TC2 - Newsletter

Animal Hair Fiber and Yarn Innovations
By Dr. Kim Anderson, writer/reporter for [TC]²

We can no longer relegate yarns made from animal hair to the heavy scratchy fabric of days gone by. Today's fabrics made from natural protein fibers are washable, soft, comfortable and so beautiful!

Animal hair fibers are categorized by the animal they originate from. A limitless number of breeds provide fibers suitable for spinning yarn. Different breeds produce fibers with different characteristics. Some of the better known specialty breeds are the angora goat which yields the long, lustrous, durable mohair; the cashmere goat whose downy undercoat produces fine soft cashmere wool; and the merino sheep which gives us luxuriously fine merino wool.

An increasing demand for quality wool yarn led Zein Dawood to open Amtex Yarn Manufacturing Inc. in 2001. Amtex is one of a few custom wool spinners in North America. Dawood, President of Amtex, explains that inventory consists of “only fibers, no yarns,” allowing them to “make yarn per the customer's request.” Amtex's spinning equipment has been designed to spin the highest quality wool yarns that are “less hairy, stronger, softer and have better elasticity” than wool yarns spun on conventional equipment. The versatile facility can spin fine count yarns for suiting fabrics, coarse count yarns for sweaters and socks- and everything in between.

Fibers are blended and spun into 100% alpaca, merino, cashmere and mohair yarns. To beef-up performance or enhance aesthetic properties, the animal fibers can be blended with other fibers such as silk, polyester or Lycra®. In addition to the basic colors, Amtex can dye yarns in spicy oranges, reds and browns, pastels or a variety of heathers.

Some of Amtex's latest developments include yarns made with wool fibers blended with hollow fiber polyester. Dawood says this unique blend creates “air pockets which trap heat” giving the fabric “special thermal properties.” Amtex also offers wool/polyester blends for suiting fabrics that have better pilling properties and wool/acrylic blends to produce yarns with neps.

Cherry Tree Hill specializes in handpainted exotic domestic and imported yarns. These yarns are a total show stopper, and don't let the “handpainted” part scare you. Cheryl Potter, owner, says “We have no maximum and will dye any order that comes in, no matter how large.”

Potter has been “handpainting yarns forever.” She says she started handpainting yarns because she “wasn't happy with the available colors.” She really got serious about the craft 10 years ago and has written a number of books on the subject. Cherry Tree Hill offers an array of beautiful handpainted and handdyed 100% wool and wool rich novelty yarns.

Potter is continually working with domestic and international yarn mills to come up with new and exciting yarns. New developments include merino chenille; a multi-component ribbon yarn with beads, sequins, thick and thin places and fringe; and thick and thin yarn wrapped with glitter.

The Woolmark Company is the world's leading wool textile marketing organization. Woolmark shared some of the industry's latest innovations as well as some interesting facts.

Wool is one of the most complex fibers. Due to its unique structure, wool is naturally anti-bacterial and odor resistant, flame retardant, and able to manage moisture and temperature.

Capitalizing on these unique characteristics, Woolmark has developed Sportswool™. The fabric consists of 77% polyester and 23% merino wool. Targeted to the outdoor and sportswear apparel market, Sportswool™ is unbelievably lightweight, soft and naturally stretchy.

Malwa Group India is a leading manufacturer of wool and cotton yarns. Malwa, working in conjunction with the Woolmark Company, has developed lightweight washable wool denim. The fabric is exceptionally comfortable, has good crease recovery and is very soft.

Other developments include Woolscience™- a lightweight fabric with the perfect percentage of polyester, soft fine wool and Lycra®. Woolscience™ is ideally suited for military, industrial, medical and bedding products. Woolmark has also developed SPT™ (sensory perception technology), the trademark for microencapsulated particles. SPT™ can be applied to wool and wool rich fabrics to provide time-release freshness and protection.

There is no evidence to indicate that wool was the first fiber to be made into yarn. However, there is no doubt that being part of the animal's skin, it was the first fiber to be used as a cover by prehistoric people (Joseph). After thousands of years, wool, with its inherently unique characteristics, is still one of the most coveted versatile fibers available today.

Acknowledgements
Cheryl Potter, Cherry Tree Hill Yarn, Barton, VT
Malcolm Campbell, The Woolmark Company, West Yorkshire, England.
Zein Dawood, Amtex Yarn Manufacturing Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

References
Joseph, Marjory. Introductory Textile Science. 5th ed. CBS College Publishing, 1986.
Potter, Cheryl. Handpaint Country. 2005.

This past June the International University of Monaco hosted its first international Symposium on Cross-Cultural Leadership. Speakers were selected from papers submitted on a variety of cross-cultural and leadership topics. I was privileged to be a speaker at the conference, presenting on Leadership: The Passion, Productivity and Profitability. Speakers from Australia, France, Germany, China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States gave professional, academic, and research oriented presentations. The two day conference was informative, inspiring and engaging.

There were concurrent sessions and a keynote speaker. The keynote speaker was Richard Lewis, who has been heavily involved in the intercultural field, founding companies in five different countries, as well as teaching communication skills in those countries and four other countries, including the United States. Lewis provided information with wide-spread applicability, some of which is summarized below.

Common to mankind, regardless of country or culture are: love of the young; anger at injustice; desire to be liked; gratitude for favors; procreation; and survival (fear, bravery, etc.) At the other end of the spectrum are areas of cross-cultural misunderstanding: values; communication; and attitude to authority and leadership. Included in the area of values are core beliefs, national characteristics, attitudes and world view. Speech styles and listening habits are included in communication. Lewis stated that we need new forms of identity regarding who we are and how we relate to others due to the fast unprecedented integration at all levels due to globalization. We are encouraged to start this process by having a global attitude and being global citizens, by adopting a free market ideology and optimum flexibility. Also, we need “new synergies, new competencies and a new cultural outlook.” This should not be interpreted as there should be no cultural differences, but that we should be able to change constantly while keeping the core of who we are.

Richard Lewis's information reminds me of the difference between the Golden Rule and the Platinum Rule. The Golden Rule is “Do Unto Others As You Would Have Done Unto You.” This is fine, if those others are like you, but more often than not, today they may not be. The Platinum Rule Is “Do Unto Others as They Would Have Done Unto Them.” This requires getting outside of ourselves and figuring out what will make us effective with those many others who are not like us at all.

Which of these do you think, The Golden Rule or The Platinum Rule, positions you best for success in an age of cultural diversity? The Platinum Rule, of course.

If you have difficulty with this thinking, get over it, or get out of the way so those of us who are willing to change can take your place.

Patti Fralix inspires positive change in work, life, and family through speaking, consulting, and coaching. She is founder and president of The Fralix Group, Inc., a leadership excellence firm based in Raleigh. She can be reached at pfralix@fralixgroup.com.

The apparel industry is notoriously fast-paced and competitive. Innovative software companies continue to make improvements to their Pattern Design Systems to enable apparel companies to better serve their customers. Read about some of the latest software developments by Gerber, OptiTex, Lectra, PAD and [TC]² in the article entitled Patternmaking: Past to Present - now posted in the techexchange.com library.

Seating still available. Learn how Zara has succeeded in the fast fashion market with 20% annual net sales increases. [TC]² and the UK's Industry Forum have joined forces to produce this leading edge seminar to be held at Fashion Institute of Technology in the Katie Murphy Amphitheater. GIDC is a sponsor of the event with a panel of New York designers and manufacturers to talk about design to store. Join the over 100 individuals who have already registered to attend. Click here for more information.

From design to delivery, New York 's premier global fabric and sourcing event. In additional to fabric and sourcing resources, Material World New York will include the ASAP Global Sourcing Pavilion, a new home furnishings showcase, Fall/Winter 2006 trend forecasts, and a comprehensive seminar program. [TC]²'s Jud Early and Mike Fralix will present highlights from the Japan International Apparel Machinery Trade Show (JIAM), on Wednesday, September 28th, at 11:00 a.m.

Ultimate Sports and Apparel has two businesses, Right-Gard, a sports equipment manufacturer and Ultimate Apparel L.L.C., a sportswear apparel manufacturer. Right-Gard was purchased by Richard A. McGrath in 1977 and in the 1980's it grew to be the second largest racquetball manufacturing facility in the country making proprietary brands for Seamco, RAM and Spaulding. In 1989, a major redirection away from racquetball and plastic molded protective products to sewn protective products began. A new product line of knitted Ultimate pads catapulted the company into ten consecutive years of record sales and profits.

In 2000, the company acquired two new apparel manufacturing plants in Lancaster, PA and Newton, NC which considerably expanded the product lines.

Ultimate Sports continues to pursue the dual strategies of proprietary product and contract production. Within the past two years, the company has developed a new line of infant and toddler products for the Collegiate Licensing Company along with a line of performance apparel. Ultimate Sports continues to work with ASI to provide quality items for the ad specialty industry.

Richard A. McGrath, President and Owner of Ultimate Sports and Apparel, and previously an investment banker and mutual fund president, has strong opinions about the industry. Mr. McGrath states: "Being an elder statesman in an industry filled with young ideas has very few advantages other than experience. American manufacturing has been sentenced to death at least five times in my lifetime, yet we have survived and prospered every time. In the 50's, the German cameras, Volkswagens and Mercedes Benz led to the belief that what Germany had lost in war they would win in peacetime. In the 60's, it was the Japanese taking complete control of everything electronic and then everything automotive. In the 70's, it was the Arabs followed in the 80's by the Koreans, and now the Chinese. The more things change, the more they stay the same. American manufacturing will continue to evolve and prosper as long as we stay ahead of the curve."

Hurricane Katrina Relief
To learn more about how our industry is responding and ways your company can be of assistance, visit www.apparelandfootwear.org.

[TC]²
211 Gregson Drive
Cary , NC 27511
www.tc2.com
Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
Email:

If you are not on our mailing list and wish to receive this bi-weekly newsletter, via email:

If you would prefer not to receive this free bi-weekly newsletter, and wish to be removed from our mailing list: