Invista presents LYCRA® fibre and sustainability activities

Invista transforms daily life through its innovations in the nylon, spandex, polyester and specialty materials industries. Invista’s products play a role in nearly every aspect of our daily life. From the moment we wake up, we can find INVISTA inside the fibers in our carpet or rug, the bristles on our toothbrush, and the fabric in our clothing. When we’re ready to end our day, INVISTA can help us have a restful sleep with the fibers inside our fluffy pillows and soft bedding. A subsidiary of privately owned Koch Industries, Inc., INVISTA operates in more than 20 countries across North America, South America, Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region.

The international textile and garment machinery industry converged for the 16th edition of ITMA in Barcelona, Spain from 22 to 29 September 2011. This was the first time that Spain had hosted an ITMA event. Invista, one of the world’s largest integrated producer of polymers and fibres, and owner of the LYCRA® fibre brand, presented its brands and innovations at the ITMA Barcelona. In addition, the company was one of the key sponsors of the textile sustainability leaders roundtable, and ITMA’s opening celebration gala dinner.

For the first time in its 60 years of existence, ITMA has opened its exhibition to the fibre and yarn sector. Invista decided to participate in this exhibition to communicate its innovations, technical advancements and global reach with its customers and the industry, in an effort to show the commitment of the company to the textile and apparel industry.

60th Anniversary gala dinner

The 22nd of September was ITMA’s 60th Anniversary and it was celebrated with a gala dinner. Invista sponsored the event by providing innovative fabrics such as DOGI International Fabrics and Puntiblond S.A. Invista arranged a dinner with a special evening full of entertainment in which LYCRA® fibre messages were subtly communicated to the audience through images.

“This year was an important anniversary for ITMA and its was the first time they have allowed the fibre sector to participate. Invista is proud to be a key sponsor of the event, supporting the opening gala dinner, which marked Invista’s first collaboration with ITMA,“ says Denise Sakuma, Global Director of Brand Communications at Invista. “Once again we were able to communicate our commitment to the apparel textile industry and it was a good opportunity for our Spain-based customer mills to showcase their innovative fabrics,” she says.

Serge Vigouroux, Executive Vice-President of Invista’s Marketing Business, says, “Lycra® fibre is more than a yarn or a fibre: It is a brand that is supporting the apparel industry to better communicate innovations and quality in garments to both the trade and consumers. We continuously invest in our portfolio of innovations and support their introduction at trade, point-of-sale and consumer level, globally”.

Textile Sustainability Leaders Roundtable

The first-ever Textile Sustainability Leaders Roundtable took place on the first day of the exhibition and bought together  not just leaders in the industry, but leaders of the industry who have made a long term commitment to sustainability.

Robert Kirkwood, Vice President of Technology at Invista was among the speakers, talking about the company’s goal to reduce its energy intensity 20% by 2020.

“Our goal is a part of Invista’s commitment to use energy efficiently, an to create long-term value for our customers and society, “ says Kirkwood. “We will focus on three key areas of sustainability: manufacturing excellence, product sustainability, and corporate citizenship,” he said.

Invista showcased its innovations and new product developments for its entire range of apparel segments including intimate apparel, swimwear, legwear, ready-to-wear, and active and outerwear.

About INVISTA

INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester applications. INVISTA’s global  trademarks include COOLMAX® fabric, CORDURA®fabric, freshFX® fiber, LYCRA® fiber, SUPPLEX® fabric, TACTEL® fiber, and THERMOLITE® fabric. LYCRA® is a trademark of INVISTA.