In celebration of its 50th anniversary, Invista's Cordura brand has announced its first-ever collaboration with Cotton Incorporated, the research and promotion company for US cotton producers and importers.

Throughout 2017 and beyond, the two brands will work together to explore opportunities to develop a long-lasting and more durable fabric for a new generation of performance apparel.

Heritage meets innovation

Traditional, reliable and biodegradable cotton fibre is known for being soft, natural and comfortable. Blending cotton with the performance benefits of Cordura fibre technology is said to add additional comfort qualities such as quick dry, long-lasting performance, durability, extra tear strength and abrasion resistance.

"Collaborating with Cotton Incorporated celebrates the ideology we've been working towards for the past fifty years – heritage meets innovation," said Cindy McNaull, global Cordura brand and marketing director.

"We continue to honour and embrace our history of creating durable fabrics, but strive to push the boundaries of how we can enhance them to create cutting-edge innovations suitable for the ever-changing marketplace. We listened to the voice of the customer and their need for cotton-rich performance fabrics that last. Working together with Cotton Incorporated allows us to bring two classics together to deliver the next generation of performance to the fabric of our lives."

Plans to extend collaboration

Fabrics from the Cordura brand and Cotton Incorporated collaboration will initially be offered from several Cordura brand authorized mills, including Artistic Milliners, Nishat, Chia Her and Arvind. The two companies plan to extend the collaboration with additional technology innovations in the months to come.

"Cotton is inherently comfortable and cotton apparel often becomes a person's favourite item," said Emily Croneberger, technology marketing manager at Cotton Incorporated. "The more you like a particular shirt, skirt or jeans, the more you wear it and the more prone it is to showing signs of wear. Blending cotton with Cordura fibre technology enhances a garment’s durability, helping it hold up to the rigors of daily use, and look and feel good, longer."

Cotton Incorporated, funded by US growers of upland cotton and importers of cotton and cotton textile products, is the research and marketing company representing upland cotton. The programme is designed and operated to improve the demand for and profitability of cotton.

Cordura fabric

With leading brands including Lycra, Coolmax, Cordura, Stainmaster and Antron, Invista is one of the largest integrated producers of chemical intermediates, polymers and fibres.

The company’s Cordura fabric, known for its resistance to abrasions, tears and scuffs, is a primary ingredient in many high-performance gear and apparel products ranging from luggage, upholstery and backpacks to footwear, military equipment, tactical wear, workwear and performance apparel.

www.cordura.com

www.cottoninc.com