Nano Technology in Apparel Industry

Few Startups Innovating in Nano Clothing Technologies

Nanotechnology, or molecular manufacturing, has been used in textiles for several years, but with the recent rise in demand for smart apparel, the branch of engineering that deals with very small things is becoming increasingly popular.

Nanotex, a leading fabric innovation company, uses nanotechnology-based textile applications to repel water, resist and release stains, manage moisture, control odour, eliminate static and keep fabrics wrinkle-free without changing the hand or drape of a fabric.

“We have a consumer today that has become very accustomed to the advantages that high-performance fabrics can bring in activewear,” said Randy Rubin, chairman at Crypton, which recently acquired Nanotex. “They expect that in all apparel categories. Unless we can deliver on that, we will see the same sluggish sales in the total apparel market that we see today. Innovation – as we have seen in technology – is what excites the consumer and drives sales. That innovation today in the apparel industry is in nanotechnology and it really represents the future for all segments in apparel – from children’s wear to sportswear and even dressier categories.”

Some other interesting trends Nanotex has noticed in the market include biodegradable and sustainable textiles, plasma technologies for outdoor apparel textiles, medical textiles for a growing healthcare market, wearable electronics and photonics and smart and interactive textiles.

Nanotex has expanded its technical transfer team to service the needs of top American brands, added DNA markers to its chemistry and developed new technologies like Wick+Block, which was designed for nylon NFL football uniforms. Looking ahead, Nanotex is working on new performance cotton and expanding the capabilities of its Wick+Block technology to a range of fibres.

Startups Innovating in Nano Clothing Technologies

Founded in 2009, Emeryville, California startup Bolt Threads has taken in a whopping $213 million in funding so far to create synthetic spider silk using genetically modified yeast cultures. Spider silk is much stronger than steel, but soft, making it perfect for spinning into yarn and creating durable clothing. Since our 2016 coverage of the company, they received additional funding of $123 million from names like Fidelity, Baillie Gifford, Temasek Holdings and Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund. The biggest news for Bolt

Threads in 2017 was when they purchased Best Made Company, a New Yawk outdoor apparel company that according to Fortune sells clothing, custom-made axes, and “artisanal camping gear”, whatever the fcuk that is. The first thing they did was collaborate on a $198 beanie in case you’re in the market for a hat that costs more than a top of the line camping stove:

Over the course of 2017, Bolt Threads also collaborated with some major names in the industry like Mountain Meadow, and Stella McCartney, who brought their spider silk to the Paris runway and the New York Museum of Modern Art. Just a few weeks ago, The Mercury News interviewed David Breslauer, co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Bolt Threads, who said that they’re “not exclusively a luxury company” and “as with any new technology, it starts at a higher price point”. After 8 years of development, this company now needs to step beyond selling limited edition $314 neckties, and progress to selling something with a price point that’s accessible to us commoners.

Founded in 2007, Japanese startup Spiber has taken in $148 million in funding to develop a technology that allows for the use of DNA coding in proteins to manufacture basic industrial materials such as textiles, metal or plastics. The company is currently producing synthetic spider silk and is a direct competitor to Bolt Threads. What sets these two companies apart though is that Spiber’s manufacturing process built on molecular design and gene synthesis will allow for the creation of a diverse range of substances. Spiber’s target markets are the apparel and automotive sectors.

In the long run, they plan to expand into healthcare, construction, aerospace, robotics, and more. Since we covered Spiber a year ago, their prototype Moon Parka still hasn’t hit the shelves yet and is being validated and tested in Goldwin Tech labs. Like Bolt Threads, we need to see some progress that shows this technology is ready for mainstream, otherwise, investors will never see a return on the massive amounts of money they’ve been pouring into it.

Founded in 2011, New York startup Modern Meadow has taken in $53.5 million in funding from names such as Sequoia Capital and Temasek Holdings. The team is using DNA sequencing to grow collagen in a laboratory. (Collagen is a protein found in your skin.) The traditional process of leather making is to remove everything from an animal’s hide that isn’t collagen. This technology has huge benefits for fashion design since clients will be able to choose the qualities of the “leather”, such as its size and thickness, and can even incorporate their brand into the genomes themselves

The synthetic collagen is created in liquid form and can be used as spray-paint to create clothes without any seams, like the t-shirt above that will be exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art next to Stella McCartney’s spider silk dress. Another benefit of the material is the sustainability of its production. Producing leather in the traditional way hurts animals, the environment, and the workers who manufacture it. Let’s hope they show their investors better returns than Organovo has.

Founded in 2011, New York startup Modern Meadow has taken in $53.5 million in funding from names such as Sequoia Capital and Temasek Holdings. The team is using DNA sequencing to grow collagen in a laboratory. (Collagen is a protein found in your skin.) The traditional process of leather making is to remove everything from an animal’s hide that isn’t collagen. This technology has huge benefits for fashion design since clients will be able to choose the qualities of the “leather”, such as its size and thickness, and can even incorporate their brand into the genomes themselves

The synthetic collagen is created in liquid form and can be used as spray-paint to create clothes without any seams, like the t-shirt above that will be exhibited in the Museum of Modern Art next to Stella McCartney’s spider silk dress. Another benefit of the material is the sustainability of its production. Producing leather in the traditional way hurts animals, the environment, and the workers who manufacture it. Let’s hope they show their investors better returns than Organovo has.

Founded in 2013, Israeli startup Nano Textile has taken in $15 million in funding from the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7). The team came up with a process to counteract hospital-acquired infections, which affect 511 million patients globally and cost $12 billion per year in Europe alone. Nano Textile developed a single step nano-coating process that coats textiles or glass with Zinc Oxide (ZnO), giving materials permanent antibacterial properties. The process is cost-effective, scalable, and environmentally friendly. The treatment can be applied to any fabric type (synthetic, cotton, silk, mix) and does not damage the fabric or alter its colour. The process allows magnetic, conductive or hydrophobic coatings to be applied to different surfaces as well, in addition to the permanent antibacterial properties.

Founded in 2009, New Jersey startup PurThread has taken in $9 million in funding to develop a textile treatment that destroys microorganisms. Their treatment is based on silver salts, which kill germs and fight body odour when embedded into textile fibres. Silver kills germs by interrupting the germ cell’s ability to form chemical bonds necessary for its survival. When the bacteria come in contact with silver particles, they fall apart and die. According to their website “PurThread embeds the silver salts into fibres in a molten stage, making the antimicrobial protection intrinsic to every thread.

Founded in 2013, Estonian startup GoGoNano has taken in an undisclosed amount of funding to become the IKEA of nano-coating, providing DIY nano-coating sprays for textiles, cars, and electronics. The textile and leather solution makes clothes, shoes and carpets superhydrophobic (i.e. extremely water repellent) and bacteria resistant as well. GoGoNano products are available through the company website, with the textile coating spray selling for around $31 a can.

Founded in 2013, Estonian startup GoGoNano has taken in an undisclosed amount of funding to become the IKEA of nano-coating, providing DIY nano-coating sprays for textiles, cars, and electronics. The textile and leather solution makes clothes, shoes and carpets superhydrophobic (i.e. extremely water repellent) and bacteria resistant as well. GoGoNano products are available through the company website, with the textile coating spray selling for around $31 a can.

The global economic market and the vast majority of industrial and commercial sectors demand innovation, innovation in all senses, many are the ways in which companies establish strategies and define actions to achieve more participation in a changing market. Nanotechnology is inserted as the innovative and revolutionary element in this section, defines trends, establishes guidelines and prospects solutions in a current context that almost exhausted its innovation options.

NC9 Nanotechnology Company provides nanotechnological solutions at the best market cost, the products that are the motive of our business are and will continue to be required due to their functionality, their ability to raise the level of practicality, durability and safety of materials and processes. These products standardize the industry at other levels, they are materials/products that define a new context in the sector.

Our products and services are focused on this new trend and the Nanotechnology effects on the environment, of course, its economical and social repercussions., we want to validate every angle of this science in society and support companies, government and organizations in their needs & projects.

Our clients are companies and organizations that want to cover specific needs related to the sector, clients who want to innovate, be more efficient, optimize, or make their operations more agile and sustainable, for them we are here, we have the best products and solutions from the best companies in Europe, North America, Asia and the whole world, we provide access to the latest technology and infrastructure.

The ecological solutions that we provide for this industry define in real terms, the best counterweight that science can make to nature, we are committed to connecting this science and our operation with the environment. We open a new and very positive way to manage and economize better use of natural resources.