Kemin Industries’ textile auxiliaries business unit, Garmon, the chemical solutions brand for the denim and fashion industry, has introduced “Safe Wear,” a line of products that gives extra protection to garments. The Safe Wear line, Garmon’s first endeavor into performance finishes, provides solutions for the industrial laundry and manufacturing processes that address consumers’ demand for safety, given the current health concerns in the world. The Safe Wear range of solutions offers protection from viruses and bacteria for the textile industry and consumers. Textile Focus editorial team talked with Garmon team regard “Safe Wear”, key discussion points are mentioned below for our readers-
Textile Focus: Can you brief on your new development “safe wear”?
– With Covid-19, in a few months the world has changed in a way that no one expected. Things we once considered normal – like eating in restaurants or taking public transportation – are now considered risky.
Research has shown that viruses and bacteria can remain active on textile surfaces for a few days, meaning viruses and bacteria can be re-transmitted from the fabric by contact with other surfaces. The garments we buy and wear are not excluded.
Now that we are slowly coming back to our routine, we launched Garmon’s new Safe Wear line with the goal to make people feel safe and comfortable living their lives outdoors again. We want people to feel protected as much as possible, and that also means that they have to feel comfortable when wearing or buying their clothes.
Textile Focus: What are the product in the “safe wear” line?
– Our Safe Wear product line currently includes three products:
- HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03
- Garmon Sani-Tex
- Garmon Elam Sani-Tex
HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is the most advanced product in the Safe Wear line. Created by HeiQ, a Swiss company of which Kemin is part owner, HeiQ Viroblock has a strong, patent-pending antiviral and antibacterial effect against enveloped viruses – including coronaviruses – and bacteria. HeiQ Viroblock has been designed to stay active on treated garments for 30 at least gentle domestic washes, ensuring safety for the consumer that lasts for a good part of the garment’s life.
The other two products in the Safe Wear line, Sani-Tex and Elam Sani-Tex, are easy solutions to remove germs and bacteria from garments, ensuring high hygiene standards. Both have been designed to guarantee an effective, immediate action while maintaining a very competitive price point.
Textile Focus: How these products will add value to the garments?
– Safe Wear products don’t give garments a different look or hand-feel, but a great added value in terms of human safety. A dedicated hangtag for garments treated with HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is available to show consumers that what they are buying has not only a look and a fit they like, but also a high-tech treatment to protect their safety and health. Wearing garments treated with Safe Wear products gives consumers the peace of mind to once again interact with the world, living in the clothes we love.
Textile Focus: How are you getting feedback from the production factories?
– It is no secret that the immediate trend in the market are performance products like in our Safe Wear line. All of our customers are asking for different options, and we are happy to have a range that can satisfy any requirement. The biggest challenge for all of us is to ensure the correct test methods and regulations are adhered to ensure none of our customers, or any brand, is making false claims regarding such an important topic. With Kemin Industries, our parent company, coming from the nutritional sector, for us it was easy to quickly understand the different registrations and how we can best accommodate to the market. Everyone who we have spoken with appreciates that we are here to guide them through the regulatory barriers, and that we are able to provide the correct tests they need.
Textile Focus: What are the major advantages on those products?
– The use of any of the Safe Wear products helps both laundries and brands provide consumers a finished product that is safe and respectful of their health. HeiQ Viroblock is a patent-pending, unique technology that combines two virus killing properties. The first, a silver-based molecule, which is widely known in the industry to kill bacteria and viruses and second a vesicle technology coating that helps to physically destroy the virus. These two actions, working together, is a far more powerful technology compared to a single silver molecule. Both Sani-Tex and Elam Sani-Tex use well know hygienic cleanser technology to ensure health to the end customers.
Textile Focus: What about product pricing and consumption?
– To suit all the needs of the textile industry and end-consumers, we designed the Safe Wear line to include different technologies, levels of protection and price points. While HeiQ Viroblock is at the top of the range due to its unique blend of technologies, both Sani-tex and Elam Sani-tex are much more competitive, allowing any customer to find protection in their garments.
Textile Focus: Any other plan for further research and development?
– The products that are currently in the Safe Wear line satisfy the needs of many apparel producers and fashion brands. But, like Garmon has always done, we are already working on new technologies that can provide even more solutions suitable for the whole supply chain.
Textile Focus: Any special message if you want to convey to our readers and textile industry of Bangladesh?
– Garmon has been present in Bangladesh for many years, to the point where now we have our great local teams, important customers and even good friends. In Italy and San Marino, where we are based, we have seen firsthand the tremendous impact of the pandemic, and we know that things will likely never go back to the way they were, and we are all trying to find our “new normal.” However, we have kept our heads up to continue to work to ensure the needs of all our partners are cared for. We are looking forward to start travelling again to Bangladesh, hoping to find everyone safe and in good health.
