The 16th session of SPINEXPO Shanghai, held at the Shanghai Pudong Expo Centre on 7-9 September 2010, showcased the Autumn/Winter 2011/12 collections of 165 textile mills and textile fibre manufacturers/promoters. The fair welcomed 7,975 visitors, a stable figure compared to previous years. With 13,990 multi-visits (re-entries) compared to 9,618 in September 2009, SPINEXPO ended on a note of general satisfaction - unexpected given the economic outlook and the general increase in the price of raw materials.

Here are some highlights from the show:

Australian Wool Innovation

AUSTRALIAN WOOL INNOVATION (AWI) was founded by 32,000 wool growers in Australia to increase demand for Australia wool, and they are owner of iconic Woolmark brand that processes finest merino wool 12-21 micron.

Merino wool is breathable, moisture management, drape w/silk to shine and is 100% bio-degradable, natural and sustainable. Merino wool breaks down and gives nutrients back to the soil-sustainable-does not rely on oil-only sheep, sunshine, grass and water. The sheep get a haircut once a year, and their wool grows back.

AWI showcased their Autumn/Winter 2011/12 Merino Casual and Merino Touch Collections. New Merino Vintage yarns create rustic yet soft-feeling knits straight from the cone. A number of Merino Vintage muted and heathered knits and denim looks are available. New colouration techniques using coating, printing and injection systems enable innovative urban designs.

The Merino Casual collection comprises knitted garments and fabrics with distinct textures and finishes, created using a range of dyeing and finishing techniques. ‘Merino Casual’ finishes include vintage washes done on yarns instead of garments, a  finishing process that doesn’t harm the yarn and keeps the soft handle.

3D Merino is taken to the next multi-level with 2 colours this year and combines colour printing with felted texture effects in pure Merino and value blends such as wool/polyamide for ‘sculpted’ effects. Crinkle random printing is permanent doesn’t wash out.

Merino wool’s unique tendency to shrink or felt is used to create ‘Merino Retract’ a boiled Merino with stretch recovery and easy care. engineered and machine washable, looks like boiled wool while maintaining effects unique to merino wool for next-to-skin applications.

The Merino Touch commercial apparel is made from super-soft yarns and fabrics that provide a touch of luxury in an affordable knitted garments that have the drape and fluidity of silk and the touch and sheen of cashmere, but with the performance and price point of Merino wool.

Australian Merino wool is one of the finest and softest fibres in the world, and the innovative mercerising Merino process makes the wool even softer and finer. The mercerisation makes the merino wool feel an average of two microns finer, giving the Merino Touch collection an incredible next-to-skin softness and smooth surface finish. New developments change the image of merino wool. Very fine wool jersey 15 microns is like cashmere. 

Südwolle

Biella Yarn by SÜDWOLLE (Germany) presented SOFTWIST, a 100% Merino Wool yarn created with a highly innovative technology that offers a new approach from high fashion to functional wear. End products benefit from the yarn’s exceptional characteristics, particularly in wearability and durability. Softwist means more elasticity and more wearer comfort. Emphasis on shape, accuracy of fit and wear resistance combine with sophisticated design. The yarn quickly returns to its original shape allowing the garment to retain its form for a greater length of time.

Spinning technology cuts pilling to a minimum, creating a better look and greater durability. The higher volume of the yarn accentuates the look and distinguishes the product. Softwist permits an even more regular fabric appearance than already obtained from Biella Yarn. The yarn has practically no stray surface fibre ends, and can produce the highest quality look currently achievable.

New yarn characteristics ensure intense and clearly defined colour shades. Softwist is kind to the skin with a feel that can only come from 100% natural resources. With SOFTWIST, Biella Yarn by Südwolle is setting new standards for usage of high quality yarns in merino wool. These developments create new dimensions in function, comfort and design in clothing made from natural fibres and high quality wool.

Best Shan

Mini sequins or pearls embedded into yarns were among the most popular qualities from Best Shan (Shanghai). Other developments included chunky brushed yarns in wool/acrylic/alpaca/nylon; space dyed wool/nylon; melange and brushed alpaca/wool/nylon; blends of wool and dehaired angora; velvety aspects in viscose/nylon; yarns with fur and feather aspects.

Birla Acrylic

Birla Acrylic launched Acid Dyeable Acrylic fibres used to develop trendy and elegant melange yarns and fabrics for apparel and fashion garments, with the added value of softness and comfort. A major focus included Dazcryl brand of light and soft anti-pill fibres; highly comfortable, super-soft products specialties of Birla Acrylic micro-denier and cotton-like fibres; Birla Acrylic flat fibres for imitation fur fabrics and super shrinkable fibres for a soft and bouncy effect.

Industria Filati Buzau

INDUSTRIA FILATI BUZAU (Romania): produces a variety of different kinds of hand knitting yarns - classics and fancy yarns – in different compositions: wool, natural wool, lincoln wool, kid mohair, viscose, polyamide, polyamide microfiber, acrylic, acrylic microfibre, etc., in a palette of colours following the fashion trends.

The latest collection is based on natural fibres such as cashmere in more classical yarns. Merino Superlight/viscose 75/25 qualities are easy care and machine washable. New developments include jacquard printed, superficially printed yarns. Specialty yarns include: fur effects, boucles, cord, brushed effects, jaspee, yarn with knots, felted yarns, flame yarn and degrade.

Bros Eastern

Bros Eastern (China) collection emphasized textures with patterns with specs and steaks, different colours in melange and more sustainability-cotton/recycled cotton with a warm woollen handle offers a vintage aspect.

Carriaggi

New products from Cariaggi Fine Yarns Collection (Italy) include ‘Amber’, 70 baby camel/30 silk with significant hygroscopicity (ability to absorb moisture), resulting in a fibre that is warm and prevents heat loss. ‘Aran’, a 100% cashmere carded yarn with delicately coloured threads is interwoven to create a rustic chic look that fits in with a season dominated by tweeds.

2/46, an ultra-light 100% cashmere carded yarn made from fibres from Inner Mongolia is also available in an Antibacterial version. Flannel 80 superfine Merino wool/20 cashmere, is soft to the touch and has a ‘felted’ finish, produced using an extended washing technique.

Cariaggi continues its research into treatments that improve qualities of exclusive fibres. Cashmere and extra-fine merino wools and Sanitized® antibacterial yarns for next to skin garments prevent unpleasant odours from perspiration and bacteria loads from the skin. Yarns treated with Teflon® fabric protector for water repellent and anti-stain protection without changing the look of their hands are perfect for outdoor garments, and also waterproof versions of yarns with precious ZQue TM certified Merino wool from New Zealand.

Research into natural colours of the Systema Natvrae (made of yarns exclusively dyed with herb, root and berry infusions) has evolved further to include elegant mélange shades, offering customers an ever more extensive and more distinctive range of designs.

Zhejiang CHNST  Textile

Zhejiang CHNST  Textile (China) develops qualities in pure cashmere and pure merino wool, as well as blends such as silk. The company featured ‘Cashtouch’, a mercerized merino that is less expensive than cashmere with cashmere hand feel. They are one of the few companies in the world that can produce doubles 46 for wool and cashmere.

Together with the Italian Lineapiu Group and Hong Kong Fenix Group, Ningbo Consinee Woolen Textile Co. (China)forms an industrial chain consisting of dyeing, slub yarns, fancy yarns, fancy merged yarns, garments and fashionable dress. Since 2010, the patent low temperature dyeing process was adopted and imported green dyes such as vegetable dyes are applied, creating a non-biochemical purely physical production process. In September, Consinee  began spinning cashmere on a worsted system, a new concept allowing the production of fine cashmere for sweater, circular knitting and weaving. In 2011/2012 Consinee will be launching new products such as a waterproof cashmere series, a cashmere napping series, and a natural and special fibre blended yarn series. the company offers stock service on 2/26 nm pure cashmere in 105 colours.

Filpucci

FILPUCCI (Italy/China) Filpucci put the focus on chunky yarns with a ‘British’ look, recycled fibres and aged aspects; Mesuled wool, extra fine wool, baby alpaca, heather melange colours, some rare blends.‘Halley’ a blend of rayon/cupro is perfect for everyday wear; Felted-like wool fabrics are achieved with ‘Bolle’, an extra fine Merino/polyamide blend, while ‘Cheynene’, a soft, multicolour look with delicate touches of colour inspired by Native-American headdresses, offers bulk without weight. Verve, a resin-coated, Astrakhan-effect wool/mohair blend sparkling with gold-silver-bronze metallic glints has a stiff, crisp texture.

Mohair is key for the season. ‘Horus’, a mixture of fibres with chant éclair colouring emphasizes softness and warmth. Tulle,’ a cotton mako core, the longest, softest cotton fibre in the world from Egypt is caged in a glossy, soft, lace-like chain. ‘Duvet’, a printed mohair/nylon yarn results in ombre effects; A stunning colour card includes rainbow-effect multicolour shaded tones.

Eco-vegetal allusions, memories of soils, roots, leaves and bark inspire ‘Creta’, an ‘androgynous’ yarn with plant fibres – linen and cotton – and add an edgy touch to the softer wool; and ‘Hexi’, a streaked tie-and-dye-effect yarn, perfect for sportswear.

Luxurious camel fibres, comforting natural tones and sophisticated, powdery mélanges produced ‘Gobi’, an ultra-soft in two counts, to knit on a 7 and 3. Alpaca and merino wool weave together in ‘Ande’, a retro-look twisted yarn suitable for chunky, heavily patterned sweaters.

‘Hathor’, an extra-fine, delicately crêpe wool is perfect for warm, delicate second skins. ‘Cheviot’ is a soft, light, felt-effect boiled wool. ‘Boreale’, an ultra-light laminated chain of superkid mohair shimmers in the night. ‘Magia’ creates a faded, slightly uneven new viscose velvet.

The collection also features a new range of hand-knitting yarns. In addition to the traditional Filpucci Tricot Studio with its fancy yarns, feather-light Soffili, oversized ribbon yarns, felted looks, exquisite constructions and printed effects, Filpucci introduces the Tricot Studio Woollen Selection, a mixture of carded and slub yarns, tweed looks and soft handles.

Hasegawa

Hasegawa,  a leading yarn manufacturer from Japan specializes in silk, a fibre that makes you feel cool in summer and warm in winter due to its absorbency and heat retention.

The company handles stock service for over 100,000 of the following items in raw and dyed: mulberry/tussah filament, mulberry/tussah spun silk, mulberry silk soil; various silk blended yarns with wool, cashmere, cotton, angora, mohair and others; unlimited fancy yarns combined with many different kinds of stocked yarns.

New developments include high quality jerseys made on the latest Japanese Circular knitting machine. ‘Seika’, a silk/mohair tubular yarn is available in three weights; straight yarn to tubular yarn: Bongo-100% silk; Ginga a natural silk. Stock service on all colours-160 colours.

Hongye Cashmere

Hongye Cashmere Co (China), a spinning and more recently a knitting producer, is specialized in cashmere, sourced from Inner Mongolia. The company is completely vertical: dehairing, dyeing, worsted, woollen and spinning processes. Key products include cashmere/wool, cashmere/silk and cashmere/cotton, with their worsted 2/48 being the most popular.

Huafu Top Dyed Melange Yarn

Huafu Top Dyed Melange Yarn Co. (China), one of the largest mélange yarn suppliers in the world, showcased the new style materials blended mélange yarn, including the recycled and thermal VILOFT fibers, extra fine wool which is finer, stronger, brighter and softer. The company also showed their Tencel and ProModal products. Red is key colour for season. Waffle knits reveal texture and random aspects. Recycled vintage, rough heavy washed look are important.

The mood is optimistic, the trend is towards fashion-forward colours and creative yarns-thinking going forward, making a more desirable offering for consumers. ‘Economy innovations’ that is creative at good price, both interesting and attractive. The company uses very specific technology, putting a focus on low carbon-environmentally friendly products, and dyes their yarns only once as opposed to the usual two times, which means less pollution and the fibres and yarns less damaged and result in better colours and resulting garments that are comfortable to wear.

The new appearance product series includes:

Knitted structures with ‘Creek Heather’ cotton yarn with varying width of patterns like slub effects and colours that vary with space dyed effects. The perfect combination of different colours and textures gives dimension to the fabric. The subtle changes of colors have a water/wave-like appearance.

‘Snow Heather’ is a blend of cotton/recycled cotton. Triple Blended Snow Effect Mélange Yarn combines three different fibers using a special spinning technique and gives the appearance of a unique snow effect with subtle white stripe patterns. The process uses recycled materials, is energy efficient, environmental friendly, fresh and fashionable.

Carnelian Heather Yarn: Using recycled cotton/poly materials and a special spinning technique creates a unique dotted effect.

Infitex

Infitex (Spain) introduced 24 new products for winter, and revamped their classical collection by adding fancies. The collection is very diverse: thicker gauge Merinos; yarns using eco-friendly dyestuffs; ‘Bolero’, a wool/acrylic/poly novelty wide tape yarn; ‘Feten’, a metallic tubular yarn in acrylic/viscose/polyamide/mohair; a metallic yarn with wool slub; ‘Marta’ alpaca and wool boucle; ‘Normando’ super wash wool; ‘Fiorando’ wool/acrylic with flecks; ‘Tango’ acrylic/wool/poly with a touch of glitter like fishnet; ‘Nogal’ 100% wool with little buttons and ‘Topacio’ wool wrapped with acrylic looks like a candy cane. There is a trend for yarns with sequins and pailettes. Products carry the Woolmark label-guaranteeing the use of natural fibres.

Jiangsu GTIG Hualian

Jiangsu GTIG Hualian Industry Co. (China) draws inspiration from nature and developed their collection of creative yarns based on the principles of “fashion, function, technology and quality”. Key fibres include wool, acrylic, Alpaca, mohair and cashmere. Yarns feature blends of natural and synthetic fibres, roving yarns, brushed yarns and fancy loop yarns.

Colours are lively and vigorous, soft, calm and enlightening, saturated and glossy-violet and olive green, marble and stone. Characteristics of yarns are bold and unconstrained, bulky and fluffy, lightweight and warm, fine and distinctive textures, luxurious and neat appearances, stiff and solid shapes, flexible stretch.