Intimate apparel is the most important clothing layer since it acts as human’s second skin due to contact with the skin directly. The comfort issues for intimate apparels are sensorial, thermal, motion, and aesthetical, all of which are interrelated. Since intimate apparel is an inner layer in between the skin and the outerwear, its thermal comfort is very important. Transferring moisture from the clothing to the environment through diffusion, wicking, sorption, and evaporation is regulated by the thickness and tightness of the fabric. On the other part, the behavior of fabric is affected by chemical and physical properties of its constituent fibers, fiber content, physical and mechanical characteristics of its constituent yarns, and the finishing treatments. Thus, major fiber manufacturers such as Nylstar, Invista, and Lenzing have launched different types of fibers such as Meryl Skinlife, Tactel, Tencel, etc., which are suitable for intimate apparel. The aim of this chapter is to introduce the latest developments in fibers used in the manufacturing of intimate apparel products and their contribution to clothing comfort, which the apparels give when the body does not limit its movement and regulation mechanism of its own temperature.
Part of the book: Textile Manufacturing Processes
Global denim jeans market size is over 70 billion dollars today, and it continues to grow with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2%. As a reflection of this annual growth, systems’ waste generation also increases. Textile waste including denim accounts for nearly 5% of all landfill space, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Today, efficient recycling technologies are essential to revive the waste generated. Recycling technologies potentially represent a new way to engineer products. This book chapter analyzes these different recycling technologies and their advantages and challenges and concentrates on denim fabrics produced with recycled content. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology is adopted to quantify and compare the environmental impact of recycled denim fabrics. The chapter concludes the challenges and the future of recycling, creating systems, and engineering of waste. The view of seeing waste as a raw material potentially represents a new opportunity to design circular systems.
Part of the book: Waste in Textile and Leather Sectors
Today, World economy is only 8.6% circular, which creates a huge potential in materials reuse. To close the Emission Gap by 2032, this percentage needs to be doubled. The circular economy ensures that with less virgin material input and fewer emissions. With the help of effective recycling technologies, virgin material use can be decreased and especially petroleum based materials impact can fall within planetary boundaries. This book chapter analyzes different chemical and biological recycling technologies, their advantages and challenges in denim production. Moreover, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) analysis will be used to evaluate the environmental impact of recycled polymeric materials usage in denim fabrics. Finally, it concludes by challenges and the future of chemically recycled materials in denim production and opportunities to evaluate waste as a raw material to design circular systems.
Part of the book: Waste Material Recycling in the Circular Economy
Increased consumer awareness and new regulations about climate change accelerated the need for solid, provable, transparent actions leading to results to support the sustainability claims and initiatives of fashion brands. However, progress on transparency is still very limited despite the alarming signals of climate change. As stated in Fashion Revolution’s Transparency Index 2023, brands have achieved an overall average score of 24%, up 1% from last year. Transparency is a tool for transformation. A productive conversation toward the targets can only start with a certain level of transparency to lead to the desired change. Life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology represents the next level of transparency. LCA can help brands collect, analyze and monitor their sustainability performance with science-based results. It is a tool that is used to quantify the environmental performance of a product taking the complete life cycle into account (from raw material production to transport, fabric production, garment manufacturing, consumer use, and final disposal. This book chapter focuses on how brands can use LCA as a transparency tool, its advantages and challenges in generalizing the science-based data. A framework will be generated on how to build the LCA model and use the data to compare different products and production practices in denim industry.
Part of the book: Life Cycle Assessment