TOKYO — July 30, 2019 — Teijin Frontier Co. Ltd., the Teijin Group’s fibers and products converting company, announced today that it has developed a polyester fabric that looks and feels like fine silk. Teijin Frontier, which envisions various applications for its silk-like material, such as blouses and outers from thin to medium thicknesses, is targeting annual sales of 150,000 meters by the fiscal year ending in March 2022.
While high-function materials made with man-made fibers are recently established as fashion trend in the market, demand also has been growing for natural-texture materials made with natural fibers. Materials in which delicate fiber fluff is expressed, or fibrillated, on the surface of the fabric for smooth textures, similar to silk or cupro, are becoming popular, but these materials have problems with color fastness (1) in wet condition, yarn strength, color migration, fading due to fluff release and shape loss by washing.
Teijin Frontier responded by developing unique processing technologies to produce a new stable, easy-care polyester fabric that boasts the soft texture and fine appearance of silk produced by wild silkworms.
This new material’s specially fabricated surface is soft and glossy, holds bright coloring, resists color migration, shrinkage and shape loss by using polyester fibers with excellent color fastness and fiber strength.
Color fastness to rubbing in deep color (grade)*
| New fibrillated polyester | Conventional fibrillation material | ||
| Dry | Color migration | 4 or above | 4 or above |
| Color change | 4 or above | 4 or above | |
| Wet | Color migration | 4 or above | 2-3 |
| Color change | 4 or above | 3 | |
*Based on JIS L0849-II standard
(1) Color change due to washing, water, perspiration, rubbing, light, etc. is collectively known as color fastness. The degree of color change is divided into five grades, with higher grades indicating less change.
Posted August 20, 2019
Source: Teijin Ltd.