Building a jacket that’s more than waterproof
February 1st, 2022
British adventure clothing brand Vollebak has launched a jacket it says is not just waterproof, it’s waterfall proof. The outer layer of the company’s Waterfallproof Puffer was inspired by the famously waterproof lotus leaf, which may look completely flat, but the surface is covered with microscopic bumps that cause water droplets to roll off it, […]
Exceeding expectations
February 1st, 2022
Shari Albertson is vice president of sales at Austin Canvas & Awning, a commercial and residential awning manufacturer and installer in Charlotte, N.C. She has over 15 years of awning sales experience and is the qualifying representative for the company’s general contractor’s licenses in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. Yet nearly every time Albertson […]
The shape of safety
February 1st, 2022
As more women perform job duties once dominated by men, they need to have clothing made specifically for their body types. The bottom line for women’s protective clothing is safety, no matter the purpose. Photo: Dragonwear. Fit and function cannot be separated when it comes to protective clothing—and yet for years, anyone who didn’t possess […]
Cutting through the fabric ceiling
February 1st, 2022
Faith Roberts, Ltm, MFC, IFM, owner of Ham Lake, Minn.-based Banner Canvas, can think of several examples of gender-based discrimination she’s encountered over her 40-year career. Some struck her as blatantly offensive when she experienced them. Others were less obvious until she really dissected them years later. “Some things I didn’t know were discriminatory until […]
Environmentally speaking
February 1st, 2022
Speaking of sustainability at Expo’s Advanced Textile Confernce last fall are, (from left to right) Ben Mead, managing director of Hohenstein Institute America; Meredith Boyd, senior VP of Technology, Innovation & Sustainability at Unifi Manufacturing; Lauren Choi, founder and CEO of The New Norm Fabric; and Stephanie Rodgers, director of Advanced Product Development at Apex […]
Women hold up half the sky
February 1st, 2022
A successful ingredient brand is only as good as the hard work and supportive foundation it is built on and continues to nurture. brrr˚ Inc. is one such ingredient brand, whose talented female founder has built a strong foundation of trust, perseverance and steady growth by surrounding herself with a strategically skilled team. On Jan 5, […]
Optimizing awnings
February 1st, 2022
Photo: © Inigo Calles, www.dreamstime.com. Last November the Professional Awning Manufacturers Association (PAMA), a division of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) introduced a web-based tool that calculates the energy savings for residential and commercial awning products. The new Energy Savings Calculator app was designed as an IFAI member benefit to allow users to input […]
Easier bimini deployment hardware
February 1st, 2022
Accon Marine’s 415-TB Bimini Release hardware make biminis and sunshades easier to deploy and stow. Built from polished 316 stainless steel, the low-profile surface-mount base installs with two #10 screws; a cutout isn’t needed. Unlike some marine shade solutions that require screws, pins or sewing hardware onto the webbing, the bimini side of the two-piece […]
Peppermint for metal-free odor resistance
February 1st, 2022
Polartec®, a Milliken & Company brand, has switched to peppermint for metal-free odor resistance treatment across its line of performance fabrics. The bluesign®-certified peppermint oil odor resist treatment is an easily renewable, highly sustainable and biodegradable solution for inhibiting odor at the source. The odorless peppermint oil-based treatment was proven in R&D trials to achieve […]
Software makes cut-file prep easier
February 1st, 2022
Zünd’s PreCut Center software facilitates cut-file preparation for applications involving unprinted materials, enabling fully nested cut files to be prepared in a few simple steps. The software significantly reduces the workload in file preparation, generates optimal material yield and eliminates the potential for error. The software lets the user select a level of automation based […]