Collaboration between manufacturers in Vietnam has resulted in the effective application of FibreTrace technology on Australian Merino wool. The manufacturers hope to introduce the solution to the fashion industry early in the upcoming year.
The Woolmark Company, a non-profit organisation, Indorama, a producer of polyester fibre, Fashion Enterprise, R&T Industry, a cloud-based SAAS platform called FibreTrace, and Garment Assembly are all participants in the cooperation.
The Woolmark Company supported the Indorama experiment by sponsoring it and providing essential funding. The wool tops were successfully treated with the FibreTrace technology by Indorama, a Thailand-based Woolmark-certified spinning specialist.
The pilot was commissioned by Fashion Enterprise and R&T Industry, both of which were crucial to the weaving and knitting operations that produced high-quality wool suiting fabric and completely fashioned knit yarns.
The second stage of using the technology at the scouring stage is currently underway, according to the firms, who claim they are now on pace to offer a seamless traceability solution for the full supply chain. This covers garment knitting in Vietnam, top making in China, top dyeing in China, and scouring in Australia.
Given the positive results of the proof of concept and the encouraging developments in phase 2, the wool tops are anticipated to be ready in early June 2023, with yarn manufacturing starting in August of the same year.
Clothing companies like Cue, Veronika Maine, and Country Road have already showed interest in stocking traceable wool, according to R&T Industry, which expects to provide traceable Australian Merino wool to the market soon.
In response to demand, mass manufacturing is planned to start in October and be available in stores for the winter of 2024 by February.
Source: https://apparelresources.com/