Stain Protective Apparel: Consumers Splash Out On Easy-care Clothing

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Stain Protective Apparel: Consumers Splash Out on Easy-Care Clothing
Against the backdrop of rampant price deflation, the apparel industry is focusing more sharply on technology in an attempt to boost volumes and achieve premium prices, and thereby revitalise sales. High-tech fabric finishes have enabled companies to greatly differentiate their apparel lines and tap into the growth opportunities created by growing consumer demand for convenience and easy care. Today's consumers want their clothes not only to look good but also to feel comfortable, stay fresh and clean, and be easy to care for. And there is widespread evidence that consumers are willing to pay extra for the key consideration of easy care. Recent technological advances in fabric protection, such as stain repellency and release, have struck a chord with consumers who want to wear clothing requiring the minimum of care. Although stain protection technologies have been in existence for around 40 years, it is only in the past five years that they have made a significant impact in the marketplace. New technologies have been developed to create stain repellents ...
... which are more effective than conventional coatings and do not affect the characteristics of a fabric. Stain protection is no longer confined to niche applications such as workwear and outdoor wear as it has expanded strongly in the market for casual wear. Like moisture management and wrinkle resistance, which were once considered a novelty, stain protection is set to become a standard performance feature of garments for everyday wear, such as shirts and trousers. Since 2002 a number of big apparel names, including Eddie Bauer, Lee Jeans and Dockers, have been offering casual trousers which are stain repellent, and which are reported to be selling extremely well. As the penetration of stain protection technologies has been gathering momentum, the cost of using them has been declining. This should translate into lower prices for consumers and, in turn, create further demand.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Stain protection in apparel
Stain protection characteristics of fibres
Definition of stain protection
Ease of removal
Stain resistance and stain repellency
Stain resistant fabric
Stain repellent fabric
Development of stain protection technologies
Test methods for stain protection
Ways of achieving stain protection in apparel
Home laundering using enzyme detergents
Fluorochemical finishes
Nanotechnology-based treatments
Nature-inspired treatments
Other technologies
Self-cleaning clothes
Silver-based water and dirt repellent
Titanium dioxide-based water and dirt repellent
Applications for stain protective apparel
The market for stain protective apparel
Key producers of stain protection technologies
Invista: advanced Teflon
3M: Scotchgard
Milliken & Company: StainSmart
Schoeller: NanoSphere
Nano-Tex: resists spills
Russell Corporation: SpotShield
Sympatex Technologies: Intac Nano Advanced
Outlook

List of tables
Table 1: Stain protection characteristics of different
fibre types

List of figures
Figure 1: Stain repellent shirt
Figure 2: Microscopic image of lotus leaf surface
Figure 3: Liquid droplet on P21-enhanced textile
Figure 4: Microscopic image of NanoSphere-treated
textile surface
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