INVISTA Continues to Stretch the Boundaries In Denim

Focus on new developments and new trademarks at Kingpins New York, July 13-14

July 12, 2010 – New York City - INVISTA will showcase its latest innovations for denim at the Kingpins show in New York on July 13 and 14 with products representing four distinct fabric themes: Super Stretch, Super Recovery, Super Comfort, and Super Durability. The stand will feature innovative fabrics and garments, all made with INVISTA products, by some of INVISTA’s key denim customers.

• The Super Stretch category will lead off with fabrics and garments made with LYCRA® fiber, sometimes in concert with INVISTA’ s LYCRA® T400® fiber. According to Jean Hegedus, INVISTA’s global marketing director for denim, the Super Stretch category poses key challenges for mills and brands alike. “In talking with our customers, we find the main difficulty with Super Stretch fabrics is achieving good fabric stability. Typically, as you increase stretch in fabrics, you also increase the tendency for higher growth and shrinkage,” Hegedus said. To help address these issues, INVISTA has developed new quality standards and best practices for making Super Stretch fabrics.
• In the second category, Super Recovery, INVISTA will focus on fabrics with LYCRA® T400® fiber, including those made with a new, textured yarn from Ductel of Spain. The new yarn provides fabrics with excellent stretch and recovery and a unique surface luster. Some of the fabrics in this category also have significant “snapback” so garments offer a powerful, yet comfortable stretch.
• The third category, Super Comfort, features XFIT LYCRA® fabrics that stretch and recover in all directions. INVISTA and their customers continue to lead innovation in the four-way stretch category by developing Super Stretch versions of XFIT LYCRA® fabrics. “The XFIT LYCRA® fabrics with Super Stretch take comfort into a whole new dimension,” said Hegedus. “These fabrics combine the best attributes of LYCRA® fiber and LYCRA® T400® fiber, providing the ultimate in comfort and freedom of movement, as well as interesting design possibilities.”
• Switching over to menswear, the fourth category is Super Durability and focuses on new developments with CORDURA® Denim fabric. The CORDURA® Denim fabric collection combines the authentic look and feel of 100% cotton denim with long lasting durability. According to Cindy McNaull, CORDURA® brand marketing director, these fabrics have up to four times the abrasion resistance of comparable 100% cotton fabrics, making them ideal candidates for rugged applications such as skateboarding and workwear.

At the July edition of Kingpins, INVISTA will also announce a trademark and patent protection program behind its LYCRA® T400® fiber. Recently, INVISTA decided to pair the LYCRA® fiber brand name with the T400® fiber brand name (LYCRA® T400® fiber) to make product identification easier for downstream customers. “The LYCRA® fiber brand is very well recognized within the trade and at the consumer level as a hallmark of quality,” Hegedus said. “When customers see the LYCRA® fiber brand connected with the T400® fiber brand they will know they are getting the authentic bi-component fiber from INVISTA.”

INVISTA is sponsoring the New York Kingpins show as well as upcoming editions in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. For additional information on the Kingpins shows, visit www.kingpins.info

LYCRA® Fiber Brand

The LYCRA® fiber brand is an integral element in many of the world’s leading fashion brands but is often misunderstood. “LYCRA®” is not a fabric in its own right. It is not the name of the category of stretch fabrics or clothing. It is the world’s leading brand of elastane fiber and other premium stretch fibers and fabrics that can be combined with many other fabrics such as cotton, wool, leather or even cashmere. It is a brand that delivers the consumer promise of comfort, fit and freedom of movement. A touch of LYCRA® fiber ingredient can help make garments and the people that wear them look better and feel better. LYCRA® branded fibers are essential ingredients in fashion today, driving innovation and helping designers and brands to produce stylish, beautiful clothes. LYCRA® branded fibers are found in all types of garments from underwear and swimwear, jeans and tailored suits to sportswear, hosiery and sweaters. The LYCRA® fiber brand is a registered trademark of INVISTA. To distinguish “LYCRA®” as a brand, the word “LYCRA®” must be reported in all caps and with an ®, and always used in connection with the appropriate generic term.

About CORDURA® Brand

INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand essence celebrates individual durability: As Long As The World Is Full Of Durable People, We’ll Keep Making Durable Fabrics™. Known for its resistance to abrasions, tears and scuffs, CORDURA® fabric is a primary ingredient in many of the world’s leading high-performance gear and apparel products ranging from luggage, upholstery and backpacks to footwear, military equipment, tactical wear, workwear and performance apparel. The CORDURA® brand is a registered trademark of INVISTA, one of the world’s largest integrated polymer, intermediates and fibers businesses. To distinguish the CORDURA® brand, the word “CORDURA®” must be spelled out in all caps, used with an ®, and followed by the word “brand” or “fabric.”

To learn more about INVISTA’s CORDURA® brand, end-use products, and marketing tools please visit www.CORDURA.com.

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