ProWeave is a patented new jacquard weaving technology developed by Texon at its plant in Prato, Italy, which makes it possible to seamlessly integrate functional and design weaves into a single sheet of material.

As such, it enables the production of continuous woven substrates with the zonal features product designers want, and exactly where they want them, the company says, allowing fabrics for the footwear, apparel, fashion and luxury goods industries to be completely reimagined.

ProWeave can help manufacturers pinpoint the physical characteristics, functional zones and visual patterns they want to achieve on a performance fabric

Creating different elasticity, tenacity and abrasion zones within the same weave, ProWeave can help brands bring new creative concepts to life and the technology diverse yarn thicknesses, weights and fabric references to be effortlessly combined to create distinctive gradient, rib, waffle, colour, stretch, transparency and 3D effects.

“ProWeave takes the production of performance fabrics to the next level,” says Paul Jackson, business acceleration leader for ProWeave at Texon. “Combining Texon’s know-how in branded footwear with our Italian division’s expertise in high performance occupational and safety woven fabrics, this technology can help manufacturers differentiate their designs and unlock significant creative advantage. Using ProWeave, we can help manufacturers pinpoint the physical characteristics, functional zones and visual patterns they want to achieve on a performance fabric, and then make their vision a reality. ProWeave is radically different to anything else on the market and we’ve been getting really enthusiastic feedback from customers around the world. There is a real curiosity about a technology that can free designers from conventional fabric restraints.”

ProWeave fabrics are likely to prove popular in the fast-paced sports and outdoor sector where the trend for woven footwear has been growing rapidly, and where demand for innovative materials for garment manufacturing is continuous. Texon also sees big opportunities for ProWeave in the production of top luxury and premium branded footwear and clothing. In the luxury market, where the main drivers are style and creativity, having the ability to use custom yarns to create something truly unique is a compelling proposition. With the ability to mix different high tenacity, flame retardant, stretch and TPU coated yarns to create hard-wearing materials, Texon also sees significant opportunities for ProWeave in industrial footwear and safety apparel applications.

Texon is aiming to be a zero waste business by 2025 and like other recent product developments, ProWeave is designed to support the industry’s sustainability drive. Using a single efficient process to create woven show uppers with localised features, for example, means less energy consumption for manufacturers. Recycled yarns can also be incorporated to build recyclable structures for circular projects.

Texon can provide ProWeave fabrics for mass production projects, with multiple designs for uppers, garments and accessories on one roll, and also fabrics in small quantities for series or limited-edition collections. ProWeave fabrics are produced at both Texon’s plant in Prato, Italy and at the company’s newest manufacturing centre in Vietnam, which opened in mid-2020.

www.texon.com