shedding

FABRICS THAT SHED

All woven or knitted fabrics regardless, if they are made of cotton, wool, silk, acetate, nylon, polyester or blends of these fibers will shed to some degree when washed or rubbed or who knows how.

It has been claimed that all of these microfibers ultimately find their way into the oceans of the world. Hence, these microfibers are swallowed by small fish who are gobbled up by bigger fish and so on. It is never said that these microfibers are found in clams, oysters, mussels, shrimp or any of the many crustations or shellfish. I for one have not stopped eating any of the foods I have mentioned regardless of country of origin.

In the U.S. and Europe, the testing laboratories have been feverishly working on developing new fabrics using yarns that are shedding less.

Today I read the Under Amour company has opened their own testing facility to test the fabrics they currently use and new fabrics they intend to use. Rather than write about what they are doing to facilitate their objective I have chosen to reprint the article.

“Sports brand Under Armour, headquartered in Baltimore, has developed an in-house testing method for measuring the fiber-shed rate of fabrics.

Are they going to shake the garments and photograph or film the fibers falling off of the garments?

The company is already using the methodology to help it assess and reject textiles, both before and during product development, it said. Ultimately, the goal is for 75% of the fabrics it uses to be made of “low-shed materials” by 2030.

They do not list the fabrics tested and which have passed their test.

High-shed fabrics in existing lines will either be redeveloped or discontinued following testing, Under Armour explained, while newer textiles not yet part of its ranges will not progress to product development, if found to have a significant propensity to shed.

But will they keep the high-shed fabrics as long as possible before ending their use by 2030. When companies list these extended dates, I find it mind boggling, will they still be here in 2030.

Mechanical finishes and potentially shed-reducing yarn formations will be considered when redeveloping fabrics, the company added. Its testing method will further shape work to find an optimal balance between fabric durability and comfort, particularly as high-shed materials are typically softer, but less durable.

They do have a conundrum don’t they!!!

“Our strategy focuses on working to help address the root causes of shedding, starting with the ability to measure it,” shared Under Armour Materials Lab senior manager, Jeremy Strangerland.

Is Jeremy Strangerland from the Heinlein book Stranger in a Strange land? I do not “GROK” what he is saying. [if you have read the book, you will understand the meaning of grok.] I believe Jeremy Strangeland has no idea of what he is saying. I can help him with “addressing the root causes of shedding”. As for his wanting to measure shedding, the statement reeks of that of a mindless individual.

SHEDDING

When fibers, cotton, wool, polyester, silk etc. are put through the process of converting them into yarns [I am not an expert] many of the fibers are not necessarily locked into the yarn completely, they are subject to breaking. They “shed”. So, we see that the action of shedding starts immediately when the fiber is converted to yarn.

We now take the yarns and string them up on weaving machines or knitting machines and during these processes the yarns are shedding more.

Once the fabrics are made, they are put through dying and finishing processes which cause the fabrics the further cause shedding to take place.

If the fabric happens to be fleece, the shedding is monumental. In order for the fleece to be created the bulky material that is made then goes through a cutting process so it has the nice soft finish. But the shedding problem is monumental.

When these fabrics are cut and sewn into the garments you buy, they are already in the act of shedding.

The action of fabrics shedding goes back many thousands of years starting from the time cotton and wool were first used to make fabrics.

So, you see Jeremy Strangeland shedding is an action that will never be stopped. Do you GROK?

“Through ongoing efforts to redevelop high-shed fabrics to shed less, or avoid them entirely, we are leveraging our skills to positively impact our industry and communities.”

Jeremy Strangeland you obviously do not what you are saying and I would like to know what “skills to positively impact our industry and communities”. How will reducing shedding if that is possible do this.

The brand’s senior vice-president of innovation, Kyle Blakely, said that articles with a resultingly "improved" shed rate, yet still “high-performance”, could reach the market as soon as next year.

Kyle Blakely you are in the same room as Jeremy Strangeland not GROKING. Two peas in a pod.

Under Armour called its methodology complementary, but different, to existing fiber-shed tests, such as that released several years ago by the Microfiber Consortium, of which it is a member.

I guess Under Armour thinks they can do a better job screwing around with the problem [?] of shedding.