Features of latest 2011 Antelope Fashion Trend

Bert Pulitzer Mens 3-button Supra Suede Coat-antelope- 42l  

Trend Forum

The exhibition which attracted 9,618 international attendees, showcased an international mid-to-top of the range offering of textile fibres and yarns for flat bed, circular knits, weaving and accessories manufacturers, innovative knitting machinery technology, as well as the latest developments from the knitwear design studios.

Activewear

In addition to the extensive range of yarns for rectilinear hand knitting, a growing number of exhibitors featured interesting collections of yarns for circular knitting. Innovative fibres give a new lease of life to an "Activewear/Streetwear" range, influenced by the world of sport and its reintegration into daily use, creating an informal, active fashion line aimed at the young and contemporary mass market.

Healthy Beginnings

Another major development of new products lies in the organic and recycling sector, with a focus on birth and childhood and marketed under the name "Healthy Beginnings," which highlights the importance of using environmentally sustainable textiles.

Trend Forum Detail

The Forum was conceived and coordinated by Sophie Steller, a design studio and consultancy in the United Kingdom, with the assistance of Carruthers Associates in Scotland, Giovanni Cavagna in Italy and with the cooperation of Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Nottingham Trent University.

The Spinners & Weavers

Stoll Fashion and Technology Center (Germany)


Stoll Fashion launched two special presentations themed in ÔJacquard Knitting and special edition Pattern Library related to Jacquards' and ÔChina Trend Collection-Knitting Techniques and Design features in combination'. Stoll also presented their new China Trend Fashion Collection for Spring/Summer 2011.


Santoni (Italy)


Recognized as the worldwide leader of seamless machinery, Santoni presented their new and never before exhibited complete rib border seamless knitwear, and seamless warp garments made with the first specially designed Compact Seamless Warp machine. On view was a complete collection of seamless knitwear made with a circular knitting machine in association with the designer G. Cavagna.

Knit structures of various kinds, including eyelet fabrics and sober mini-jackets were featured, made on the new Rib 6 and TR machines, which reach up to 20 gg, and can be produced in very high quantities and require very little post-knitting labour.



Kamful (Hong Kong)
One of the largest factories in the world producing knitted and woven garments hand-painted with designs developed exclusively by the company's team of artists and graphic artists. Patents protect many of its processing techniques.



Honor Textile Co. (China)


Honor Textile Co. showcased their smooth linen series, characterized by reduced pilling, cool and dry aspects, and increased evenness of the threads. The silk series emphasizes the ability of this fibre to retract to its previous form after stretching, producing a yarn that is light and even, soft and colorful, and has excellent properties for absorbing perspiration. Silk combines with linen, viscose or bamboo-which enhance the look and while maintaining a competitive market price.

Space-dyed effects are achieved with silk noil blended with viscose, nylon, rayon, cotton or modal. Summer wool qualities keep you cool in summer; cool acrylic-has the same handle as summer wool-soft, stretches and absorbs color like wool, but is less expensive. It is also lightweight and pest resistant, and can be spun with natural fires to increase breathability.

Basolan Merino qualities are like mercerized wool, but softer, and were available in 100%, blends with cotton, acrylic, or viscose for a very dry handfeel. Fancy boucles with natural aspects are fine and light. Tape yarns are smooth and strong with stretch and can be knitted on 12 gauge machines. Texture is key, and is achieved with long slubs in cotton/viscose.

Long fibre cotton yarns have a cashmere feel, are soft and light, have good affinity for color and great breathability. The Green Series emphasizes recycled cotton. Bamboo/charcoal, sometimes blended with rayon, is strong, offers warmth, deodorizes, absorbs and evaporates moisture quickly, and breaks down the chemicals in the environment-making it suitable for socks, legging and underwear. Colors are soft and natural.


UPW (Hong Kong)


UPW is known for woolen spinning, semi-worsted and fancy twisting, including 100% cashmere and blends with angora and cotton, in gauges ranging from 1 1/2 to 18. The spring/summer 2011 collection, based on very fine counts, includes rich rosy colors, ranging from coral to claret, lime green and French navy.

Cotton/silk, organic cotton/Modal and lightweight organic recycled wool are key. Milk protein/soybean, linen/viscose/Tencel, bamboo/cotton, linen/cotton/bamboo, linen/cotton and linen/viscose in heavy gauges for casual looks are also important.

Lots of texture is key. There was a good reaction to glitter, and Pima cotton is big this season, especially in blends with cashmere and/or silk. New and fresh for the spring was a cashmere available in a very fine gauge.



Kyototex Shanghai (Japan)


Developments from Kyototex Shanghai (Japan) included fine yarns with metallic and Lurex effects and 100% nylon space dyed metallic yarns. A mini-collection focused on metallic dyed yarns that are Oeko-Tex certified.



Novatex (Hong Kong)
A major woolen spinner, Novatex focuses on all natural fibres -lambswool, cashmere and angora with a special organic and recycled product program. Special emphasis is put on non-mulesed wool. Cottons offer a soft handle; marls and tweeds are available in chunky versions, and there is an importance on melange color.



Yarns & Color


In response to the request for natural fibres, the spring/summer 2011 collection from Yarns & Colors (China) included linen blends with cotton, silk or nylon with a focus on fancy yarns and chemical treatments. New developments include 100% linen or cotton in fine count or heavier yarns with a stonewashed look in denim and chambray colors achieved with dyeing techniques. The company has received the certified Oeko Tex Standard on dyeing.



Consinee Yak/Cashmere and Cashmere Lurex


Consinee, the largest exporter for cashmere yarn in China, developed yarns based on interesting raw materials. Trendy new introductions with a warm touch included dehaired yak from Tibet, combined with wool and/or cashmere for softness. 100% raccoon, a longer hair fibre than yak, also dehaired, offers a more hairy or furry aspect.

Cashmere is blended with water-soluble PVA before spinning. The PVA dissolves during the washing process, leaving a 100% cashmere quality that is light and bulky and suitable for low gauges. Blends of cashmere with Lurex offer a desirable touch of shine.

Raw materials are sourced from Belgium, France and Russia, resulting in a long fibre linen quality that is very fine and doesn't break. Linificio emphasizes organic linen (Bioflax), which comes from a plant never treated with chemicals.



Linificio & Canapificio Nazionale (Italy) i
The largest European spinner of long line flax yarns for weaving and knitwear. Linificio & Canapificio Nazionale's offering includes a complete line of dyed fancy yarns. The company is also a supplier of raw and bleached, linen and hemp tops, used in the production of yarns. Linificio yarns are Masters of Linen, OEKO-TEX and EKO Sustainable Textile certified. The fashion collection of yarns includes knitting yarns, hand spun yarns, slubby yarns, slivers and top dyed mŽlange yarns. New qualities for Spring/Summer 2011 include linen/cashmere; linen/silk-in a very fine count; linen/nylon and 100% hemp.



Carriagi (Italy)


Specialists in fine fibres, Carriagi combined their artisan skills with technology for a collection of ultra-light worsted and carded yarns. Cashmere/wool, extrafine merino wool/silk and cashmere/silk yarns made using a special twist have a crisp finish and are perfect for year-round use.

Antibacterial 2 / 80 count 100% Merino Wool Extrafine Superior yarn has been treated with nano-particles of silver, known to the Ancient Egyptians for its purifying properties and after used as a bactŽricide. Pukaki Waterproof, a 2 / 48 count - 100% New Zealand Merino Wool, is a mercerized oil and water-repellent yarn treated with Teflon fabric protector, resulting in a stainproof and waterproof yarn that does not alter the original characteristics and breathabilty of the yarn.

Cariaggi continues its research into natural color applications. Guado (woad - an ancient dye plant typical of the Montefeltro area), has been applied to Antelope, a worsted 100% Merino Wool Extrafine Superior yarn producing five mŽlanges inspired by shades of blue denim. Cashmere /silk Jaipur Indigo continues the blue theme in eight different shades.



Huafu Top Dyed Melange Yarn Co. (China)


Huafu introduced their new colors, ranging from raspberry and apricot, to colors of the sea like navy blue-on their collection of yarns for circular knitting, flat bed knitting and wovens in top-dyed mŽlange. The palette is natural, springtime fresh and harmonious for fabrics that are beautiful and offer clean aspects.


Jiangsu Lugang Science & Technology Co. (China)
Featured a melange in viscose/dehaired angora, new spaced dyed effects in Tencel/poly/wool and color change effects in 100% acrylic. Viscose blends with milk fibres, bamboo/viscose, lyocell/pearl fibre/cotton/viscose and silk/lyocell/bamboo charcoal fiber/ viscose yarns were available from the Xinao Group (China).



Scotcloth (UK)
This company demonstrated their tool for textile designers based on the ScotWeaveÊcomputer aided design and management system. The program can be used to view a library of textile images and allows the operator to engineer existing images to their own requirements by altering weave or other constructions, dimension and colour on screen and then download their unique design in print form, or send the image, together with technical manufacturing details, including Pantone¨Êcolour references. The library includes a design archive with over 70,000 images for clothing and furnishing fabrics and a wide range of fabric constructions.


Mohair, a rare and precious protein fiber, is experiencing a comeback, which was apparent in many of the collections shown at SPINEXPO. The soft luxurious hand, the rich luster and shine of mohair combine with great durability. With a high affinity for dyes mohair absorbs colors into its core for rich and vibrant hues. Mohair is a year-round fiber, with warm knits and wovens for the cold winter, and airy, lightweight structures and clean suiting fabrics that breathe during the summer. Pure or blended, mohair produces rich tweeds, lofty fleeces and knits. Naturally soft mohair offers an environmentally friendly alternative to real fur. Mohair fabrics are characterized by insulation properties, extremely flame retardant, and offer high sound absorbency, making it ideal for public spaces and home furnishings.



Top Line (Ningbo) Textile Co./Gruppo Lineapiu (China)


The core business for Top Line (Ningbo) Textile Co./Gruppo Lineapiu (China) is in fancy yarns, based on alpaca, wool and cashmere. Their key introduction at SPINEXPO Shanghai was mohair from South Africa, very soft and fur-like, with the added advantage of not shedding. Fine and light qualities of the New mohair' offer very clean looks.

More summery looks were developed using the finest linen from France and Belgium. Linen blends with rayon and viscose for very sheer aspects. Viscose gives shine and fluidity to blends of linen and nylon. The strength of linen is balanced in blends by the soft, delicate characteristics of silk. A denim jeans quality in 100% cotton was also new for the season.


Lana Stop (Spain)


Lana Stop featured spaced dyed and degrade effects, merino extrafine, and superwash wool extra fine yarns from Australia for hand knitting. New qualities included blends of merino wool/silk; 100% baby alpaca, wool/cashmere, and mohair/polyamide, wool alpaca, mohair embellished with paiettes and "Trebol", a chunky 100% merino that looks like felt.