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| Issue date:01/12/2008 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Dec 2008 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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by Adrian Wilson
With financial meltdown preoccupying the media and the prospect of a global recession seemingly inevitable, now may not be the wisest time to introduce a fabric billed as the world’s most expensive to date.
However, customers of the Belgian company, Scabal, occupy a realm free from the concerns of us mere mortals. They include George Bush and Bill Clinton, footballer David Beckham and Hollywood stars Tom Cruise, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson.
Such famous names fall into the target market for Scabal’s Worsted Vicuna for Suitings collection, which employs a high-end luxury fabric costing around UK￡4,000 a metre – and up to ￡25,000 for a finished suit.
Scabal’s Worsted Vicuna for Suitings fabric (above) is made by the Peruvian Vicuna’s fleece |
Scabal’s UK weaving mill Bower Roebuck recently unveiled the fabric to select tailors from London’s exclusive Savile Row.
“It has taken quite a few years to get to the stage where we could launch this collection,” said Bower Roebuck sales director, Neil Hart. “While 100% Vicuna has been around a long time for overcoats and jackets, no one has previously produced a 100% Vicuna for suiting.
“It took a long time and a lot of guts to invest in the raw material, to create the first samples and to get to the point where we are able to offer it for sale,” said Mr Hart.
Corporate social responsibility enhanced
Tailors buying the cloth will be taking out insurance to cover any accidental slips of the shears, he added.
“When you are cutting cloth of this value, you don’t want to make mistakes. It is made from the finest, rarest fibre. We have eight designs in the collection, but only enough fabric for 15 to 20 suits in each one. It is truly a connoisseur’s cloth,” he said.
The Vicuna, a near-relative of the Llama and Alpaca, lives high in the mountainous regions of Peru, where the days can be sunny and warm but night temperatures drop well below freezing.
As a result of the animal’s fleece, which is the finest, warmest and softest available, the species faced extinction in the 1970s. Although its numbers have been restored, it is still on the endangered list.
The use of Vicuna fleece was banned for some time, but is now legal again, with strict controls being in place to protect the animals.
The Peruvian government has introduced laws aimed at guaranteeing that each animal is captured, sheared alive and returned to the wild, and that it cannot be sheared again for another two years. The programme also ensures that a large portion of the profits return to villagers who oversee the flocks. However, annually up to 50,000 pounds of Vicuna wool is exported as a result of illegal activities, and because of this, some countries have banned the importation of the fiber.
Scabal is meticulous in ensuring the fibers used in its suitings come from recognised sources.
Another new luxury fabric from the company is the Four Seasons suiting, a Super 150s wool in a 250gm weight manufactured at the Bower Roebuck mill. The wool is said to be exclusively from sheep that graze on pastures free from chemical fertilisers or pesticides. The flocks are also limited in size.
The Four Seasons fabric is treated with a silver ion technology that keeps it hygienic and fresh but at the same time has no effect on the texture and luxurious feel of the fabric. The microparticles of silver are incorporated into the fibres and remain effective throughout the entire life span of the suit.
Bower Roebuck employs 70 people and produces about 360,000 metres of fabric a year for Scabal – including its Diamond Chip cloth, which contains diamond fragments and its Gold Treasure collection, which is woven with gold thread. Through Scabal, Bower Roebuck exports to 65 countries, including Italy, USA, Russia, Japan and France.
Cloth woven by the firm is also transformed into suits sold at Scabal’s own retail store on London’s Savile Row.
Japanese consumers value fine fabrics
This year, the Savile Row Bespoke Group celebrated the 150th anniversary of trade relations between the UK and Japan with the “London Cut” exhibition held at Isetan, Japan’s leading department store, to showcase the highest level of British tailoring.
Mark Henderson, chairman of Savile Row Bespoke, said that he believed the strong link and longevity of the relationship between Japan and the UK came from the Japanese consumer insistence on ever-finer wool fabrics and fibers, and Savile Row’s ability to cut and style unique and beautiful Merino wool garments.
The London Cut exhibition was held in partnership with Australian Wool Innovation (AWI).
“Savile Row produces the world’s most respected bespoke tailoring, showcasing Australian Merino wool at its finest,” said AWI general manager, Pascal Senkoff.
AWI also introduced recently a new-look Woolmark logo and the new Australian Merino brand, aimed at positioning Australian Merino as a fibre of the highest quality.
Through a careful selection of partners, this natural fibre’s quality and exclusivity are assured, AWI says.
One such partner is Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia, of Biella, Italy, a world leader in the production of fine yarns for top-quality knitwear, which buys an annual 10 million kilograms of raw Australian Merino wool. The superfine Merino wool, combined with a vast range of rich yarns such as cashmere and top-quality pure or blended fibres, creates over 6.5 million kilograms of yarn for the company’s knitwear products each year.
The company’s Cashwool is created from a special selection of Australian extra-fine Merino wool and processed with an exclusive and patented system. “Limited Edition” is the latest and most luxurious product by Zegna Baruffa Lane Borgosesia – a special yarn constructed from Australian Merino wool that is softer and finer than cashmere. Its characteristics of strength, elasticity, fluidity, low pilling factor and its extraordinary soft texture are said to place it beyond even the finest types of cashmere presently in production.
New merino suits can be wet cleaned
Also new from Australian Merino are a generation of finer Australian Merino fibers, which in combination with modern fabric-making techniques allow for the production of very lightweight woven fabrics under the MerinoCool brand, as well as MerinoFresh, which is based on the world-first rinse and clean “shower suit” technology, which allows Merino woven products to be refreshed or cleaned after wear simply using a domestic shower.
Made from fine yarns woven into lightweight fabrics of less than 165 gsm, MerinoCool fabrics ensures breathability and good drape.
“Today’s consumers – particularly in the major markets of Europe, the US and Japan – want lightweight clothes,” said Australian Wool Innovation CEO, Craig Welsh. “People want to feel comfortable, and in the contemporary built environment they don’t actually need clothes for protection or to keep warm. What was lightweight fabric 20 years ago is now the norm.”
MerinoFresh garments meanwhile, need only be placed on a suitable hanger, then spray rinsed in the shower for three to four minutes using clean, warm water at about 40°C. This simple process removes smog, dirt, smoke, smells and most common water-based stains, provided they are not too ingrained. The garments can then be drip-dried, which depending on the fabric weight, normally takes approximately three to four hours at room temperature. Provided the garments are hung correctly and carefully on the hanger, no ironing is required after cleaning.
Italian fine fabrics makers look to Asian and African markets
by Staff Reporters
Traditionally an important exporter of fine and medium/fine fabrics in wool, linen, cotton and silk, Italy reported a continuous increase (+6.4%) in export to non-EU markets in the first four months of 2008, compared to a 3.8% decline in the sales of these fabrics within EU countries, according to the statistics available at the recent Ideabiella in Italy in September 2008.
Italian textile markets (cotton, linen, silk, wool and knitted fabrics) from January to April 2008 (Source: SMI on ISTAT data) |
Held every alternate year, the Ideabiella exhibition at Milano Unica, Italy, presents mainly Italian producers of fine and medium/fine fabrics in wool, linen, cotton and silk to selected international clientele by invitation.
The statistics showed that Tunisia and China & Hong Kong were emerging buyers outside the European Union (see table).
Fabric-wise, there was a positive trend for silky fabrics where export increased 11.4% (pure silk fabrics reach +23% in value, +5.9% in quantity) between January and April 2008, compared to the same period in 2007.
Subsequently, the export of woolen fabrics grew 2.7% in the first three months of 2008 and so has the export of knitted fabrics (+3.1%). On the other hand, foreign demand for Italy-made cotton (-3.3% in value, -5.5% in quantity) and linen fabrics (-17%) dipped. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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