Hemp focus for Rajby as it opens thread-dyeing facility
Denim mill Rajby has inaugurated a thread dyeing unit at its facility in Pakistan, has launched a hemp collection, an air-spun yarn and is developing an antiviral product in collaboration with HeiQ.
The mill and garment maker is also making progress with its Cradle to Cradle (C2C) lines – being the only mill with a platinum range – and is developing collections for retailers H&M and Tesco.
Muzammil Usmani, a senior manager of product development, said the mill was “a little bit late” in launching the hemp collection, but this was due to making sure they could verify the supply chain.
With a lot of the hemp from China, it was difficult prove whether the product that arrived was hemp, linen or flax, he said, as the import certificates and requirements weren’t strict enough, so the company now imports all its hemp from France.
“If you get the hemp fabric or garment from us, you will get the full certificate for the supply chain,” he said. “We are also using natural hemp fibre. With regular hemp, it’s already very processed, lots of bleach and other chemicals have been used to treat it, which doesn’t make sense if you are choosing it for sustainability reasons.”
The hemp range is part of its Eco Fusion line, which includes Refibra and biopolyester. “This is something that people are now talking about and more brands are asking for.”
The company has also launched Velour, made with air-spun yarn technology. Air is trapped inside the core of the yarn, giving it a soft hand feel. “People are working at home more because of the pandemic and want comfort,” said Mr Usmani. “This technology means the hand feel is close to premium fibres but it is regular cotton, so it's less expensive.”
To add to its range of antimicrobial fabrics, the company is also working on an antiviral and antimicrobial range, using HeiQ’s Viroblock, which is in the final stages of testing.
Rajby employs 14,000 workers and produces 3.2 million metres or fabric and 1.5 million garments per month.
