Apparel | Wednesday, May 26, 2010

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SUPIMA IN THE NEWS: Textile World

By Nancy Boyd

 

NEW YORK—The story’s headline?

“KING COTTON: HERE TODAY AND HERE TOMORROW”

And the line underneath explains “From fiber to fashion, cotton weaves its way through the supply chain.”

The story, of course, starts with Supima.

And is illustrated with a winning design by Gina DeSilva from Supima’s 2010 Design Competition.

Here, in a post by veteran textiles reporter Virginia Borland, is what the current issue of Textile World has to say:

From T-shirts and dungarees to dress shirts and ball gowns, cotton apparel is a retail best-seller. Its demand is expected to continue, due in part to the comfort, performance, natural origins and versatility of this fiber. Another factor is product and fabric development. Corduroy and denim evening gowns? The Supima® collection is elegant and wearable. What are tomorrow’s fashion trends? Cotton Incorporated researchers offer color and fabric trend information with the how-to answers, development samples showing yarns, and weaves and knit stitches to make it happen.

Supima Focuses On Quality And Versatility.

Supima, an extra-long-staple cotton grown in California and the Southwestern United States and promoted by the Phoenix-based growers’ organization of the same name, is making a strong showing in the retail marketplace. Brooks Brothers, Bloomingdale’s and Lane Bryant have acclaimed its quality, performance and fashionability. A recent design competition pointed up the versatility of fabrics knitted and woven of 100-percent Supima.

Supima, an abbreviation for “Superior Pima,” and Brooks Brothers have had a long relationship. According to Claudio Del Vecchio, Brooks Brothers’ chairman and CEO, “Supima allows us to create product that is not only extraordinarily luxurious but that is also strong and long-wearing - something our customers have come to expect of our merchandise.”

Recently, Brooks Brothers launched an in-store initiative at 100 stores to promote the wide range of merchandise made with Supima. Collections included sweaters; knitted T-shirts; denims and chinos for men, women and boys; men’s underwear; and wear-to-work shirts of 100-percent Supima combined with Brooks Brothers’ non-iron treatment.

“The cashmere of cotton” is what Lane Bryant calls Supima. Its most recent Supima promotion in more than 800 stores featured 17 knit tops in 29 colors as well as stripes and prints. Along with tees, tanks and polos, there are camis, three-quarter-sleeve henleys, and V- and scoop-neck styles. “These are all perfect pieces to complete a wardrobe,” said Debbie Martin, senior vice president of Design and Development, Lane Bryant and Cacique.

At Bloomingdale’s, Supima brand men’s knit shirts are on sale at the Supima free-standing shop in the designer menwear department of their flagship store in New York. Knitted of 100-percent Supima cotton yarns from Buhler Quality Yarns Corp, Jefferson, Ga., basic tees, henleys and hoodies are among the styles available at 18 Bloomingdale’s stores across the country.

A design competition recently took place to show the unique versatility of fabrics knitted and woven of 100-percent Supima cotton. Contestants were asked to create eveningwear using shirting fabrics, denim, corduroy and jersey - fabrics traditionally going into sportswear, dress shirts or lingerie. A T-shirt with a difference was another requirement. According to Buxton Midyette, vice president of marketing and promotions, Supima, about 70 designers entered.

Each designer was given fabrics from global resources. Cone Denim, Greensboro, N.C.; Arvind Ltd., India; Kaihara Co. Ltd., Japan; and Central Fabrics Group, China, are among the denim suppliers. Shirtings came from Cotonificio Albini S.p.A. and Carlo Bonomi S.p.A., Italy; Lameirinho Industria Textil S.A., Portugal; Lu Thai Textile Co. Ltd., China; and KTSM, India. Jersey suppliers include FesslerUSA, Orwigsburg, Pa.; Design Knit Inc. and Antex Knitting Mills, Los Angeles; Handseltex Industrial Corp., Taiwan; Karsu Textil, Sanko Textile & Trading Co., Majestic Textiles and Pagmat Group, Turkey; and Orient Craft Ltd., India.

A triple-layered T-shirt in jersey by Majestic and designed by Robin Tomas took top honors in the T-shirt category. It is now in production and will be sold at the Supima shop at Bloomingdale’s. Gina DeSilva’s one-shoulder gown in corduroy from Carlo Bonomi was the winning eveningwear design. (Shown above right.)