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Invista Launches New Fabric Technologies To Mark Its 50th Year Celebrations

• By  Textile Excellence
• January 25, 2017

'The Fabric Of Our Lives' Gets Durable Upgrade With New Cotton Blended CORDURA® Fabrics

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, INVISTA's CORDURA® brand announces its first-ever collaboration with Cotton Incorporated, the research and promotion company of US cotton producers and importers. Throughout 2017 and beyond, the two brands will work together to explore opportunities to make the 'fabric of our lives' even more comfortable, long-lasting and durable for a new generation of performance apparel.

Traditional, reliable and biodegradable cotton fibre is known for being soft, natural and comfortable. Blending cotton with the performance benefits of CORDURA® fibre technology adds additional comfort qualities such as quick dry, long-lasting performance, durability, extra tear strength & abrasion resistance.

"Collaborating with Cotton Incorporated celebrates the ideology we've been working towards for the past fifty years-heritage meets innovation," said Cindy McNaull, global CORDURA® brand and marketing director.

"We continue to honour and embrace our history of creating durable fabrics, but strive to push the boundaries of how we can enhance them to create cutting-edge innovations suitable for the ever changing marketplace. We listened to the voice of the customer and their need for cotton-rich performance fabrics that last. Working together with Cotton Incorporated allows us to bring two classics together to deliver the next generation of performance to the 'fabric of our lives.'"

Fabrics from the CORDURA® brand and Cotton Incorporated collaboration will initially be offered from several CORDURA® brand authorised mills, including Artistic Milliners, Nishat, Chia Her and Arvind. The two companies plan to extend the collaboration with additional technology innovations in the months to come.

"Cotton is inherently comfortable and cotton apparel often becomes a person's favorite item," said Emily Croneberger, technology marketing manager at Cotton Incorporated.

"The more you like a particular shirt, skirt or jeans, the more you wear it and the more prone it is to showing signs of wear. Blending cotton with CORDURA® fibre technology enhances a garment's durability, helping it hold up to the rigors of daily use, and looking and feeling good, longer.

Dickies® And CORDURA® Brand Collaborate On Military-Grade Fibre Collection

Dickies®, the world's leading performance workwear brand, and INVISTA's CORDURA® brand, a leader in durable, long-lasting fabrics, have teamed up to create the Dickies Pro™ with CORDURA® military-grade fibre technology collection. Crafted specifically for the skilled tradesman working in severe weather conditions, Dickies Pro™ with CORDURA® fabric is lightweight, durable and six times more abrasion resistant*.

Dickies Pro™ with CORDURA®  fabric collection includes the following garments:

The Field Coat is built with multiple pockets including tech-friendly components and square quilted Thinsulate™ DWR (durable water repellent) insulation for lightweight warmth to cut through the most bitter wind and rain.

The Bomber Jacket features military-inspired interior camouflage print, a removable insulated hood, a headphone stabilizer bungee, adjustable tab cuffs, and reflective accents to dial up visibility.

The Ripstop Pant is designed to withstand gale-force winds with reinforced stress points for added durability, FLEX fabric (2% spandex) for exceptional mobility, cargo pockets designed for specific tools and double knees to accommodate kneepads.

The collection is built with the latest in fabric and apparel technology to help it stand up to the most challenging weather conditions. The CORDURA® military-grade component is INVISTA's patent-pending T420HT fibre and cotton-rich ripstop fabric that combine to form the latest-generation CORDURA® NYCO (nylon/cotton) fabric technology. CORDURA® NYCO fabric provides innovative performance, lightweight comfort, and exceptional abrasion resistance.

With the further addition of FLEX (2% spandex), the collection notably features a special tri-blend construction. As two proven brands in the workwear arena, Dickies® and the CORDURA® brand have a combined 145 years of innovation, and are synonymous with durability, functionality and performance.

"We know that our extreme weather workers can face some of the harshest challenges on the jobsite, from severe cold to high winds, to rain-oftentimes all three at high elevations," said Brian Sheedy, SVP Merchandising & Design, Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. "We designed this collection with CORDURA® fibre technology in order to redefine the ultimate extreme-weather workwear to meet the reality of our workers' environmental demands."

"The heritage of the CORDURA® brand dates back half a century when we first began developing fibres and fabrics for the military," said Cindy McNaull, global brand and marketing director for CORDURA® brand.

"These battle-proven technologies have since evolved to bring military-grade durability, abrasion resistance and strength to other rough and rugged industries like workwear. We are excited to collaborate with Dickies® as it debuts the first workwear collection with our latest generation nylon 6,6 CORDURA® T420HT fibre technology."

CORDURA® Debuts Strongest Nylon-6,6 Staple Fibre Ever Produced By INVISTA

INVISTA's CORDURA® brand has made a cutting-edge breakthrough in designing and commercialising the strongest nylon-6,6 staple fibre ever produced by INVISTA.

This intensive two-year-long research and design process resulted in a state-of-the-art, patent-pending high tenacity fibre designed to enhance the core strength of CORDURA® fabrics.

With the introduction of the new high tenacity INVISTA T420HT fibre technology, INVISTA's scientists and technicians have successfully achieved one of the largest leaps in its nylon-6,6 innovation pipeline which dates back to the initial commercialisation of the fibre at the company's flagship Seaford, DE staple nylon 6,6 production facility.

"At INVISTA, an on-going dedication to innovation is in our DNA," said Anthony Green, global CORDURA® brand business director. "Our latest T420HT technology launch is one in a series of new qualifying CORDURA® brand fibre breakthroughs to come as we continue to push the boundaries of durable possibilities."

Already adopted by a major international military, CORDURA® NYCO (Nylon/ Cotton) fabric blends based on new INVISTA T420HT high tenacity fibre are undergoing extensive wear trialing for next generation combat uniforms.

The stealth-like INVISTA T420HT fibre has a mission to create a new generation of durable, yet lightweight fabrics - such as CORDURA® NYCO Extreme and CORDURA® NYCO Tactical fabrics - to be used in many applications like military uniforms, outdoor apparel and workwear.

Dickies is the first consumer brand to adopt the new fibre in its Dickies PRO™ with CORDURA® fibre technology workwear collection, which will be available online Fall 2017.

Reimagining traditional menswear for the modern millennial male

INVISTA's CORDURA® brand teamed with fashion and textile design students from North Carolina State University's College of Textiles Fashion and Textile Design Program to create visionary designs of menswear for the modern millennial male.

The collaboration nods to CORDURA® brand's 50th anniversary theme of "heritage meets innovation," taking inspiration from traditional professional wear of the past and adding functionality and durability for the future.

Tudents were challenged to create business wear designed to adapt to various seasonal conditions, combining long lasting performance with stylish versatility.

With access to all fourteen of the latest cutting-edge CORDURA® fabric technologies, the students sketched, designed and created prototypes of business wear garments ranging from commuter to tactical and workwear-inspired designs.

"The opportunity to incorporate the latest innovative fabrics from CORDURA® brand to design clothing for the future truly inspired the students, and gave them an opportunity to explore their own modern interpretation of 'traditional' menswear," said Dr. Katherine Annett-Hitchcock, NC State's associate professor in textile and apparel technology and management.

"The students were extremely involved in the fabric selection process, and were able to learn about each fabric technology available in the portfolio and engineer high-quality durable garments. For many, the fabrics also inspired the direction they took their designs."     

Textile Excellence