INVISTA, the leading fiber and fabric innovator in the textile industry, concluded the second edition of its much-anticipated knowledge and innovation conclave ‘LYCRA RENDEZVOUS’ on a high note. The event witnessed participation by leading mills and brands from the textile and apparel industry such as Vardhaman, Banswara Syntex, Arvind Ltd. – Denim, Mafatlal Denim, etc.
The curtains opened to an action-packed day, full of insightful discussions and product showcase by INVISTA’s key customers, launch of its latest innovation LYCRA T166L fiber, unveiling of ARVIND Stretch Denim powered by LYCRA fiber, futuristic panel discussions amongst the best of think-tanks from the industry and a scintillating denim fashion show.
INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester applications. Its global businesses deliver exceptional value for customers through technology innovations, market insights and a powerful portfolio of global trademarks, including COOLMAX fabric, CORDURA fabric, freshFX fiber, LYCRA fiber, SUPPLEX fabric, TACTEL fiber, and THERMOLITE fabric.
The new product offering by INVISTA, LYCRA T166L fiber, has been especially designed for robust processing performance in the manufacturing of stretch woven fabrics and possesses good recovery and low growth that are essential for the denim industry. The fiber delivers the exquisite comfort, fit and aesthetics that consumers associate with the LYCRA brand. The launch received an enthusiastic response from the industry bigwigs at the event.
INVISTA also showcased its global denim concept collection for Spring/Summer 2014. The collection encompasses innovative garments highlighting INVISTA’s key technologies for denim, including TOUGH MAX LYCRA fabric, XFIT LYCRA fabrics, LYCRA dualFX fabrics and COOLMAX fiber under key three themes – Fantasy, Reality and Harmony.
Featured styles under Fantasy comprise pearlized coatings, reflective surfaces, coloured weft yarns, prints and tie-dye effects; Reality features simple evergreen denim structures and neon colours; and Harmony collection represents performance denims with knit inspired jacquard weaves of cotton and LYCRA fiber.
Andrew Evans, Managing Director – South Asia, INVISTA, says: “Innovation is the mantra to enable the denim industry to progress and constantly devise solutions that cater to varying consumer needs. At LYCRA RENDEZVOUS our endeavor was to provide a platform to the denim industry to delve deep into the consumer psyche, identify consumer needs and come up with innovative ways to spark the industry’s growth. We received a fantastic response from our customers and representatives of the industry reiterating the success of the event that brought together the entire value chain together.”
Vijay Punyani, Senior Vice President, Vardhaman Textiles Ltd., one of INVISTA’s most trusted partners in South Asia, said: “With the passage of time, the demand of stretch fabric in the market has increased significantly and so has the demand for LYCRA fiber products. We have produced a variety of core spun yarns with LYCRA fiber as well as specialized products for Super Stretch Denim. Since 1998, the association with INVISTA has empowered us to counter a variety of challenges we faced while establishing core spun yarns, fabric processing and weaving. We are currently working with wonderful innovations from INVISTA’s product portfolio. Nearly 70% of our total core spun yarn is used for denims for which we have received a fantastic feedback. With our orders growing substantially we look forward to further strengthening our long-standing relationship with INVISTA.”
Commenting on the association with INVISTA, Ravi Toshniwal, Managing Director, Banswara Syntex, said: “We have been working closely with INVISTA for the last 14 years on technical collaborations and new product developments for yarns and fabrics with LYCRA fiber and LYCRA T400 fiber. We highly value the partnership since it has enabled us to differentiate our offerings and deliver many firsts in the Indian textile market. We look forward to an exciting journey together for years to come.”
As the event progressed and excitement multiplied, ARVIND Denim launched its latest range of stretch fabrics powered by LYCRA fiber under two key themes – Denim Glam and Pop Vintage – bringing INVISTA’s best of textile innovations together with the denim fabric making expertise of ARVIND.
Aamir Akhtar, CEO, Arvind Ltd. – Denim, observed: “The LYCRA fiber brand has delivered multiple breakthroughs over the years through continuous investment in innovations and conquered new frontiers in comfort, fit, functionality and consumer concepts. INVISTA, as the pioneer of innovation, has contributed to the growth of the Indian textile and apparel industry that is currently registering at a healthy double-digit growth of 14-15%. Taking forward our association, we are delighted to present the new generation of stretch fabrics with LYCRA fiber that take comfort, style and stretch technology to another level.”
Elaborating on the future of the stretch denim industry in India, he added: “The Indian denim market is primarily dominated by men as they are 80% of our consumer base. However, as noticed in the recent years, the attraction of stretch denims is bringing more and more women in the target group. Stretch denim with LYCRA fiber enables flatter silhouettes and provides that comfort with an outstanding fit.”
INVISTA also presented novel consumer insights and research findings at a special session aimed at enabling the brands to identify ways of ‘winning today’s denim consumer’. The highlight of the event was the brainstorm wherein industry stalwarts delved on topics such as ‘Shifting Supply Base: Opportunities & Challenges’ and ‘What does the Indian market need’.
The forum brought to the forefront challenges and opportunities that the textile and apparel industry is facing currently. The trends and future of the garment industry in countries like Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Vietnam were also discussed at length. It also highlighted the urgent need for technological advancement and finesse in fiber processing. The speakers also elaborated on different ways of catering to the evolving consumer needs and demands reiterating the importance of innovation in the textile industry space.
The event concluded with a glamorous ramp walk showcasing varying patterns and designs of denim powered by INVISTA’s fiber and fabric technology.