Divatex Delves Into Seaweed
By Michele SanFilippo -- Home Textiles Today, 4/4/2005
New York — Divatex Home Fashions will be promoting the benefits of seaweed at the upcoming New York Home Textiles Market with a sheeting and towel program that features seaweed fiber blended with pima cotton.
The program will be priced in the moderate to higher-end of the cost spectrum.
The company is launching the program in sheeting with 400- and 300-count cotton sateen that is blended with either pure seaweed fiber or seaweed enriched with silver. The construction for both sheets and solid color towels will be 70 percent cotton, 20 percent seaweed fiber and 10 percent seaweed plus silver; or 70 percent cotton and 30 percent seaweed fiber. However, the fiber can be blended with anything from modal, cotton and jersey to polyester, according to company executives.
“We are always looking for new and exciting things to add to the mix such as new yarns and new technology,” said Shay Zamir, Divatex's vice president of merchandising. “We totally believe in it, because it's healthy, it's new and the fabric is great. Plus all the big apparel companies that produce athletic-wear, such as Nike, are buying into this now.”
Some of the properties of seaweed (and seaweed with silver) include that it adds breathability and softness to the fiber; is an anti-inflammatory for the skin; is antibacterial and antimicrobial; neutralizes odors; and promotes the exchange of calcium, magnesium and vitamin E when the fiber rubs against the skin, according to Divatex.
