For those of you unfamiliar with technical fabrics, you should know that the textile industry is currently experiencing a modern renaissance. With a long list of product innovations including: jade fibers that cool the skin, treatment methods that conserve water and fabrics that repel bugs, the textile industry is driving an evolution in performance materials while churning out a constant supply of new fabrics every day. Not surprisingly, competition in the industry is intense. The key to becoming truly successful in the field is to focus on improving and optimizing existing technologies to exceed current expectations of performance standards.
Garmatex Technologies, a progressive inventor of intelligent fabric solutions, is one of the companies driving this innovation. Located in Surrey, British Columbia, the team has developed over 40 unique technologies. Each developed with the intention of improving quality of life while anticipating how consumer needs change and evolve over time.
Garmatex’s focus on crafting better solutions has led them to invent a number of products. One of these solutions is their anti-microbial Bact-Out® technology. Not a new innovation, fabrics that inhibit the growth of germs have been a staple in the industry for some time. While usually produced through a topical treatment that sometimes includes silver, Garmatex’s Bact-Out® really stands out because the embedded technology does not involve a potentially harmful metal and lasts for 50 washes compared to the 20 washes that most competitors focus on achieving.
A more recent innovation to the market is found in materials that help regulate temperature, most often achieved through the use of a chemical cooling ingredient usually found in chewing gum. Garmatex has improved the science behind cooling comfort products by introducing IceSkin™ technology. Developed through a proprietary combination of knitting techniques, natural jade minerals and CoolSkin® quick dry filaments, IceSkin™ technology provides a longer lasting superior cooling alternative.
Science-fiction has paved the way for real-life products. One example are the stillsuits used by the Fremen on Arrakis from the novel and movie Dune
In the area of protective garments, Garmatex has produced another new technology that encapsulates steel fibers inside of a CoolSkin® micro poly shell. This fabric, aptly named SteelSkin™, provides tremendous abrasion resistance and flexibility. Add to this the ability to be colored dyed to any shade, and this material fabric is certain to open many protective industrial and apparel applications.
In a highly competitive industry, Garmatex will continue to outperform its competitor’s because of its technical innovation and relentless optimization of its existing technologies.
