturers such as Patagonia, Levi Strauss and Esprit began to produce a variety of products utilizing naturally colored cotton and billing it as "environmentally friendly" cotton and cotton that is “chemical free.” However, by the mid 1990’s the popularity of colored cotton began to wane.
Colored Cotton Today
With the growing interest in eco-friendly processes, colored cotton offers a unique way to produce decorative fabrics without bleaching and dyeing. To produce a consistent color from lot to lot in traditional textile processing, cotton needs to be bleached. After bleaching the cotton is dyed using various chemicals. If diligent clean-up practices are not adhered to during these two processes, chemicals can end up in the water stream.
Naturally colored cottons are also considered environmentally friendly because they have many insect and disease-resistant qualities, and are drought and salt tolerant.
The dyeing process is also costly. It is estimated that the elimination of dyeing could save up to one half the manufacturing cost. Colored cotton naturally occurs in a variety of shades including brown and green and therefore the bleaching and dyeing processes can be eliminated.
Properties of Colored Cotton Fastness
The tint of naturally colored cotton is influenced by environmental factors such as soil type, nutrient supply and sun exposure. Different strains have different fastness to washing and light.
Studies show that regardless of the strain, the depth of shade of naturally colored cotton increases after laundering. After repeated washings, some colored cottons start to return to their original hue.
Some naturally colored cotton fibers darken with exposure to light. However, green is the least stable and fades to tan with extended exposure to light. Chemical treatments can be used to improve the light fastness of the colored fiber.
Abrasion Resistance, Bursting Strength, Dimensional Stability and Pilling Resistance
A study conducted in the late 1990’s compared specific properties of naturally colored cotton to pima cotton. All fabrics had relatively good abrasion resistance. The naturally colored brown fabrics performed similarly to the white pima cotton fabrics.
The white pima cotton fabric had significantly higher bursting strength than all naturally colored cotton fabrics before and after 20 launderings. Again the brown naturally colored cotton fabric performed the closest to the white pima of all the naturally colored cotton fabrics tested.
The dimensional stability and pilling resistance of naturally colored cotton fabrics and white pima cotton fabrics were similar.
Other Properties
Studies have found naturally colored cottons to have a higher oxygen index value than white cottons, which indicates that naturally colored cotton fabrics are less flammable. Sally Fox has been quoted as saying that one of her brown fibers has inherent fire resistance.
Some chemicals such as potassium permanganate can change the color of the fiber. It converted green cotton to a mustard color and brown cotton to a dark coffee brown color.
Colored cotton is believed by some to be a medical remedy for over fifty different somatic and psychosomatic disorders.
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Knit Fabric Samples Courtesy of peru naturtex partners |
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Some of the most common disadvantages of colored cotton include:
• At present, naturally colored cottons are available in a limited range of colors.
• Growers of conventional white cotton fear contamination by naturally colored cottons in the fields, at the gin and during transport.
• Although some breeders have improved the properties of naturally colored cotton, when compared to conventional white cotton, naturally colored cotton fibers are still shorter and weaker.
• Naturally colored cottons yield less per acre, but it is important to note that growers are paid higher prices for colored cotton than traditional white cotton.
Conclusion
Today, naturally colored cotton constitutes only a fraction of the cotton grown in the world. The fiber has experienced only a few flurries of interest in the 20th century. However, the fiber produces aesthetically unique fabrics and with the green and sustainable trends in full throttle—colored cotton might be worth a second look.
References
Dianne K. Dickerson, Eric F. Lane and Dolores F. Rodriguez. Naturally Colored Cotton: Resistance to changes in color and durability when refurbished with selected laundry aids. October, 1999. http://cati.csufresno.edu/ip/rese/99/990901.pdf
James Vreeland. The Revival of Colored Cotton. Scientific American, April 1999. http://www.perunaturtex.com/scientif.htm
Pakucho, http://www.perunaturtex.com
Peru Naturtex Partners: Ecological Textile Products. http://www.perunaturtex.com/textile.htm
M.S. Parmar, C.C. Gin, Maheshwan Singh and Jyoti Chabbra. Development of U.V. and flame resistant fabric from natural coloured cotton. Colourage; July 2006, Vol. 53 Issue 7.
P. Bhama Iyer and K.R. Krishna Iyer. Naturally Colored Cotton. “Progress in Textiles: Science & Technology.”
Vreseis, Ltd., http://www.vreseis.com
[TC]² Activity
[TC]² Board of Directors Meeting
October 20, 2009
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Peter Butenhoff, Chairman of [TC]², called the meeting to order and welcomed guests, which included Randy Lyness, Ann Lee and Margaret Bishop of CHF International; Guy Carpenter, of Cape Fear Apparel; Chuck Millsaps, Great Outdoor Provision Company; Frank Hugelmeyer, Outdoor Industry Association; Dr. Tim Clapp and Mike Ferguson, NCSU; Dr. Anthony Volpe, SAS; Jeff Hojilo, Dan Staresinic, and Rick Davies, Siemens PLM; and Joe Friend, Wells Fargo Securities. Pete noted that Chuck Nesbit was nominated and elected as Vice Chairman of [TC]² at the April 2009 meeting.
Pete reviewed the 2009 new [TC]² members, which include Edge of Urge, Samara Innovations, Calm the Crazy LLC, Cherif Hafez, ArborSmart LLC, and Safety Innovations, LLC – all start-up businesses.
Mike Fralix provided a financial review against the approved budget for 2009. The 2010 preliminary budget was approved by the Board.
Auggie Tantillo of SRG Associates discussed the Presidential Budget Request system. Congress is trying to control earmarks, and Congressional-directed funding is under scrutiny. The founding fathers gave Congress the right to determine the federal budget, and the President’s Budget Request is a recommendation with spending limits for each agency. It is then submitted to the Congress. [TC]² is a popular program and has congressional support.
Frank Hugelmeyer, Chairman and CEO of the Outdoor Industry Association, discussed his organization. It is the largest outdoor trade group in the world, and includes in its member roles Patagonia, REI, North Face, WL Gore, Columbia Sportswear, and Cabela’s, among others. The performance wear market is $48 billion in sales annually, and is putting its efforts into green practices and technologies. The Outdoor Industry Association conducts market research and helps to set government policies on technical advanced products. Its history is built on recreation funding and concern for public lands.
David Bruner, [TC]², discussed Virtual Fashion at Retail, and talked about the development of avatars. We have released the virtual fashion interface for the measurement extraction software to our users. New projects include working on high quality 3D visuals and adding face texturing to the next software release. Garments are input in 3D and can be morphed to each scan subject to provide a visual of what the style/color looks like. This approach is designed to address the style on the body type and not fit.
We now have one hundred scanner locations, including 38 universities, and 20 scanners in various retail settings. The new [TC]² web site news section includes a listing of scanner video clips and articles from various sources worldwide.
Kerry King and Susan Simon demonstrated the new [TC]² web site that has an updated look. A core team facilitated the revised look and content. The site has been streamlined and re-organized with new navigation, easy access to the newsletter, a consistent look, and shorter descriptions. The products and services are out front under the headings of 3D Body Scanning; Services for Brands; New Product Development; Educational Programs and Products; and Digital Textile Printing.
Dave Gardner discussed SPESA Expo 2010, which will be held as part of the Textile and Sewn Products Industry Week, May 18-20, 2010 in Atlanta. It will cover the entire concept to delivery cycle. The show is co-locating with TechTextil and ATME-I. The combined shows have been selected by the U.S. Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce for the International Buyer’s Program. There are several collaborative events taking place – SEAMS will have its Spring Meeting, there will be an AATCC Conference, IAF is holding its Spring Meeting, and National Industries of the Blind will be holding a meeting at the convention center. There are five exhibition halls that will be used, and one badge, one registration is all that is needed to enter any of the halls. The Cool Zone coordinated by [TC]² will be a showcase again, with current and future technologies in support of a digital supply chain. An IT Showcase will surround the Cool Zone, with PLM suppliers, supply chain software and other vendors. SEAMS will have a Supply Chain of the USA pavilion, there will be a Supply Chain of the Americas, and Mexico, Guatemala and other Central American countries will have country pavilions.
On Monday, May 17, a VIP Opening Gala will be held at the Georgia Aquarium. [TC]² is organizing the seminar program.
Will Duncan, Tim Curran and Margaret Bishop of CHF described the Haitian Apparel Institute that is being developed in Port au Prince. USAID is providing the funding for the project, and there are tremendous opportunities for brands and retailers. The operator training center will upgrade skill levels, and there is a mechanic’s training program, middle management and supervisor development, and an executive seminar series that will feature industry experts. The Center will include a lean manufacturing demonstration, and a full package service center, including product development, raw materials, production, and financing.
Margaret Bishop explained the CHF organization and its 50 years of working in 30 countries doing international development and job creation (long- and short-term). The garment center initiative is not designed to take jobs from the U.S. but to provide off-shore sourcing alternatives to the Far East. There is 70% unemployment in Haiti, and there is strong support for this effort from the Haitian government, and Prime Minister, as well as CTMO HOPE, with Bill Clinton as a Special Envoy to the UN attending a business development meeting recently. The Center has over 33,000 sq. ft.; 150 new sewing machines, in five different types; Haiti is only 1.5 hours from the U.S. via air transport. English language training is being provided, and the Center expects to graduate 2,000 sewing specialists in the first year.
Dr. Tim Clapp and Mike Ferguson of NCSU showed the college’s elearning site through the Textile Technology Extension Programs, TexED, (texED.ncsu.edu). The courses include quality improvement, with a Lean Six Sigma program; textile processing labs, entrepreneurship, new product development and innovation. These programs provide value, quality and are low-priced. Textile and Apparel Fundamentals to the World is currently offered. Clapp and Ferguson demonstrated some of the functionality in the Textile and Apparel Fundamentals program.
[TC]² is partnering with NCSU to offer these programs, and currently have Spoolio under development from the original DVD format to offer online, to be followed by conversion of other [TC]²-developed programs to the elearning format.
Pete Butenhoff and Blan Godfrey announced Dr. Mike Fralix’s appointment as an adjunct professor at NCSU College of Textiles, and attendees congratulated Mike on this accolade. Pete Butenhoff stated that Bud Ruby, who was [TC]²’s Chairman in the early 1990’s, would be 90 years old on October 27. A birthday card was made available for meeting attendees to sign for Mr. Ruby.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned, with a luncheon following.
[TC]² Activity
Gerber Technology’s 11th Annual Software Users Conference
Dallas, Texas
By Kerry King, [TC]²
The 11th annual Gerber Technology Software Users Conference took place on October 8th and 9th and along with a large group of Gerber software users, I travelled to Dallas to learn more about their current solutions. As in the past, the program was designed to offer attendees the opportunity to participate in hands-on training sessions and to hear from software specialists during interactive classroom presentations. During the program there were also valuable opportunities to network with industry professionals and to hear case studies from within the software user’s community.
Bill Brewster, Vice President of Global Marketing, opened the program and highlighted the theme ‘Lean & Green’. During this introduction Brewster emphasized the application of the company’s software systems to eliminate steps in the product development process, reduce waste in the form of time and resources, and to eliminate costly errors. He went on to underscore that currently, primary areas of focus for the company include the ongoing investment in the development of next generation software and control systems including the PLM Suite of products, as well as an investment in improving customer care worldwide. He highlighted the structuring of a ‘Global Solutions Group’ within the company to better serve customer needs in areas such as IT, enterprise integration and business process optimization.
During the general session Brewster also introduced noted speaker, Bryan Dodge, who delivered the keynote presentation. Dodge emphasized a number of themes including the importance of focusing our collective energy on where we are today as individuals and companies and the direction we seek, as opposed to focusing on past directions and associated missteps. As part of this discussion he emphasized the ideas of goal setting, leadership, and change and encouraged all attendees to seek knowledge through reading and by devoting at least 40 hours per year to learning opportunities. This timely discussion set the tone for the breakout sessions that followed.
The breakout sessions were primarily devoted to a variety of topics in the CAD and PLM areas. In the CAD area, I had the opportunity to attend a hands-on session that illustrated the use of Gerber’s Made-to-Measure (MTM) software for custom garment generation. This session also demonstrated the application of Gerber’s V-Stitcher product for 3D visualization of the custom garment on an avatar that has been morphed to the dimensions of the associated customer. I also attended a session that described the use of the Accumark system for generating fabric costing details based on marker information. The PLM sessions I attended highlighted the increasing integration between the various software solutions Gerber offers. In particular, I noted opportunities to link and/or populate PDM pages with up-to-date pattern and measurement information generated in the PDS program.
In terms of integration between the various software solutions, one of the more interesting sessions demonstrated the use of the V-Stitcher technology to rapidly develop a new style from existing pattern information. Once draped, the 3D representation can be brought into PDM to communicate design intent, while preserving the 3D viewing capabilities. This session also highlighted the ability to use V-Stitcher to mark seam lines and design details in 3D. The lines created in the 3D viewing space are replicated in 2D within the pattern interface, thus acting as a guide for the placement of the actual seam lines or details. The resulting patterns can then be exported as AAMA .dxf files for import into the Accumark PDS system. From Accumark, the model can be stored in the SQL storage area to support availability from within the PDM software.
As mentioned earlier, the program also offered attendees the opportunity to hear from a few of Gerber’s customers. The first case study was presented by representatives of Bealls Florida who shared their experience implementing Gerber’s FLM software. The second case study session was delivered by Jörg Wagner, the CAD/CAM coordinator for Triumph International Services, AG. Triumph is one of Europe’s key developers of underwear, lingerie and swimwear. Wagner spoke about the companywide implementation of the Accumark system in an effort to streamline their workflow to production. In keeping with the ‘Lean & Green’ philosophy, the central idea of Wagner’s message was that the broad adoption of this system has supported the transition to leaner processes by eliminating the need for time consuming data conversions and enabling the transition to digital/paperless hand-over of product information both within the company and with production partners.
These are just a few highlights from the program and in addition to the more formal sessions, attendees dined together over breakfast and lunch and were also welcomed at the annual customer appreciation event that took place at the Gaylord’s Glass Cactus Nightclub. Amid the fun, participants had a chance to meet other professionals and share technology experiences and challenges. While many companies are currently monitoring travel budgets closely, attendance demonstrated that investment in employee training with respect to key technologies and systems continues to be important. Long time Gerber Technology customers may already be familiar with the value the Annual Software User’s Group provides. This event was a welcome opportunity for product development and IT specialists who wish to expand their working knowledge of Gerber’s software solutions and to gain insight into future directions that may improve business practices.
[TC]² Activity
Young Designers Congress – Mexico City
By Lourdes Perez, [TC]² Latin America
The Second Congress of Young Designers was held on October 20 - 22, 2009 at the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico City. During the 3 days, over a thousand students, teachers and designers from all over the country lived a total immersion in issues of fashion and design.
The event was organized by Anna Fusoni, who is a fashion authority in Mexico. This year's guest country was Brazil, with the participation of Walter Rodrigues and Tereza Santos, who presented their collections, and Norman Baitello with his lecture "The Construction of New Worlds: Image, Fashion and Impossible Bodies." Anna prepared a constructive and enriching program for students of fashion design, with the objective of providing the industry with best-prepared young people through advanced training.
As part of this program, [TC]² was invited to participate with a presentation on the “Fast Fashion Business Model” which covered topics such as a Collaborative Supply Chain and Lean Practices for both, Product Development and Manufacturing, and Arturo Rodriguez, [TC]², presenting “Green Fashion” focused on sustainability in the fashion industry.
For additional information on the program, please visit www.jovenescreadores.com.mx.
Member Profile
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Gerber Technology, one of four business units of Gerber Scientific, Inc., provides design, product lifecycle management, and automated production solutions for the sewn and flexible goods industries. In addition to its line of cutters and spreaders, other product offerings include the AccuMark™ pattern design suite; AccuNest™ marker making software, and Gerber’s PLM suite including webPDM, webFolio and webView.
Its solutions for apparel and retail dramatically improve turnaround times and significantly reduce material waste and labor costs. Gerber maintains an expansive international network of sales and service offices, agents and distributors currently serving 20,500 customers in 126 countries. In addition to its apparel division, Gerber offers solutions to the aircraft, automotive, furniture, marine, and industrial fabrics business segments.
The company celebrated its 40th year in the apparel industry in 2008. Gerber Technology has consistently delivered solutions that enable their customers to stay ahead of the curve, meet and exceed industry demand, and manage market forces such as: Reducing time to market for new products, reducing product costs to improve margin, and managing the increasingly complex logistics of a global supply chain. The company highlights emerging market issues that continue to fuel these overall challenges, leaving organizations to examine their business processes spanning market research, concept, line development design and planning, sourcing, production, quality assurance, transportation and distribution/warehousing.
[TC]² is pleased to have Gerber’s DCS-1500 sample cutter in its Cary, NC demonstration center. The DCS-1500 cutter allows cutting in a fraction of the time required by hand cutting, with a higher degree of accuracy. It is ideal for sample cutting and short production runs, and integrates with the AccuMark™ CAD product line.
In addition to the cutter, Gerber has also supplied its Silhouette design work station and the AccuMark™ pattern design, grading, and marker making system. Its made-to-measure application interfaces seamlessly with [TC]²’s 3D body scan data to create custom garments. The V-Stitcher 3D pattern visualization software and a plotter complete the variety of Gerber products being demonstrated at [TC]². These state-of-the-art tools provide the designer with flexibility and consistency, and the ability to share iterations with remote supply chain partners, eliminating the need for sample creation.
Apparel’s Tech Conference
The Apparel Industry’s Must-Attend Technology Event
November 11 - 12, 2009 | Fashion Institute of Technology | New York, NY
New in 2009 - Expanded Hours!
New in 2009 - All Educational Sessions To Include Case Studies!
Apparel's Tech Conference is an ideal environment for apparel brands, manufacturers and retailers to preview technology solutions and services from a select group of providers. Combining keynote presentations from industry thought-leaders with ongoing educational workshops and a Tabletop Exhibit area, the Conference provides convenient access to information and ideas designed to help you in your strategic technology decision-making.
Content focus includes: Design and Product Development, including PLM; Manufacturing; Information Technology; Sourcing, Logistics, Transportation; and Retail Intelligence. All of the 2009 concurrent educational sessions will include a case study component.
The Opening Keynote Session on November 11 will include recognition of Apparel's 2009 All-Stars. That same day, all Tech Conference attendees are invited to a Networking Reception immediately following the final sessions.
Attendance is complimentary for qualified apparel brands, manufacturers and retailers.
Important Dates
November
18-20 |
25th IAF World Apparel Convention, New Delhi. For information, go to www.iafnet.com. |
30-Dec 2. |
33rd CCAA Conference on the Caribbean and Central America - InterContinental Hotel, Miami, FL. For details, go to www.c-caa.org. |
December
9-10 |
Two Day Technical Design Program at [TC]². Click here for details. |
23-Jan.4 |
[TC]² closed for Holidays and Staff Vacation |
Save the date! |
Annual Meeting of [TC]² Members and Board of Directors |
April 13, 2010 |
at [TC]² Offices, Cary, NC – All member and associate member company representatives are invited to attend. |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Lawson, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.
A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
2009 ExpoTextil
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
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Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
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