Medical patch designed for sealing internal injuries

April 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Many surgeries today are performed via minimally invasive procedures, in which a small incision is made, and miniature cameras and surgical tools are threaded through the body to remove tumors and repair damaged tissues and organs.
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Keeping up the shade market momentum

April 1, 2021  |  Awnings & Canopies, Markets

Shade is on everyone’s mind, according to Margueritte Ramos, owner and sales manager of ShadeFLA. The Miami, Fla.-based company designs and installs shade products ranging from awnings and canopies to retractable roofs and tension sails. Lately, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.
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Buying and selling in a world with less face time

April 1, 2021  |  Business, Sales

COVID vaccine options are improving prospects for the economic climate in 2021; however, 2020 had a lasting impact on business practices in the specialty fabrics industry and beyond—particularly in buying and selling—prompting many companies to rethink processes.
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2021 Specialty Fabrics Showcase, Part 1

April 1, 2021  |  Features, Specialty Fabrics Showcase

Awnings, tents, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to sen…
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What’s driving transportation textile trends?

April 1, 2021  |  Features

The transportation industry is undergoing massive disruption, driven primarily by the climate change imperative: electric and hybrid automobiles; e-vans to deliver our online purchases; mandates for fuel economy, emissions and noise reduction; material sustainability; and pandemic-related concerns w…
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Sewing industry shape-shifting

April 1, 2021  |  Features

In January 2020, Archana Sharma, CEO of AKAS Tex LLC, a Bensalem, Pa., textile manufacturer/creator and designer of high-performance fabrics, says her company began receiving emails from Singapore, Australia, Japan and other eastern hemisphere countries inquiring about face masks and antimicrobial f…
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Scott Sutherland: Ready for anything

April 1, 2021  |  Features, Perspective

In the summer of 2020, Scott Sutherland was elated with record-shattering sales, but he was also in a situation he had never imagined: out of aluminum, out of fabric, out of nearly every component used to make tents.
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Hologenix and Kelheim Fibres launch Celliant Viscose

April 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Hologenix, creators of Celliant® infrared responsive technology and Kelheim Fibres, manufacturer of viscose specialty fibers based in Kelheim, Germany, have partnered to launch Celliant Viscose.
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‘Smart bandage’ can detect infection

April 1, 2021  |  Swatches

University of Rhode Island (URI) assistant professor Daniel Roxbury (left) and former URI graduate student Mohammad Moein Safaee (right) have created a continuous, noninvasive way to detect and monitor an infection in a wound by embedding nanosensors in a “smart bandage.”
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New technology for textile recycling underway

April 1, 2021  |  Swatches

Swiss fluid engineering company Sulzer announced that its partnership with H&M Group and Worn Again Technologies is developing technology for closed-loop recycling of textiles. Because of the complexity of garment production, chemical recycling techniques to date have been applied to a minor sha…
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