FabricLink Innovation Awards 2014

The FabricLink Network's Top 10 Innovation Awards for 2014 recognize outstanding new developments in textile fabrics across a variety of industries. The awards highlight cutting edge products, which involve a range of technologies within the specialty areas of technical sports textiles, industrial, medical, safety/protective and home furnishings. Products, designers, manufacturers, and suppliers are celebrated for their leadership in fabric technology development and originality.  The new technologies are commercially available in the specialty fabrics market and one is currently available as a finished consumer product.

The Annual Top 10 Innovations Awards are presented for the creation of new products in the specialty textile fabrics market and for the formulation of interesting and novel textile developments, fiber technologies and fabric developments that significantly improve the design, construction or performance of existing textile products.  The selection is made by the FabricLink Network based on a review of new products currently in the marketplace.

Kathlyn Swantko, president of the FabricLink Network, stated, “The research and development required to launch these award winning advancements often extends over several years.  This year’s winners include products that can be used in a broad range of industries and consumer applications, and represent some of the best innovative achievements in the textile industry”.

The 2014 award winners include: CRAiLAR® , Edema Stocking, ELUTE™, EQ-Top Seismic Wallpaper, Geckskin™, GeoDetect® , Mushroom® Materials, PurThread™, and QMilk, and RamTect™. 

CRAiLAR® Flax is a new, high-quality, sustainable natural fiber, which surpasses the comfort of cotton, but exhibits performance characteristics similar to a synthetic.  CRAiLAR Flax Fiber reduces chemical and water usage, and is designated as a 100% BioPreferred® product by the USDA.

The Edema Stocking, developed by Ohmatex in Denmark, is a smart electronic textile device that monitors and measures changes in leg volume for patients suffering from edema (fluid accumulation or swelling) of the lower limbs.

ELUTE™ is a biodegradable, drug-loaded fiber delivery system, developed by TissueGen, Inc., which can be used in implantable medical devices.  This allows a broad array of drugs to be delivered directly to targeted internal sites.

EQ-Top Seismic Wallpaper was developed through a partnership between the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Bayer’s Material Science division.  This product is a composite of strong, stiff glass fibers, crisscrossed in various directions to distribute energy evenly when the walls of a building shake during an earthquake.

Geckskin™, developed by scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, and marketed by Felsuma LLC, is a new attach-and-release material that replicates the feet of the gecko.  The material peels away easily on any surface, leaving no residue, and can hold up to 700 lbs.

GeoDetect®, developed by TenCate, is a combination of geotextile performance and fiber optic sensing technology to provide actionable information related to soil strain and temperature changes of geo-structures.  GeoDetect® is the “first intelligent geotextile” able to provide soil reinforcement, structural health monitoring, design validation, and an early warning system.

Mushroom® Materials, developed by Ecovative, are a new class of home-compostable bio-plastics with a mycelium base, which are a high-performance and an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional polystyrene plastic foam packaging material, insulation, and other synthetic materials.

PurThread Technologies' high-performance fabrics are embedded with an EPA-registered antimicrobial agent developed by Eastman Kodak.  The antimicrobial agent, a form of silver salt, works to keep fabrics fresh by inhibiting the growth of odor-causing bacteria, mold, mildew, and fungus.

Qmilk, a biopolymer fiber manufactured by Qmilch GmbH, is a compostable fiber based on casein milk protein. The Qmilk fiber can be obtained both as a staple fiber and filament. Like wool and silk, Q-Milk is soft, gentle on the skin, antimicrobial, flame-resistant, and non-allergenic.

RamTect™ is a 100% American wool insulation product, developed by Hobbs Bonded Fibers, to serve as insulation for outdoor garments. RamTect is an extremely soft, lightweight, and pliable wool insulation fabric using patent pending, no-yarn compression technology.

Please visit the following link to learn more about each of these exceptional products. http://fabriclink.com/Consumer/TopTen-2013.cfm

About the FabricLink Network:

Kathlyn Swantko, a textile advocate and educator, is president and founder of FabricLink.com and TheTechnicalCenter.com, the on-line textile resources that make up the FabricLink Network. FabricLink.com (trade-to-consumer) and TheTechnicalCenter.com (trade-to-trade) provide information about new products and marketing opportunities for specialty textiles, textile-based products and services.  The two sites offer; valuable content and technical information, news releases on innovations, fabric descriptions, usage and care, supplier history and contacts. Seven searchable indexes make the FabricLink Network websites the “go-to” resources for textile developers, fashion designers, and researchers. In addition, the Network offers effective platforms for all businesses, from small niche-based companies to large broad-based textile manufacturers, to reach other businesses within the supply chain and the consumer marketplace. Visit the FabricLink Network (www.fabriclink.com and thetechnicalcenter.com) on Twitter at FabricLinkNet, and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/FabricLinkNet.

Thank you for taking the time to read our fashion blog post. We hope that you have found this news to be informative. If you have comments or questions, please add your thoughts in the discussion area below.