In the health and sports sectors, antiviral agent functions
have been known and used for a long time. In fashion, they were previously
thought to be superfluous. That has changed since the pandemic.
In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, a photo of Naomi
Campbell went around the world: the model was photographed at an airport in a
white jumpsuit, with a face mask and rubber gloves. What may seem like a
stretch at the time is actually a very obvious idea: clothing can be used as a
protective shield against invisible enemies like viruses and bacteria. The
technologies for this have been available for a long time. They are commonly
used in workwear for the health sector and in sports collections, where they
avoid bad odors by preventing the growth of bacteria. bacobolts.yictic
New antiviral equipment
In light of Covid-19, these technologies have been further
improved and adapted in recent months. Several textile chemistry companies have
launched new antiviral finishes developed at a tremendous rate, for example
Polygiene from Sweden with its “ViralOff” finish, HeiQ from Switzerland with
its “Viroblock” technology, Affix Labs from Suomi with “Si-Quat”, Devan from
Belgium with “Bi-Ome AV” and Toray from Japan with “Makspec V.” All
manufacturers potential that their products can reliably kill many different
viruses and bacteria in a few minutes or hours. Therefore, clothing equipped in
this way not only protects its wearer from the penetration of harmful germs,
but the germs are actively killed by clothing, making them harmless to
everyone. construction-bolts.tockhop
Fashion as a defensive protection
After an initial wave of antiviral face masks launched by
Maloja, Mammut or Burberry, for example, some fashion companies began
integrating antiviral products into their collections or even treating entire
categories with them. Just weeks after the pandemic broke out, Italian dungaree
brand Diesel launched its first antiviral jeans for the F / S 2021 season,
using Polygiene's “ViralOff” finish. techqueer
Similarly, denim brands DL1961 and Warp + Weft have
partnered with HeiQ so that future HeiQ “Viroblock” denim models carry
antiviral treatment. The same goes for Italian menswear supplier Monobi
Fashion, which uses it to add antivirals to jackets and jumpsuits. In October
2020, a startup called BioRomper also launched in the US with a single product:
an antimicrobial coverall designed to prevent surface contamination during
travel. There are also pioneers in Haute Couture: designer Phillip Lim presented
his collection of antivirals "Live Free" in November. Its objective:
to make people's lives easier.
Antiviral collections: a new trend?
We are far from saying whether antivirals will really
continue to be in vogue in the future, but HeiQ was already serving about 500
customers at the beginning of the year. Polygiene saw a 141 percent increase in
its sales in the first quarter of 2021, driven by continued demand for
ViralOff. "We will perhaps have to get used to living with the threat of
viral infections, which means that wearing protective clothing will have to
become part of our daily lives," says HeiQ Marketing Director Hoi Kwan
Lam. "This fact has not gone unnoticed by the brands that are now jumping
on the bandwagon and are including antiviral protection equipment in their
textile products." tc-bolts.dyifo
At the moment, the different legal frameworks of different
countries are against an international deployment of antiviral fashion. Not all
products are internationally approved. Toray's "Makspec V" antiviral
finish, for example, has so far only been approved in Japan, but it should soon
be possible to use it in international collections. “We have received positive
responses from Japanese clothing manufacturers, mainly from uniforms worn by
staff in hospitals, hotels, restaurants and other hospitality companies, as
well as from educational institutions,” says Toray's Taira Kurosawa. "We
believe that the use of antiviral materials in uniforms for the service and
hospitality industries will increase in the future."
New areas of application
Most finishes survive around 30 washes, after which they
lose their effectiveness if not updated. So that consumers can do this
themselves, manufacturers like HeiQ and Affix have developed aerosols. In this
way, they can also be of interest to fashion retailers: "Studies show that
viruses can remain active on textile surfaces for two days or more at room
temperature," explains Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of HeiQ.
"This is also the reason why in some countries, such as the UK, it is now
mandatory to 'quarantine' garments after each adjustment."
"At the request of many of our customers, we have
turned HeiQ 'Viroblock' into a spray that they can use in their stores to
'clean' products after touching or trying them on." Sprays stick to many
surfaces, not just clothing. As a result, its applications extend far beyond
the clothing industry, from automotive interiors to mattresses, bedding,
curtains and tablecloths in the hotel industry. The fact is that the pandemic
has significantly changed our need for protection. The fight against viruses
and bacteria is now also carried out on textile surfaces. bolts.answerhop
