Clothing is a symbol by which the word runs, the better, more tailored, more modern and more professional your attire, the more likely you are to be received with respect. But in the world of modern clothing production, the fabric you ear can be anything but respectable. Polyester and wool blends are just some of the unnatural fabrics used in clothing, especially higher-end pieces.
That’s where Teijin fibers comes in. Starting with their ECOPET line (PET For the pet recycle code on the bottom of most plastic bottles), producing the first yarns to be made from plastic bottles, they have not introduced the world to their ECO-A-WEAR line. Here the prime components of any ECO-A-WAER fabric are Viscose, Cotton and 100% fully-recycled polyester.
The process is relatively familiar as far as recycling goes. Instead of relying mainly on petroleum products to make their fabrics, Teijin first processes their collected plastic bottles into flakes and then pellets, eventually coming out with staple fibers- fibers that can then be woven into stronger fabrics or fabric blends. All of it seems very much like the process of eco-fleece, and in essence it is very much the same process.
What’s more is that the use of recycled plastic in the fabric helps make the piece more stain resistant and machine washable, cutting down on the use of perchloroethylene, or pet, a common, and potentially harmful dry cleaning chemical.
This next step in clothing production has been a long time coming, and this is not the first attempt to mix the theory of recycling and the textile and fashion industries. The process of creating ECOPET and ECO-A-WEAR shows the ability of companies like Teigin to move forward in the changing world and adapt without loosing ground. If anything, a move like this could help the company.
Sears has already agreed to sell suits made with the new fabric in their American retail stores starting in May. Being divided into 54 percent recycled polyester, 42 percent wool and 4 percent spandex, clothing along this line is sure to be 100 percent fashionable and eco-friendly.
