Paradise Textiles, the material science hub of the Taiwan-headquartered Alpine Group, is launching the first garment based on the bio-based and biodegradable polyester resin developed by New York-based Kintra Fibers.

The Paradise Textiles lightweight jacket is a proof-of-concept for the commercial viability of Kintra’s sustainable alternative to traditional fossil-based polyester.

Last year, Kintra participated in a year-long collaborative project orchestrated by Fashion for Good, with brands Bestseller, Inditex and Reformation on prototype materials based on the Kintra’s new resin.

Converted into yarn, it has demonstrated impressive strength and durability comparable to traditional polyester in testing, while also being much softer. Additionally, it possesses an inherent stretch quality, with yarn test results indicating a stretch recovery of 10-15%. These properties have already been tested in various fabric constructions, including silk-like satin wovens, technical outerwear wovens and knits produced using air-jet texturing and draw-texturing

The unique combination of strength, softness and comfort stretch recovery produces materials with an ultra-soft hand feel and elegant drape without compromising a garment’s durability and longevity. This blend of characteristics has additional environmental benefits since textile engineers generally blend traditional polyester with cotton and spandex to achieve similar properties to Kintra monomaterial constructions, which will enable much easier recycling.

Kintra believes its resin production results in a 95% reduction in GHG emissions, a 30% reduction in water usage,and a 20% reduction in energy consumption compared to conventional polyester.

As a globally connected, end-to-end fashion delivery platform from fibre to fashion, Alpine Group has helped drive business success with brands including The North Face, Sweaty Betty, American Eagle Outfitters, Under Armour and Gap.

“At Paradise, we continually seek innovative fibre technologies that offer a lower carbon footprint and serve as viable alternatives to fossil-based synthetics,” said Lewis Shuler, head of innovation at Paradise Textiles. “Kintra not only meets these criteria but also delivers additional benefits in impact and performance. We are excited to further our collaboration, leveraging Kintra’s potential to engineer a diverse range of textiles.”

“The creation of this prototype is a testament to the viability of our material,” added Billy McCall, CEO and co-founder of Kintra. “The fabric development expertise of Paradise Textiles has been instrumental in bringing our vision to life and we are excited about the potential this partnership holds as we move towards commercial-scale production.”

www.alpinecreations.com

http://www.kintrafibers.com