INVISTA to Showcase Denim Solutions for Business Growth at Kingpins Denim Shows

New York City - July 18, 2011 - INVISTA, owner of the LYCRA® fiber brand and one of the world’s largest integrated producers of fibers and polymers, will sponsor the upcoming Kingpins denim shows in New York (July 18-19) and Los Angeles (July 26-27), offering a variety of solutions for today’s competitive marketplace.  With increased material costs driving higher retail costs, the company is focused on three key areas:  quality, added value and differentiation.

Under the quality banner, INVISTA is introducing LYCRA® dualFX™ fabrics – patented super stretch denims that integrate LYCRA® fiber and LYCRA® T400® fiber in a single fabric for extra stretch and, most importantly, extra recovery. INVISTA will be showcasing this new technology via fabrics from a variety of mills around the world.

“The benefit of this technology is that finally consumers can get super stretch jeans that really keep their shape and don’t stretch out over time,” says Jean Hegedus, global marketing director for Denim at INVISTA. “Stabilizing super stretch fabrics and garments has been an issue for trade and consumers alike and we are pleased to work with our customers to develop LYCRA® dualFX™ fabrics as a solution.”

In terms of added value, INVISTA is offering a range of options to help customers deal with the rising cost of raw materials.

“As raw material prices are increasing, the impact is being felt by the consumer as well,” says Hegedus. “To stimulate buying at higher price points, innovation and added value are essential.”

Some of the added value offerings being shown by INVISTA include:

• Fabrics with bare LYCRA® T400® fiber which, as cotton prices rise, are becoming comparable in cost to fabrics made out of 100% cotton. For nearly the same price, consumers can have a great fitting, comfortable pair of jeans that keep their shape and wick away moisture, all in one garment.
• In menswear, CORDURA® Denim fabrics have more than four times the durability of 100% cotton jeans, thus allowing the consumer to have a garment that lasts longer. “Extending the life and performance of denim and other CORDURA® fabric offerings is our goal and supports our brand’s tagline of ‘Sustainability Begins With Products That Last™’, says Cindy McNaull, global CORDURA® brand and marketing director for INVISTA.
• For added freedom of movement, TOUGH MAX™ LYCRA® fabrics provide both durability and a comfortable fit, important for denim worn to work or in active applications.

Finally, in the area of differentiation, INVISTA believes the critical first step is to get the consumers’ attention and then to engage them on an emotional level. To accomplish this INVISTA has launched a new brand, LYCRA® Style fiber, developed specifically to meet the needs of the ready-to-wear market.  In creating the brand, INVISTA went beyond traditional market studies and worked with Innerscope Research, a leader in the biometric market research field. The goal was to uncover deeper consumer insights that would not be limited by conscious responses.

“Working closely with Innerscope Research’s biometric monitoring system, we were able to tap into the consumers’ subconsciousness and understand what messages were relevant and emotionally engaging,” said Libby Neuner, INVISTA’s global marketing director for outerwear.   “Incorporating these messages into our LYCRA® Style fiber brand communications strategy will enable us to break through the clutter and resonate with our target audience.”

In the Innerscope research study, women were exposed to the LYCRA® Style fiber brand, logo, hangtag, concept statement and imagery. A biometric monitoring system measured their physical reactions to the stimuli. Changes in the women’s heart rates, respiration, perspiration, visual attention and cognitive processing were analyzed in relation to each stimulus. The data provided a thorough comparison of the women’s emotional feelings versus their conscious responses for each marketing element.

To learn more about the LYCRA® Style fiber brand and all of the INVISTA initiatives, visit our stands at the Kingpins shows:

About INVISTA

With leading brands including LYCRA®, COOLMAX®, CORDURA®, STAINMASTER® and ANTRON®, INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibers. The company’s advantaged technologies for nylon, spandex and polyester are used to produce clothing, carpet, car parts and countless other everyday products. Headquartered in the United States, INVISTA operates in more than 20 countries and has about 10,000 employees. For more information, visit INVISTA.com, Facebook.com/INVISTAglobal and Twitter.com/INVISTA.