New US textile maker Vidalia Denim is moving forward on its mission to “build the most efficient and environmentally friendly denim mill in North America” by teaming up with The Lubrizol Corporation as a preferred supplier of stretch fibres in its fabrics.
Lubrizol’s X4zol-J thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fibre is a new elastomeric monofilament that is manufactured differently from spandex, resulting in 360º comfortable stretch and support, breathability and sustainable benefits such as processing at lower temperatures and recyclability, the company says.
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“Lubrizol provides us with an innovative state-of-the-art solution for sustainably produced, high-performance stretch fibre, and represents a key element in the evolution of great denim products,” explains Dan Feibus, CEO of Vidalia Mills Co.
The $50m mill will produce yarns and fabrics for the North American market, and is currently ramping up its operations ahead of full commercial production at the beginning of next year.
Based in a former Fruit of the Loom distribution facility in Vidalia, Louisiana, the company will purchase raw cotton, which it will then spin, dye and weave into denim fabric. It will ship the denim material to other manufacturers that produce labelled blue jeans.
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Rob Richardson, global business director for Performance Apparel at Lubrizol, adds: “Our collaboration with Vidalia will enable brands to work locally in North America to deliver high performance fabrics that consumers love, with even greater sustainability benefits. This alone takes miles and months out of the supply chain. Plus, the powerful combination of X4zol-J’s favourable material and recyclability profile, along with Vidalia’s sustainable manufacturing processes, will help brands achieve lower scores using Higg Index tools available through the Sustainable Apparel Coalition.”
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By GlobalDataVidalia Denim will also exclusively use e3 sustainable cotton – the first such operation in the world. Its cotton will be sourced from across the US farm belt from farmers enrolled in the e3 sustainable cotton programme, with customers offered complete transparency of leading grower sustainability practices.
And iconic denim brand Wrangler is currently in discussions with Vidalia Denim about the development of fabrics for its 2019 product collection.
Roian Atwood, director of sustainability for Wrangler, notes: “This mill is pushing the standards for sustainability denim fabric in North America. At Wrangler, we are excited about the opportunity to work with Dan and his team and the e3 cotton growers committed to sustainable agriculture practices to produce good-looking denim that utilises innovative manufacturing methods.”
For more details, click on the following link: New state-of-the art denim mill taking shape in US.
