Fabric development between trends and technical constraints

Anyone planning to launch a workwear or protective clothing collection would be well advised to use fabrics specifically designed for commercial use. They are durable, ensure a long service life and, above all, should be suitable for industrial laundering. One manufacturer that has understood these specific industry requirements for many decades and incorporates them into its fabric collections is the international textile manufacturer Klopman. In this interview, Product Manager Ramona Wizorreck and Sales Area Manager Thomas Sieber explain the particular challenges involved in developing new fabrics.

The days of long product cycles for workwear collections are over, and new ranges are now being launched at much shorter intervals. How do you know which fabrics will be in demand in the future?

Ramona Wizorreck: Unfortunately, we do not have a crystal ball that allows us to see into the future. However, we have other options available to us. We monitor key market trends and assess their relevance and transferability to the workwear and protective clothing sector. Our decisions also take into account the structure and size of the market we can reach with our new fabrics. When certain products are only in demand in selected regions, we have to consider how extensively the concept should be incorporated into our range.

Thomas Sieber: Our fundamental aim is to support our customers in implementing trends with the “right” fabrics. We therefore regularly exchange ideas with the workwear and protective clothing manufacturers we supply and incorporate their input into our product development. We are also members of important industry associations. Trends in professional textile care are discussed there at an early stage, enabling us to take them into account when developing suitable fabric qualities.

What key trends are you currently observing in the industry, and how can your fabrics respond to them?

Thomas Sieber: One of the major challenges currently facing the textile care industry is the need to conserve resources – particularly energy – and the associated optimisation of cost structures. At the same time, wearers expect their workwear to offer much the same level of comfort as their leisurewear. We bring these two trends together in lighter, robust and elastic textiles: they dry more quickly while also meeting high standards of comfort.

Ramona Wizorreck: The industry is also seeing increasing digitalisation and automation. There is even talk of a lights-out laundry, or dark factory, which operates entirely without staff and with the lights switched off at night or during unsupervised periods. In such a scenario, our fabrics must be compatible with the machinery and technologies being used. The use of robotics, scanners and conveyor belts to sort and prepare textiles for the appropriate washing processes therefore places new demands on fabrics and garment construction. These specific requirements must be taken into account when selecting workwear and protective clothing fabrics to ensure that garments can be processed reliably, smoothly and consistently in the laundry.

What influence does fashion, with its constantly changing looks, colours and comfort features, have on workwear and protective clothing fabrics?

Ramona Wizorreck: In our industry, the principle is “function first”. Every one of our fabrics must meet the high demands of industrial laundering and withstand the physical stresses of everyday working life for as long as possible. To achieve this, they must meet technical requirements such as wet and dry tear strength, colour fastness and light fastness, resistance to pilling and creasing, and prove their suitability in tests that can sometimes be lengthy. Short-lived trends are not compatible with this demanding approach.

Thomas Sieber: The introduction of new colours, fibre blends or looks is also influenced by the laundry’s sorting, washing and drying technology. New materials offer new functions or greater comfort, but they also make it necessary to adapt processes. The market launch of Tencel demonstrated this interdependence. Due to its initially limited availability, the material was processed together with polyester-cotton blends, with disastrous results. Tencel qualities are now widely used within the industry, and many market participants process them using standard procedures.

In recent years, sustainability has been the defining issue throughout the textile and clothing industry …

Ramona Wizorreck: Sustainability continues to be a high priority in Scandinavia. With our Greenwear fabrics made from environmentally friendly and sustainable raw materials, as well as production processes that also follow a sustainable approach, we responded to this requirement at an early stage. Elsewhere, however, unclear political requirements are creating uncertainty among decision-makers. As a result, the necessary scaling of production is not taking place, which in turn creates cost disadvantages for such innovative and sustainable materials.

Thomas Sieber: This by no means suggests that sustainability is no longer relevant within the industry; the focus is simply shifting. The life cycle assessment, or LCA, of a textile product is now moving increasingly to the forefront. It assesses the potential environmental impact and energy balance throughout the entire life cycle of a textile, including the production of the material. Within the company, we have therefore defined circularity, ethics and responsibility targets to continuously improve our environmental footprint. We implement these targets and develop them consistently. These findings are increasingly becoming a decisive factor in the implementation of innovations.

What other aspects must be taken into account when developing workwear and protective clothing fabrics?

Thomas Sieber: Firstly, there are regulatory requirements, including the European chemicals regulation REACH. It governs the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals within the EU. There is also the list of persistent organic pollutants, known as the POPs list. If the classification of chemicals used in our manufacturing processes changes or additional substances are added to the list, we have to review and, where necessary, modify our processes. The affected textiles must then undergo suitability testing again to ensure that they continue to meet the requirements for use in textile services.

The circularity requirements arising from the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, adopted as part of the European Green Deal, must also be taken into account.

Ramona Wizorreck: In addition, there are the standards that protective clothing fabrics must meet. Before we can launch such a textile on the market, it must be tested and certified by independent institutes.

Are there limits to what workwear and protective clothing fabrics can achieve? Which requirements cannot be met?

Ramona Wizorreck: There are limits to the healthcare sector’s desire for white fabrics to be as light and airy as possible. The thinner a white textile is, the more transparent it becomes. However, clothing worn on hospital wards or in care settings must provide sufficient opacity. For this area of application, we therefore only offer fabrics with a minimum fabric weight of 180 g/m². We face a similar challenge with standard-compliant fabrics used, for example, in protective clothing for oil production sites in the Middle East. Due to the high outdoor temperatures, the textile should be as lightweight as possible. However, this often makes it impossible to meet the requirements of multiple standards. Our task is therefore to develop solutions that satisfy both sides.

Thomas Sieber: Laundry chemistry also imposes further limits. The introduction of low-temperature processes shifts the balance of Sinner’s Circle towards chemistry. This means that detergent formulations may be highly alkaline and attack the surface of polyester fibres, thereby reducing the longevity of the fabrics. Such consequences could be avoided if all industry stakeholders coordinated more closely. Texcare provides a good platform for this.