Nextil Group unifies Spanish production

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Nextil Group, one of the largest groups in the European textile industry, has combined its Dogi and Ritex production facilities in El Masnou, Barcelona. The two companies will become one large textile production plant. The combined operation will be known as NEFE (Nextil Elastic Fabrics Europe), whe…
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Hybrid Air Vehicles plans passenger transportation

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

British manufacturer Hybrid Air Vehicles Ltd. (HAV) has announced that it plans to have its Airlander 10 ready for passenger transportation in 2025. Billed as the “world’s largest aircraft,” the exterior looks like a very large airship, but the inside more closely resembles a first-class ferry…
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‘Robotic’ textile can help control breathing

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Sweden have developed a new “robotic” textile that can be woven into clothing. Called OmniFiber, the textile can sense and respond to the movement of its wearer, giving immediate tactile feedback via pressure, lateral stretch or vi…
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Smart gloves translate sign language

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

A Chinese startup has found a way to commercialize and mass produce a smart glove that can translate sign language into text or audible speech. Wulala Technology Co. has launched a glove paired via Bluetooth® to a subscription-based app on a smartphone. It incorporates two-way bending sensors in e…
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Carbon nanotube fibers used in new ‘smart shirt’

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

A Rice University lab has developed a new technology for creating a health monitoring shirt using flexible, conductive nanotube thread to weave functionality into regular apparel. The university’s Brown School of Engineering lab of chemical and biomolecular engineer Matteo Pasquali report that the…
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NASA tests new heat shield material

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

The team behind the umbrella-like, deployable heat shield design called ADEPT (Adaptable, Deployable, Entry and Placement Technology) is testing out a new material to deliver science payloads on future missions to Mars and beyond. Called Spiderweave, the woven fabric will make it safer for larger ve…
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Jacket heats on one side, cools on the other

December 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Scientists from China’s Zhejiang University and Westlake University have created a jacket out of an experimental, reversible fabric that can both heat and cool the wearer. The multilayered “Janus textile” consists of a base of expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) polymer fibers. When a gar…
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Spinnova and The North Face to develop high-performance, sustainable textiles

November 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Finland-based sustainable fiber developer Spinnova® and global outdoor apparel brand The North Face® are partnering to commercialize and scale Spinnova’s technology for the high-performance outdoor apparel market. 
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Gore invests in LifeBooster for smarter work gear

November 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Workwear will get smarter—and potentially save more lives—through a partnership between W. L. Gore & Associates Inc. and wearable technology company LifeBooster.
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Paris debuts a ‘grand’ temporary venue

November 1, 2021  |  Swatches

While the Grand Palais, Paris’ historic exhibition hall and museum complex, is closed for a multi-year restoration project, a membrane-wrapped temporary venue installed on the Champ de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower is taking its place.
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