Material World is a weekly roundup of innovations and ideas within the materials sector, covering news from emerging biomaterials and alternative leathers to sustainable substitutes and future-proof fibers.
LifeLabs
YiLab Temperature Control Technologies has announced the close of an oversubscribed pre-A funding round—bringing the material science company’s total funding to more than $10 million.
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The round drew interest around scaling the technology for LifeLabs Design, an internally-owned brand that provides performance fabrics to functional apparel brands. The LifeLabs fabrics, meanwhile, provide solutions for temperature regulation. The round will be used to build YiLab’s research laboratory and factory in Asia, “enabling rapid prototyping and scaling of LifeLabs’ proprietary textile technologies,” the company said.
“This funding marks a pivotal step forward in our mission to transform textiles into powerful climate solutions,” said Sophia Ou, CEO and co-founder of YiLab. “The enthusiasm from investors reinforces both the urgency of our work and the strength of our technology. With our new R&D lab and factory, we’re building a fast process from laboratory technology innovation to real-world impact.”
YiLab was founded in 2024 by Ou—the former marketing head of Cordura China and co-founder of the Functional Textile Supply Chain Alliance—and Yi Cui. As director of Stanford University’s sustainability accelerator, Cui is an expert in nanotechnology, materials science and sustainable energy. YiLab develops and commercializes advanced thermoregulating fabrics that enhance comfort while reducing global energy consumption and carbon emissions. The technology comes from LifeLabs Design. The thermoregulating textiles come from LifeLabs. The fabric technology originated at Stanford a decade ago.
Allied Feather + Down
Allied Feather + Down is preparing for a more transparent textiles future. The family-owned manufacturer of ethically sourced down will share initial insights from its supply chain transparency initiatives with the market at Première Vision Paris this September.
“As a renewable and biodegradable byproduct of the food industry, down is one of the most sustainable insulation options currently on the market,” said Daniel Uretsky, president with Allied Feather + Down. “Now, with the work we are doing with Green Threads, we will have additional data to support these claims, allowing us to help future-proof our partner brands and their customers as new transparency regulations and requirements are implemented.”
The European Union’s approach toward Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) grows closer, Allied is working with the supply chain specialists at Green Threads DPP on a comprehensive audit of the company’s down processing facilities. This initiative—combined with Allied’s previous transparency efforts like the Responsible Down Standard and the Track My Down education tool—can create the “gold standard” for transparency in the down industry, the company said.
“Allied are leaders in supply chain transparency and therefore understand how important this transparency has become in the modern materials marketplace,” said Ross Alexander, CEO of Green Threads DPP. “The audits we are conducting will help Allied and their brand partners more easily navigate future compliance requirements and create a point of differentiation at retail, where customers are increasingly interested in making informed buying decisions.”
Allied will be exhibiting at Première Vision Paris Sept. 16-18.
Polartec
Milliken & Company brand Polartec has introduced AirCore: the industry’s alleged first truly air-permeable laminate that’s 100 percent free from PFAS-based chemistries.
“Unlike traditional waterproof-breathable membranes that rely solely on moisture vapor diffusion, our advanced air-permeable laminate uses a highly engineered nanofiber membrane technology to enable controlled airflow, actively pulling moisture and heat away from the body during intense aerobic activity,” said Ramesh Kesh, senior vice president of Milliken & Company and business manager at Polartec. “In addition to setting a new paradigm in air-permeable and breathable, weather-resistant fabrics, it reflects our unwavering commitment to reducing the environmental impact of the textiles we create.”
Polartec AirCore is an air-permeable fabric technology that allows maximum breathability while protecting against the elements. Designed to stretch for a full range of movement, the nanofiber membrane keeps wearers dry from the inside by helping moisture and vapor escape. The technology uses air to maintain a dry microclimate by evaporating sweat from the inside out, promoting evaporative cooling, per Polartec. Motion fuels the ventilation that ultimately carries moisture away from the body. It’s made with a recycled face and back, combined with a non-PFAS membrane and layers.
“By engineering a fabric that keeps users dry from the inside, helps to protect us from the elements and allows full freedom of movement, we’re empowering people to embrace their most ambitious adventures,” said Karen Beattie, director of product management at Polartec.
“AirCore is a highly air-permeable laminate that facilitates continuous moisture vapor exchange, harnessing ambient airflow to deliver faster dry times, reduced clamminess and superior comfort even during peak exertion.”
Asos x TrusTrace
British e-tailer Asos has teamed with supply chain traceability and compliance company TrusTrace to strengthen risk management and resilience across its global value chain.
“Our platform will empower Asos with high-resolution supplier data, centralize documentation and seamlessly integrate with existing systems to streamline and future-proof compliance and sustainability efforts,” said Shameek Ghosh, CEO and co-founder of TrusTrace. “Our collaboration with Asos marks a significant step forward—not just for our companies, but for the industry as a whole. Together, we’re demonstrating how traceability can be embedded at scale to create a more resilient, responsible fashion ecosystem.”
The AI-enhanced platform supports supply chain mapping, with end-to-end visibility from Tier 1 through Tier 5, as well as product-level traceability, with verified material data from source to final product, the company said. TrusTrace also offers centralized compliance documentation and configurable analytics and reporting.
“Our partnership with TrusTrace is a key milestone in our updated Fashion with Integrity program,” said Elena Martínez Ortiz, executive vice president of product at Asos. “TrusTrace enables us to improve product traceability, helping us meet compliance standards, understand and address risks, and boost resilience in our supply chain by supporting our suppliers to implement improvements.”
H&M Foundation
H&M Foundation’s Global Change Award has opened its call for nominations, seeking its next cohort of changemakers with early-stage solutions to decarbonize fashion and drive equity.
“This industry doesn’t have the luxury of waiting for perfect solutions,” said Annie Lindmark, program director for innovation at the H&M Foundation. “The biggest climate breakthroughs often start as fragile, early-stage ideas in unexpected places—that’s exactly where we can make a difference as a philanthropic actor.”
This GCA is considering early-stage ideas across four categories: sustainable materials and processes, responsible production, mindful consumption and wildcards. For the second year, GCA is running a nomination-based process. A global network of nominators—including partners such as Ashoka, Textile Exchange and the Ellen MacArthur Foundation—help to “uncover talent that might otherwise go unseen,” the Swedish organization said. Alternatively, potential changemakers can also apply directly through The Mills Fabrica, an official nominator and long-standing GCA partner.
“We look equally at the idea and the team behind it. What matters is their commitment, their capacity to follow through and their initiative—that ability to translate intentions into action,” Lindmark said. “We’re quite different from a typical start-up accelerator. We’re not looking only for entrepreneurs, we’re equally keen to find non-profits, researchers or community-based innovators who might not normally think of themselves as winners in an innovation challenge.”
Samsonite
Travel luggage retailer and manufacturer Samsonite just dropped Paralux: a collection of engineered luggage that combines sustainable materials with the brand’s backed functionality.
The collection’s exterior shells are made with at least 50 percent post-consumer recycled polypropylene (aka PCR) and trolley tubes with 100 percent recycled aluminum. All Paralux fabrics, zipper tape and linings across the collection are pure recycled PET plastic by weight. These considerations led to Samsonite taking home two design awards from international competition Red Dot.
“Paralux is more than a collection—it’s a reflection of our global team’s shared commitment to pushing the boundaries of what travel gear can be,” said Kyle Gendreau, CEO of Samsonite Group. “This represents the best of Samsonite: pioneering design, sustainable innovation and a deep understanding of how people move through the world. We’re proud to deliver a system that not only meets today’s travel demands but also honors our responsibility to the planet we all share.”
Covation Biomaterials
Former DuPont unit Covation Biomaterials is celebrating 25 years with the release of an updated, third-party reviewed Life Cycle Assessment on the company’s Sorona materials.
“As we celebrate 25 years of progress, we’re not just reflecting on where we’ve been, we’re setting the stage for the next era of responsible growth, powered by science, transparency and global collaboration,” said recently-appointed CEO Steven Ackerman, who previously spent more than 15 years with the Sorona brand.
Conducted by TrueNorth Collective and reviewed under ISO standards, the latest study showed the impact of using the 37 percent plant-based Sorona product, compared to fossil-based materials.
Per the LCA, producing Sorona uses 44 percent less energy and emits 170 percent less greenhouse gas than producing nylon-6 from non-renewable resources. It releases 41 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than the production of PET from non-renewable resources. Additionally, Sorona production uses 4 percent less energy. It emits 4 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than the production of fossil PBT from non-renewable resources.
“These results underscore our company’s long-standing commitment to shaping a more responsible textile value chain,” Ackerman said. “Our downstream value chain partners are looking for new ways to offer performance and quality to their customers while improving their environmental footprint. We’re here to help them meet that need.”
Anta
Chinese sportswear conglomerate Anta Group has announced a “fabric revolution” centered on PFAS-free technologies is now underway. In partnership with Donghua University, Anta unveiled China’s home-developed PFAS-free waterproof-breathable material, Aerovent Zero.
The membrane leverages an internally developed, high moisture-conductivity biobased polymer combined with micro- and nano-scale structural engineering to deliver improved vapor permeability. Coupled with a suite of PFAS-free process innovations—including water-repellent surface modification and adhesives—the membrane also preserves waterproof performance.
The partners pursued an “indigenous research and development pathway” to foster the biobased membrane, Anta said. The R&D team substituted petroleum-derived polymers with a biobased (around 20 percent) polymer in Aerovent Zero.
“This approach not only aligns more closely with long-term sustainability trajectories than many existing PFAS-free solutions from international competitors, but it also gives the Chinese brand a decisive first-mover advantage and demonstrates an ability to ‘leapfrog’ in technology development,” the company continued.
