COVID-19 survey: Labor and supply chain challenges dominate pandemic struggles

March 1, 2021  |  Features

More than a year after the declaration of a global pandemic, it’s no surprise that a majority of companies in the industrial fabrics industry were negatively affected by the events of 2020. But the struggles were uneven, with some companies pivoting to new markets and others experiencing a positiv…
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COVID year 1: What just happened? And where are we headed?

March 1, 2021  |  Editorial

When I think back on the second week of March 2020, I laugh at how naïve I was. Or rather, I would laugh, if it wasn’t all so devastating. Even after major events started cancelling, and my kids’ school shifted to distance learning, and IFAI staff were directed to work from home, I could only …
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Designer knits biodegradable children’s shoes

March 1, 2021  |  Swatches

In a day when fast fashion is the norm, and so much of what we wear ends up in landfills, one designer has a fresh idea: biodegradable knit shoes for children that come with an expiration date. Shahar Asor created “Best Before” using biodegradable thread that can disassemble at a pre-defined tim…
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Puffer jacket is solar charged for visibility

March 1, 2021  |  Swatches

High-tech apparel brand Vollebak has released the Solar Charged Puffer, a jacket for extreme environments that builds on its original solar charged jacket, launched in 2017.
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Engineers unfold and tension NASA’s telescope sunshield in final tests

March 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Lengthened to the size of a tennis court, the five-layer sunshield of NASA’s fully assembled James Webb Space Telescope successfully completed a final series of large-scale deployment and tensioning tests in late 2020, according to a NASA press release. This milestone puts the observatory one step…
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Fabricators pivot, persevere and prosper

March 1, 2021  |  Features

COVID-19 made an abrupt entrance in 2020, catching almost everyone off guard. It quickly became clear that waiting it out wasn’t an option for most businesses. Many pivoted, looked for opportunities and took calculated risks to keep their employees working and the bottom line healthy during what h…
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Safer, speedier welding

March 1, 2021  |  Products

Leister’s SEAMTEK W-900 AT wedge welder makes it easier to produce world-class seams quickly and safely. Variable welding speeds enable users to adjust their speed with the foot pedal like a sewing machine to achieve high-quality seams welded at speeds up to 98 ft./min. The wedge heats up
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Bleach-cleanable upholstery

March 1, 2021  |  Products

Handsome Plaid and Jumper, the latest upholstery collections from Designtex, don’t sacrifice aesthetics for functionality. Durable and colorfast, cleaners and disinfectants can be used regularly without harm. Made by expert jacquard weavers in Germany, Handsome Plaid is crafted to
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A ‘mixed bag’ for U.S. textile manufacturing

March 1, 2021  |  Features

The year 2020 was not a particularly good period to assess the health of the U.S. textile manufacturing industry—or, for that matter, many other types of industries. But industry participants report that the optimism manufacturers felt at the beginning of the year was still there at the end, despi…
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Recycled marine waste textile

March 1, 2021  |  Products

Intersection is a screen and panel fabric developed through a partnership between Duvaltex, Steelcase and the SEAQUAL® Initiative, which turns marine plastic waste into recycled products with full traceability. The fabric, the first with the Ocean Waste CLEAN IMPACT TEXTILES™
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