Woolmark to display merino trends at Spin Expo Shanghai (China)

The Woolmark Company will showcase a selection of Merino wool innovations, trends and industry services at Spin Expo from September 4 to 6.

 

The latest garments show the versatility of the Merino Vintage technology for producing washed-out effects in Merino wool garments. The Merino Vintage technology is perfect for flat-bed knitwear, as well as circular knit cut and sew.

 

A vintage look is created in the yarn by blending wool fibres possessing different affinities for dyes. When the yarn or fabric is dyed a vintage look results.

 

Forget smooth flat pristine knitted wool and take a look at Sculptured Merino, a naturally creased unique garment in Merino wool. A new yarn coupled with specially controlled knitting and finishing yields a 3-dimensional fabric which is lightweight yet warm and incredibly stretchy. Garments can be rolled up into a bag taken out and worn straight away.

 

Merino wool possesses a unique property - felting - which is often seen as a problem but in this innovation is a virtue because it creates texture and casual aspects ideal for casual wardrobes. In this innovation the yarn is specially treated so that it felts randomly along its length. When knitted into a garment and finished, the randomness of the felting creates a unique boiled wool effect that is soft and resilient.

 

Sometimes known as ecological fur this innovation permits a natural fur to be created without using the pelt of an animal. A combination of sliver-knitting technology with mercerised Merino fibres gives the lustrous look of fur fibre from pure new wool. Special dyeing and finishing techniques create the natural fur colouring.

 

The creased look is often the hallmark of casual, and Merino wool is versatile enough to deliver. A deliberate creased effect for Merino wool knitwear can be created using traditional spraying and steam pressing equipment; the innovation here is that the effect can now be made permanent to washing. Multi-dimensional creasing adds extra value to lightweight jersey knitwear.

 

The Woolmark Company also presents the new season of THE WOOL LAB which has become an essential element in global brands’ and designers’ selection and review process when choosing wool for their collections. The Wool Lab is a guide to the best wool trends and products, created to inspire and inform fashion and textile professionals about the quality and beauty of Merino wool. A permanent laboratory has been set up in Florence, Italy to source the best quality wool products worldwide and to identify the emerging trends in fashion, design, art, pop culture, music and other fields.

 

Nine inspirational themes are presented for Autumn Winter 2013/14. Some are macro-trends, “long-waves” moving through fashion and lifestyle with endurable influence. Others are emerging new trends, reflecting the esprit du temps and the upcoming needs of the future market. Each theme is represented by a collection of yarns and fabrics that are commercially available, as well as some exclusive pieces from The Woolmark Company’s archives, to stimulate a contemporary re-interpretation.

 

The latest technological innovations in treatments and finishes are very important, giving to the yarnsfabrics such as jersey, new features of outstanding softness and usagesuitable for high performance products for in the active sports sector.

 

Another development from The Woolmark Company is the launch of a new service which it the company will provide to the apparel industry, ‘Learn about wool’, which that provides retailers, designers and manufacturers with manuals, presentations and samples that contain valuable information on wool and working with wool.

 

The new educational package, ‘Learn about Wool’, comprises of manuals, presentations and actual samples of wool. This comprehensive package tackles subjects such as manufacturing knitwear and wovenwear, caring for a wool sweater and understanding the wool suit. The courses are aimed at those who are new to wool or to textiles in general and are suitable for self-coaching or training in a classroom setting.