Innerwear and shapewear sit next to the skin, so consumers want these garments to be soft, breathable and absorbent, all while adhering to sustainable manufacturing practices. Wood-based cellulosic fibers such as TENCEL™ Lyocell or TENCEL™ Modal deliver on all these attributes, boasting moisture management and long-lasting softness—features which make them ideal for intimate garments.
Despite this, there has historically been a major limitation to working with these fibers for these categories, which Lenzing is working to rectify. Many innerwear production processes—such as molding bra cups—require high temperatures, and when cellulosic materials in light or even darker tones such as grey are exposed to extreme heat, they become discolored or yellowed. This reaction creates quality concerns and therefore limits the color palette that designers can use when working with cellulosic fibers.
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Until now, there has not been a workaround for this issue. The chemical solutions used to prevent heat-based discoloration in synthetic materials are not as effective on wood-based fibers. However, cellulosic fiber producer Lenzing Group recently developed a proprietary processing solution that can be applied to cellulosic materials during fabric production to avoid discoloration and oxidation in high temperatures, opening the door for new design possibilities in innerwear.
“Fabric discoloration is a quality concern we understand many fabric mills, many being our partners, experience when it comes to sustainable garment production,” said Rex Mok, vice president of fiber technical marketing and development at Lenzing. “In order to encourage enhanced sustainability in the value chain, we have to first address common technical challenges and work with our partners to allow for the usage of botanical fibers across innerwear and outdoor garments.”
Not only do Lenzing fibers offer feel-good softness, but they also support the production of more sustainable intimate garments. Both TENCEL™ Lyocell and TENCEL™ Modal are made from responsibly sourced wood using low-impact processes. Since they come from trees, they are certified to biodegrade at the end of life, and TENCEL™ fibers can even be home composted, keeping them from landfillsi.
Whereas companies may in the past have needed to use plastic-based materials like polyester to protect color quality in intimates, now they can feel confident in using naturally derived cellulosic materials instead. A broader color palette of cellulosic fabrics also allows brands the option of creating wider intimates collections.
This solution came out of Lenzing’s work with mills, with first adopters of the innovation on a commercial scale including fabric mill partner Yelin. The fiber company’s technical experts will offer support to manufacturers as they adopt this technology for producing and dyeing garments. This will include technical analysis of fibers and fabrics as well as recommendations.
While this solution is rolling out first for seamless innerwear and shapewear, Lenzing is planning to extend it to other ready-to-wear categories, including outdoor apparel, which are made using processes such as heat sealing and seamless stitching methods that leverage heat seal adhesive tapes and bonding machines. As with innerwear, cellulosic fibers’ moisture management and breathability are coveted properties for outdoor attire.
Lenzing continues to invest in research and development to innovate its fiber portfolio and related technologies so that more categories and companies can use its materials to achieve the product look and feel they desire. “We want to offer solutions that further the closed-loop economy and be a partner for the value chain to adopt more sustainable practices through our technological innovations,” said Mok.
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i Note: While standard TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers are biodegradable, other fibers blended with them may not be.
