Sheila-Mary Carruthers, Wilmington, Del.-based INVISTA™ Inc.’s global knitwear consultant, has
created a collection of more than 100 sweater knit concepts using Invista brands from worldwide
yarn resources. The focus of her presentation is on Lycra® elastane and Teflon® fabric
protector. Other Invista fibers including Tactel® nylon, Cordura® nylon, T-400™ and Coolmax®, also
are shown, sometimes blended with various natural and man-made fibers. Fabrics show novelty in
construction, pattern and composition. Care and performance are stressed.
Carruthers has divided her presentation into four segments: Contemporary Luxury, Modern
Performance, Natural Heritage and Delightfully Decorative.
In the Contemporary Luxury category, fabrics from Todd & Duncan are knitted using
cashmere/Lycra. Cotton from Lora & Festa is treated with Teflon.
Modern Performance fabrics have been designed for sports-influenced apparel. “Here we’re
featuring new yarns with Coolmax from Joinfair, which we’ve plated with invisible Lycra from Wykes
for added recovery,” Carruthers said. She demonstrated how Teflon-treated pima cotton fabrics
from Lora & Festa repel and release liquids and stains. For menswear, there is a smooth knit in
Tactel from Texwell Italiana S.r.l. plated with Lycra from Wykes.
In the Natural Heritage category, there are traditional structures with new twists, such as
contemporary high-performance yarns. A ripple-structure single jersey is knitted in a composite
yarn of acrylic/cotton/Lycra from St. Lieven. A soft, brushed fabric uses yarns of
wool/acrylic/viscose/Lycra from Pinori Filati S.p.A.
A new cable knit is made using a composite yarn of acrylic/Lycra from Charming Textile Co.
Ltd.
There is a lot of luster, sheen and embellishment in the Delightfully Decorative
range. A fabric made with Unifi Inc.’s Tactel diabolo plated with invisible Lycra from Wykes
offers a sleek surface for space-dyed embroidery. Two-colored Tactel Prisma from Lurex Co.
Ltd. gives sparkle to a simple structure. Viscose/T-400 from Drescafil is another base fabric
embellished with embroidery.
The Invista knitwear seminars have been presented to knitters, garment manufacturers and
retailers in key markets around the country. The presentation is available on CD-ROM. It shows
each trend, photographs of all fabrics with construction details, and concept garments.
– By Virginia S. Borland, New York Correspondent
March 2004
