WILMINGTON, Del., April 27, 2022 – DuPont (NYSE:DD) today announced that JP Modatex India and DuPont Biomaterials are launching a new spun yarn collection made with a blend of natural fibers and DuPont™ Sorona® staple fibers.
The collection brings together linen and partially plant-based Sorona® fibers to create spun yarns for use in a variety of applications including dresses, shirting, pants and skirts, denim, and jackets. The resulting fabric imparts comfort stretch, moisture management, and a luxurious drape and hand feel. Until now, quality stretch linen was not available due to the incompatibility of linen and spandex. This new concept fills a need for stretch linen without spandex, and is an ideal option for designers seeking a sustainable solution.
JP Modatex is the manufacturer of premium and specialty ring spun yarns for apparel and home textiles. JP Modatex’s motto is to bring specialty yarns to the Indian and International Market with a focus on 100% linen-hemp and its blends with Sorona® and other fibers. The family business has been active in the yarn space since 1948. Recent successful yarn innovations and developments are a continuous process at JP Modatex including blends with Sorona® and linen, Sorona® and Lyocell, 100% dry spun linen, and hemp-cotton blends.
With a rich history of textile innovation, DuPont has invented groundbreaking fibers such as nylon, Lycra®, and rayon. Its Sorona® brand — made from 37% renewable plant-based ingredients — offers a high-performing, responsibly sourced material option. Fibers made with Sorona® polymer are currently used in various apparel applications, including athleisure and athletic wear, insulation, swimwear, outerwear, suiting, faux fur, and more. Sorona® polymer offers technical and performance benefits, including incredible softness, stretch and recovery, and inherent stain resistance without the need for topical treatments. Sorona® is a USDA Certified Biobased Product and is certified as a OEKO-TEX® STANDARD 100 product.
“Sorona® stretch staple fibers are used in blends with cotton, viscose, and wool. The JP Modatex leadership wants to take a different approach with Sorona® and respond to the needs of existing linen customers, delivering comfort stretch to the linen space. Stretch and linen have not been a concept previously attempted since spandex and linen cannot co-exist. This is a very exciting opportunity for us and with this breakthrough yarn, JP Modatex is a pioneer in the realm of stretch linen fabrics,” said Dr. Gowri Nagarajan, regional sales and marketing manager, DuPont Biomaterials.
“Comfort stretch is a growing trend in the apparel segment. While other fibers are often blended with Sorona® fibers, the JP Modatex team is taking on the challenge to blend with fibers like linen that are not easy to work with and create a unique space for themselves. Working closely with their strategic mill partners, the JP Modatex team is able to deliver this innovative solution to both shirting and trouser applications. This initial success should give them the confidence to continue their innovation journey to take Sorona® fibers into newer applications,” said Mr. Jeff Zhou, global apparel segment leader, DuPont Biomaterials.
“At JP Modatex, we pride ourselves in taking the path that others normally do not think about and due to this philosophy, we have always worked on cutting edge innovation to deliver high quality specialty products to the market. We took a very careful decision when we wanted to start using Sorona® fibers in combination with fibers like Lyocell and linen as there was a need in these segments where comfort stretch was missing due to the fact that it was either impossible to bring spandex into the mix (OR) due to nightmares that one has to encounter when processing such fabrics in combination with spandex. For these reasons, a blend with Sorona® is appealing as it brings additional value to the end fabric in comfort stretch and recovery, moisture management and excellent handfeel and drape. We are really impressed with the recent interest at the Fibers and Yarns show in Mumbai (India) for these yarns and we are eager to bring more innovation with Sorona® in combination with other fibers as well,” added Mr. Jindas Jain, Founder-CEO, JP Modatex.
