Kingpins digs into ‘the fibres of the future’
During the second day of the all-digital Kingpins24 Global, a panel including The Flax Company’s Hervé Denoyelle, Shariare Mahmood of Spinnova and Lenzing’s Michael Kininmonth discussed what was framed as “the fibres of the future”.
Kingpins’ technology leader, Miguel Sanchez, moderated the event.
The Flax Company focuses on flax and hemp, whereas Spinnova and Lenzing specialise in wood-based cellulosic fibres.
Prompted by Mr Sanchez, all three men agreed that their products are all comparable to other natural fibres, particularly where cotton is dominant. They concurred that they all can be used synergistically in various blends.
Mr Denoyelle described how The Flax Company trialled cottonised hemp 15 years ago, but “there was no reaction in the market”. Today, he said, his company’s mechanically produced hemp is considered “perfect” for denim.
Mr Sanchez agreed that the ancient fibre is something of a “superpower”, although both recognised that the amount of hemp grown for textiles today (less than 1% of the textile market, according to Mr Denoyelle) is perhaps not sufficient enough to meet increasing demand for the fibre.
The Flax Company representative also emphasised that ring-spun hemp can currently make up around 30% of denim blends, but work is ongoing to better “adapt” the fibre to this kind of spinning.
Touching upon Lenzing’s earlier Bast Recast collection, Mr Kininmonth suggested that “cotton-like” hemp and Tencel (a Lenzing-made lyocell fibre derived from sustainably sourced wood pulp) blends could potentially fill future gaps “where there are cotton shortages”.
A full version of the talk, which continued beyond the livestream, will be accessible via Kingpins’ on-demand section following the conclusion of the three-day event, which runs from October 19 through 21.
Talks held during the show so far have featured conversations around the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, insights from the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute and the unveiling of Offuel by Rudolf Group.
Tomorrow’s discussions include talks on organic farming, Uzbekistan cotton, the practice of weaving and new retail, plus ‘The reality of recycling’, a panel moderated by Inside Denim’s technical editor, Sophie Bramel, at 4pm Central European Time.
Read more about Spinnova’s latest innovations inside issue 4 of Inside Denim here.
Image: Spinnova.
