INVISTA hosts Socks Seminar in Istanbul

INVISTA, one of the world’s largest producers of polymers and fibres, hosted yesterday its second annual Socks Seminar Event: LYCRA® MOVES ™ ISTANBUL II. With over 130 segment leaders in attendance, INVISTA presented a review of consumer insights, launched the new-look COOLMAX® and THERMOLITE® brands and hosted a fashion show presenting exclusive key trends and concepts for 2016-2017.

The seminar reconfirmed the continued focus and commitment to the sock industry that INVISTA has demonstrated over many years through innovation, quality ingredients and services it provides the segment.

Jane Gwyther, EMEA Sock Marketing Manager at INVISTA says: “We are delighted to host another sock seminar event in Istanbul, and to show our commitment to the segment – we strongly believe that through our LYCRA® brand, COOLMAX® brand and THERMOLITE® brand we can help our customers create value in their product by delivering a quality ingredient giving lasting fit, freedom of movement and premium comfort.”

LYCRA® Fibre Moves: Innovations to shape the future of legwear

INVISTA, owner of the LYCRA® fibre brand, revealed a number of innovations at the only global legwear conference in the world, held last week in Como (Italy). Professionals from right across the industry were treated to a series of talks and seminars on the future of the legwear industry and the consumer reality of hosiery today and tomorrow.

As part of its continuing commitment to sustainability via Planet Agenda, Rob Dewhurst of INVISTA presented the new LYCRA® AquaNRG technology which is designed to save 30% of water usage used during the dyeing process (currently 100-150 litres of water are used for 1 kilogramme of hose – that is a bottle of water for every 9 pairs of tights!). Dewhurst further elaborated that the reductions in water usage and also a reduction in energy for water heating/cooling could reduce the process time by 1-2 hours and of course reduce waste water. The process has been trialled and Dewhurst commented: “We are ready to work with our customers, 85% of whom have already indicated that they would favour a technology that reduces or even eliminates the scouring process, to validate these findings and scale up the technology. And of course, we are exploring the possibility of extending this new technology into other applications.”

In product terms, INVISTA introduced two innovations: LYCRA® Super Summer Sheer technology and Compression for everyday. In an entertaining talk, Sybille Bald of INVISTA, commented: “This new Super Summer Sheer technology has been designed to create and highlight fresh perspectives on ultra sheer hosiery … designed to be worn during the warmer summer season, by delivering sheerness with lasting fit, barely felt hosiery and optimal durability our aim is to position it as the leading ‘Better than Bare’ offering.” The technology makes ample use of the finest ultrafine LYCRA® fibres (T777F) and anti-laddering FUSION™ technology.

The compression market is growing rapidly with increases of some 600% reported in the last four years, said Consuelo Banon and Sybille Bald of INVISTA, on the second day of the Conference. Based on research from over 4,390 consumers in North & South America and Europe, findings show that these increases are not accounted for by the medical need of wearers but more by performance and wellbeing/beauty concerns – that is, for everyday wear, tired legs and contouring the leg for a better visual appearance. The new fibre (T772F) offer interior compression with outer run-resistance and has to be used in every course to be part of the LYCRA® Energize programme.

Rethinking fit was the concern with the 4th innovation – the LYCRA® FIT FINDER application which enables women to find hosiery that fits and feels comfortable. A new approach moving away from Size to Fit to Stretch-to-Fit. INVISTA with Select Research has created a trial app which is multimedia and has already been trialled in Poland with Ferax and in store (Gatta). It is a easy to use application designed for the ‘mobile’ generation and dovetails neatly into the ‘selfie’ and personalised consumer. The application is not fully commercial yet but its ease of use (tested by Underlines) should ensure that the app will engage consumers.

Further speakers highlighted the UK as a still expanding market in 2015 whilst most other European markets were still declining. Of a total spend on fashion of 200 billion Euros a year, the UK was currently spending 43.8 billion (followed by Germany with 39.9 billion) on purchases including outerwear, legwear and lingerie and shoes. However in relation to hosiery and socks, Germans are the kings of Europe with more purchases than any other European country.

The conference also illuminated that the fastest growing sector of purchases is via mobile devices including particularly Smartphones (the top 5 markets for smartphones are China, USA, UK, Japan and South Korea and unsurprisingly perhaps these countries are the top players in e-commerce sales).

A full report on the Conference will appear in the next edition of Underlines Magazine.

What do women want from legwear? Read it first in Underlines

Always committed to innovation, INVISTA, owner of the LYCRA® brand, is currently holding trade seminars and presentations across the globe to introduce 2016/2017 trends for socks and hosiery. The Legwear Fashion Directions reveal what benefits consumers will expect from their hosiery over the next few years, giving B2B partners the opportunity to adopt and promote them early.

“We have developed multiple solutions for the legwear industry that places the consumer at the centre of our innovation process; always directed towards the future but engaging with lifestyle trends and needs that are relevant and powerful,” says Sybille Bald, Global Segment Leader at INVISTA. “From the high-powered women looking for her legwear to deliver in all situations to the young care-free spirit looking for gear that mirrors her lifestyle.”

See these forward trends and insights into the future of legwear first in Underlines, out on 4th January 2016.

Moda catwalk translates INVISTA’s trends

Moontide stuns at the Moda Lingerie & Swimwear catwalk

Moda Lingerie & Swimwear kicked off yesterday offering an unrivalled buying opportunity and the only chance to see some of the industry’s most important brands in the UK. The LYCRA® fibre brand is for the sixth time the headline sponsor of the event and this year the main catwalk show brings to life INVISTA’s 2016 trends, in a spectacle for beautifully crafted intimates designs.

Fearless and Fabulous

---

Antigel by Lise Charmel

Maison Close

Passionata

Vanity Fair

Passionata

Illusion Swimwear

---

Seaspray

Roidal

Eva

Oyster Bay

Naturana

Pieces of Art

---

Lise Charmel

Wacoal

Fantasie

Millesia

Panache & Panache Black

Panache Black

The Stylist’s Edit

---

Lou

Gossard

Linga Dore

Chantelle

Best Form

Modernism Meets Sport

---

Maryan Mehlhorn

Gottex

Moontide

Sculpturing Quality

---

Freya Active

Anita Active

DKNY

Panache Sport

Berlei

Smart and Stimulating

---

Smith + Downes

Hanro

Mey (underwear) & Cyberjammies (robe)

Mey

Eberjey

Cybele

Afro Future

---

Watercult

Sunseeker (swimsuit) & Pia Rossini (kimono)

Linga Dore Beach

Opera

Maryan Mehlhorn

South Beach

Brazilian designer crowned as LYCRA® Future Designer

INVISTA announced Natalia Vechiatto Feitoza e Silva as the 2015 winner of the LYCRA® Future Designers contest during the WGSN Global Fashion Awards in London. She is a graduate of the Universidade Estadual de Maringa in Brazil and her designs were for an activewear collection.

Global Fashion Awards 2015, London, UK. Photo by: Carsten Windhorst / FRPAP.com

This year’s contest include student designers or young design graduates from South America, Asia and Europe. Last year’s winner Lucy Gardner now sells her women’s cycling clothing made with LYCRA® fibre through her site, Fierlan.com and Silvia Teh of the the 2015 finalists was named the regional winner of Harper’s Bazaar Asia New Generation Fashion Designer Award during Singapore’s Fashion Week in May.

Natalia commented on her win: “Winning a global award of such standing is life-changing… even before I started studying design I wanted to have my own label, and now, thanks to the LYCRA® band and the support I will get from INVISTA, I will be able to achieve this dream.”

INVISTA presents 2016 Intimate Apparel and Swimwear Trends

INVISTA takes centre-stage for product innovation in the intimates and swimwear sectors, embracing research & development right through to consumer behaviour analysis to offer specific solutions and stay ahead of demand. The new INVISTA 2016 Trends guide details developments in shapes, fabrics, colours and textile innovations with finished products to illustrate each theme and also bringing functional added value to designers by presenting innovative leads with the company’s latest developments such as LYCRA® BEAUTY and LYCRA® XTRA LIFE™.

Fearless and Fabulous

Opulence with a sharp edge for brands with a focus on sensuality, with the LYCRA® BEAUTY fibre allowing for carefully controlled shaping. Materials with nocturnal surface aspects that show glints and flashes of metal and gold, elaborately ornamented fabrics with jet beads, crystals and sequins in satin sheens and matt plains. Heavy laces, laser-cut techniques and raw mesh create innovative openwork.

Smart and Stimulating

Engage all the senses to stimulate an almost overwhelming sense of well being. Performance and smart textiles manage body temperature and moisturise skin, with fabrics ranging from diaphanous to neoprene, support and contour. By merging science and design, beautiful solutions are provided to enhance the heightened interest in tactile and sensorial stimuli, and the dynamic TACTEL® fibre creates garments that are soft, smooth, breathable and lightweight.

Pieces of Art

Craftsmanship and tradition meets cutting-edge modernity with Chantilly lace, translucent veils and precious tulles, technology wrapped in luxurious silk-touch and tech-fabrics with patterns that resemble works of art. To match these tradition-inspired looks with contemporary styles, the COOLMAX® fabric contributes by moving perspiration away from the body, providing comfort to the wearer.

Sculpturing Quality

With emphasis on fitness, well-being and mind-body strength to fuel their hectic lives, women exude a positive ‘alpha’ spirit.  LYCRA® SPORT fibres combine stretch technology and performance requirements, delivering freedom of movement, bi-directional stretch, comfort and long-lasting fit to withstand the daily 24/7 pressure of an active lifestyle. Body embracing fabrics with high compression create massaging effects while maintaining comforting coolness.

Modernism Meets Sport

Decorative with clashing colours, geometric bold shapes and loud pattern mixes, a clear connection is made between the retro and futuristic. Sporty plains with graphic textures and surfaces benefit from performance features such as fit retention whilst the LYCRA® XTRA LIFE™ fibre provides up to 10 times more resistance to chlorinated pool water, perspiration and oils. Garments are finished with contrasting and geometric trims, pipings and inserts as well as rubber and 3D printed accessories.

Afro Future

Lavish tropical designs, placed ikebana and African wax prints inspire new patterns, all with an authentic and cultural character. Traditional patterns join modern day, fresh interpretations produced using digital printing technology, resulting in a rich combination of organic and digital aesthetics.

Illusion Wear

Fabrics can manipulate perspective and scale with optical 2D and 3D illusions of reflection, light and illusionary layers. Two categories of swimwear fabrics with LYCRA® BEAUTY fibre help brands choose attributes that are designed to meet specific needs: Firm, for beautifully slimming suits with comfort in motion or Extra Firm, for garments needing a high degree of recovery power for specialized shaping designs.

Two UK creatives named for INVISTA’s 2015 LYCRA® Future Designers Award

INVISTA, owner of the LYCRA® brand, is pleased to share the shortlisted candidates for the 6th edition of its LYCRA® Future Designers award, announced by WGSN. This edition marks the third time INVISTA participates with its award category as part of the WGSN Global Fashion Awards, as the LYCRA® Future Designers award was previously an event in itself organized by INVISTA.

© 2015 INVISTA. Courtesy of Yiyi Guo.

Students and young graduates were invited to submit designs in the intimates, swim, sportswear, hosiery and denim categories that could be manufactured using fabrics with LYCRA® fibre, along with mood boards and supporting documentation to make their case. This year, the global selection includes creatives from South America, Asia and Europe: Agustina Andrea Delgado Recke (Argentina), Natalia Vechiatto Feitoza (Brazil), Yiyi Guo (China), SiChen Huang (China), Wang Xiang Yi (China), Pui Yan Rachel Tse (France), Sukriti Mandal (India), Silvia Teh (Singapore), Cassandra Verity Green (UK) and Geraldina Montemayor (UK).

The final winner will be presented at the WGSN Global Fashion Awards on 14 May at The Park Lane Hotel in London, and INVISTA will offer him/her the chance to work with expert mentors at INVISTA.