KOREA: Six Apparel Firms Branch Out Into ESPOL Yarn

Six well-known apparel manufacturers in Korea have selected ESPOL yarn, made by SK Chemicals, over other synthetic fabric products, to launch consumer clothing for their fall and winter seasons. All of the ESPOL-based clothing is available in major department stores and retail stores around Korea. The new items include women's shirts in various designs and colors with the Cooldog and LOL LOL labels of Bosung International, the Tomboy label of Sungdo Apparel, the Selly's label of Kasu and the Showbiz label of Koogi. In addition, Win Corporation now uses ESPOL-based linings in several of its Renoma label swimsuits.SK Chemicals introduced the Korean fashion industry this season to a wider color spectrum and to softer, more comfortable knitted ESPOL Draw Textured Yarn (DTY). This provided designers and fabric coordinators with more refined expressions of their design concepts, Na said."Before my encounter with ESPOL, I relied heavily on nylon," said Hae- Ryang Chang, general manager of Bosung International's LOL LOL fabric team. "I chose ESPOL because it has minimised pilling and had advanced performance properties such as colour fastness and softness superior to nylon."SK Chemicals and Samyang, with corporate offices in Korea, will merge their respective polyester businesses this November. The joint venture will be named Huvis (