Sustainability was a hotly debated and sometimes controversial topic at the Mare Di Moda stretch fabric fair in Cannes amid price debates.
One company that has made sustainability a priority is the Lycra Company. The fiber and textile company is taking an important step forward because, according to Alistair Williamson, Vice President, Apparel, Europe, Middle East, Africa and South Asia, almost all exhibitors at Mare di Moda use Lycra fibers. There is almost no way around the company, which was represented as an official partner of Mare Di Moda in Cannes – not least thanks to the red arrows on the floor of the exhibition hall, which led directly to the Lycra Company lounge.
The fiber manufacturer brought several innovations to the French Riviera, including the ‘Adaptiv Xtra Life’ swimwear fibers, which combine chlorine, heat and cream resistance with long-lasting comfort and fit, as well as the ‘Adaptive Black’ fiber, which introduced was developed primarily for athleisure wear and reduces the shine of elastane in black colors.
However, particular attention was paid to one of the company’s technologies, which was still in its early stages but was presented as part of Lycra’s 2030 sustainability goals, the “Planet Agenda”.
Elastane made from corn?
While recycled polyester fabrics, made from plastic waste, and polyamide fabrics, made from pre-consumer or post-consumer waste, have become a staple in most fabric collections – albeit with moderate commercial success – Lycra is currently working on an elastane made from biological materials.
The development is being carried out in collaboration with Qore, a joint venture between Cargill, a leading provider of agricultural and fermentation technologies, and Helm, a chemical distributor. Together they are developing Qira, the first large-scale organically-based spandex made from 76 percent renewable, inedible corn. The material will offer the same functionality in terms of stretch and rebound as current, comparable fibers. Initial quantities will be available early next year, while large-scale production and sales are expected to begin in 2025.
Although Williamson acknowledges that sustainable choices and technologies need to make economic sense to be attractive to companies, he admits that switching to bio-sourced fibers will likely cost the Lycra company more money than traditional manufacturing. The extent to which this technology and its additional costs will actually be accepted by customers when it is planned to be introduced in 2025 remains to be seen, but according to Williamson, demand is already enormous and offers hope for a sustainable future for the Lycra Company and the market for stretch fabrics .
FashionUnited was invited to visit Mare Di Moda in Cannes.