July 1, 2020
In Sweden, there is a concept known as “lagom.” It’s a way of living life in balance—not too much or too little—a stress-reducing happy medium for daily life. Lagom is the inspiration for the 2020 collection by German textile company nya nordiska. It includes five exclusive fabric innovations using wool, linen and cotton that strike …
While numerous end-product manufacturers have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by fabricating products that they have never made before, others looked to past products and designs to apply to today’s challenges. Rainier Industries’ commercial tent division brought back a tent design that was historically used in agricultural applications. With a few minor tweaks …
For Green Bay, Wis.-based event tent manufacturer American Tent, what began as a website chat ended as a disaster relief effort. Representatives from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) reached out to American Tent through the company’s chat feature in February, needing tents that could serve as temporary school rooms to replace schools that were …
Everyone from couture fashion brands to Girl Scouts have taken up mask making to fight the spread of COVID-19, with textile companies drawing on their unique capabilities to introduce new innovations. Patterned after N95 masks, the Spacer Dome Pro mask from Apex Mills, Inwood, N.Y., includes an air space that offers two benefits: the fabric …
June 1, 2020
As the new normal for businesses around the U.S. became fabricating personal protective equipment, the marine fabrication community stepped up. Carl Pellegrini, owner of SeaCanvas, Egg Harbor Township, N.J., spent several weeks this spring making and donating face shields to 10 local police and fire departments using materials on-hand such as O’Sea Regalite .040 sheet …
Unprecedented times call for unprecedented—and speedy—innovations. Multinational company Stretch Marquees and Fabric Structures spent the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic repurposing existing products and creating new ones to meet the needs of the global health crisis. The results include a disinfection tunnel and a negative pressure inflatable structure. Launched with the company’s Italian …
Swiss textile innovation company HeiQ mobilized quickly to fight the dire coronavirus threat, introducing HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile technology that is proven to be effective against COVID-19 in face mask testing. The idea behind the HeiQ technology is to mitigate the risk of infection by deactivating the virus quickly—even within minutes. …
The rapid spread of COVID-19 created an urgent need for medical equipment of all kinds. One priority is ensuring there are enough beds for patients who need care. This necessity gave PioneerIWS, a family-owned steel fabricator in Dalton, Ohio, an idea. The company assembled a team of more than a dozen Northeastern Ohio manufacturers, including …
The Rhythm Foundation exists to bring international music to the U.S.It focuses on music from cultures that connect to South Florida includingLatin America, Brazil, the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. In 2015, the Miami, Fla.-based nonprofit was awarded management of the North Beach Bandshell, an open-air amphitheater in Miami Beach’s NorthBeach Historic District that’s been the …
Rose Brand launched a national campaign in late April to reinforce the social distancing message with the unfurling of a 140-foot banner in its Secaucus, N.J., headquarters parking lot. The banner, manufactured and printed in-house, conveys the rallying cry, “Join the resistance, keep your distance” and features Lady Liberty, an iconic symbol of hope. “Social …
