Cutting-edge fabrics with the cutting edge fashion

Tag : Fabrics Suiting


Natural, wool-based fibres enable the researchers to create fabricsin a sustainable manner that offer greater comfort, breathabilityand insulation.

AgResearch Corporate Affairs Manager Allanah James says theTextiles team is supplying fabric to top New Zealand designersAnnah Stretton, twentysevennames, Stitch Ministry, Zambesi,Hailwood, Liz Mitchell, Jaeha, Sera Lilly, and Salasai.

“We have provided fabric that will enable the designers touse their creative talents to tailor garments that are visuallyappealing and have unique functional properties,” she says.The fabrics target business-wear, formal-wear and casual-wearapplications and are used for next-to-skin or mid-layer orouterwear garments,” she says.

AgResearch’s ‘Vintage Merino’ fabric has anaged/washed look which is achieved through the use of dye resistand dye release treatments, while the Tone-on-Tone knitwearachieves tonal coloured patterns via a single dyeing process.

“This eliminates the need to dye yarn to a wide range ofcolours. When placed in a one colour dye bath, the fabric dyesitself to more than one colour,” she says.

Another exciting fabric is the Rip-Stop for casual and sportsapparel which is made from 95 per cent wool. This high-tech,contemporary fabric provides better breathability than syntheticcompetitors – a unique selling point in the market-place.

“Our Next-to-skin Apparel will also be profiled at Fashionweek. This fabric is made from a super-fine merino wool yarn thatis knitted into a range of fine gauge knit structures that arefiner than any other natural fibre available in the market-placeand offer drying properties superior to competing syntheticfabrics. We are proud to provide this fabric to Annah Stretton forher self-titled label.”

AgResearch will also be profiling its Natural Easy Care shirtingand suiting fabrics. The NEC fabric utilises a single worsted yarnwhich is created by specially designed rollers that are easilyretro-fitted to an existing spinning frame. The grooved rollerssplit the wool strand into micro-yarns which are made up of wellinterlocked fibres. The resulting single yarn has improved surfaceabrasion resistance, to withstand the stresses and strains imposedduring weaving, and can be woven into a much lighter-weight fabric.

AgResearch Senior Scientist Dr Surinder Tandon says the new woolfabric has a number of beneficial qualities.

“It breathes better than other shirting fabrics, is fullymachine washable without the use of chemical treatments forshrink-proofing. This means that there are significantenvironmental benefits, which we believe will also be an advantagefor retailers eager to serve the needs of discerning,environmentally aware consumers.”

Designer Kirsha Whitcher plans to make a dress from the NEC fabricfor her Salasai label. “I chose the shirting fabric becauseit has got such beautiful drape – it’s really hard tofind a lightweight fabric that is woven and one hundred per centwool,” she said.

Another unique fabric being showcased is prepared from awool/possum fibre blend that is knitted directly from the fibre,without needing to be spun into a yarn first. The machine used tomake it has been specially modified for AgResearch, and is the onlyone of its type in Australasia. A diverse range of fabrics can beprepared on this equipment, from the luxurious through to thehighly functional – a stab, slash and flame resistant woolfabric has also been developed.