HeiQ and LYCRA launch LYCRA naturalFX for cotton fabrics

The technology company HeiQ and LYCRA have announced the launch of their new LYCRA naturalFX technology to improve the stretch and recovery properties of 100 percent cotton knit garments. According to a press release from HeiQ, the newly developed process provides durable comfort stretch, fit and soft hand-feel to 100 percent cotton knitwear compared to conventional finishes.

Even after repeated washing and wearing, the knitwear retain its shape, which helps extend the garment’s lifespan and potentially reduce its environmental impact, as LYCRA explained in its press release. Combining the expertise of LYCRA and HeiQ “has resulted in a truly unique, added-value technology that offers enhanced performance to cotton knitwear,” said Mike Mordente, Business Unit Head Textiles at HeiQ. The new technology “enhances the stretch and recovery properties of cotton knit fabrics and does so in a durable way with outstandingly soft hand,” added Nicolas Banyols, Chief Commercial Officer at LYCRA. This “breakthrough innovation” is easy for mills to implement as it requires no investment in new equipment. The two companies will collaborate on the commercialization of the technology.

In July 2021, the company from Schlieren in the canton of Zurich specializing in material innovation and virus blockers for textile surfaces started its collaboration with LYCRA, the global market leader for stretch fabrics headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, USA. HeiQ is a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH) based in the Innovations- und Jungunternehmerzentrum (IJZ; innovation and startup centre) and is a member of Start Smart Schlieren. gba