Series of ‘firsts’ show Naia’s scalability at Intertextile Apparel
US fibre and filament manufacturer Eastman embraced the opportunity to present its latest developments to the Chinese market directly with a series of ‘firsts’ during day one of the Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics (Intertextile Apparel) trade show on March 6.
The materials company notably became the ‘first’ manmade cellulosic fibre (MMCF) producer to obtain Global Recycled Standard (GRS) certification for recycled content in Naia Renew fibre last December.
Naia Renew is blended from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% GRS-approved waste from textiles, post-consumer carpet material and more. There are plans to up the proportion of recycled content in Naia Renew to 100% in the future, as Eastman’s global marketing communications lead, Karen Yang, told Inside Denim at the fair.
Prominent displays included a silky, wedding-appropriate gown by Californian eco-label Reformation, notable for embodying the first-ever commercial order of Naia Renew ES, itself typically made from 60% recycled content. Reformation’s endorsement proves Naia Renew ES is no mere demonstration project, Ms Yang says.
Alongside the dress was a Patagonia-branded t-shirt blended from recycled polyester and Naia Renew, representative of the companies’ latest collaboration, announced in February, which involves the upcycling of unusable Patagonia clothing waste into molecular building blocks for Naia Renew.
In recognition of Naia’s potential in denim applications, the supplier likewise exhibited a dedicated jeanswear rack, including an embroidered denim shirt by Italian fashion brand Miss Sixty: the staple fibre's very first commercial application in denim.
A commercialised jean shirt with Naia fibre content by Miss Sixty. Credit: World Trades Publishing.
