Elastic fabrics have become a trend in the market since the second half of 2015. Whether it is summer clothes or winter clothes, they are inseparable from the element of elasticity, elasticity and elasticity. Especially in the second half of last year, during the traditional weaving off-season in August, elastic fabric weaving manufacturers were too busy to ship goods, and the market was described as “infinitely popular”.
During the period when stretch fabrics were most popular, some customers even squatted directly in the weaving factory and took them away as soon as the goods were shipped. It almost took about 20-30 days to place an order! Although the popularity of stretch fabrics during this period of this year seems to have been overshadowed by imitation silk products such as chiffon and taffeta, as well as best-selling products such as polyester taffeta, they still occupy a certain market share and the demand performance is quite stable.
However, compared with the fierceness, the spandex market appears to be quite dull, and the price center has even experienced a weak adjustment recently. The author learned from well-known domestic spandex manufacturers that the current operating rate of spandex is mostly around 70-80%. Generally speaking, it is not too high and the market supply does not fluctuate greatly. However, market demand has declined and shipments have decreased. According to the situation, the overall production and sales pace of the spandex market is slow, showing a situation of weak demand, and prices may loosen in the later period.
In the past two years, elastic fabric has become popular in almost the entire fabric market, and can be seen in women’s clothing, men’s clothing, and children’s clothing! But why has the market for spandex as a raw material plummeted? Is there even such a situation of polarization?
Find out the reason! In the final analysis, it is still driven by the diversification of elastic raw materials!
Differentiated products have always been the direction pursued by the market, and more and more differentiated fibers are “debuting” in the elastic raw material market! Special elastic fibers such as SPH, T400, CEY, SSY, etc. have received more and more recognition and development in the weaving market in recent years, and are also favored by downstream purchasers.
One of the biggest flaws of spandex products is color fastness. The color fastness of polyester elastic fiber is generally better than that of spandex, and its advantages are obvious.
For example, if spandex is added to conventional elastic fabrics for weaving production, after dyeing and other post-processing, especially for dark-colored fabric products, the color fastness can basically only be maintained at around 2.5-3 levels; but if such fabrics need to be exported or To meet the national standard testing, the general color fastness must be level 3 or above. Under this requirement, some weaving manufacturers will choose high elastic yarns such as T400 and SPH for weaving production to meet customer needs.
The most important thing about stretch fabrics is naturally its elasticity. A major disadvantage of spandex products is that their elasticity lacks durability and is prone to aging. However, these special elastic fibers generally have longer elasticity and longer lasting elasticity, and the elasticity they produce is also different, meeting the needs of various fabrics and increasing the choice space.
For example, SPH fiber is a new type of elastic fiber that has appeared on the market in recent years. Since some women’s clothing fabrics and shirt fabrics on the market do not require high elasticity, SPH is made by side-by-side composite spinning of two polyester compounds with different thermodynamic properties, PTT and PET, and then undergoes relaxation heat treatment to form a similar shape. The fine and dense three-dimensional structure of wool’s crimped fibers has a tensile resilience close to that of spandex, and its elasticity durability is better than that of spandex. Compared with ordinary polyester fabrics, SPH fabrics are soft, fluffy and elastic, easy to deform when stretched, and have good stretch recovery properties after stretching and deformation. Among the simulated silk products that have been hotly sold recently are products produced by SPH fiber.
In addition, for example, if some high-end brands have high elasticity requirements, T400 is the first choice. T400 is a new type of elastic composite fiber that does not contain spandex but has good elasticity. It solves many problems such as spandex being difficult to dye, excess elasticity, complex weaving, unstable fabric dimensions, and aging of spandex during use. Although the price may be slightly higher, T400 is fully capable when all aspects such as elasticity and color fastness are taken into consideration. T400 products are generally used in trousers, sportswear and other clothing fields. Especially fashionable jeans made of Lycra Cool T400 fiber last longer and maintain their shape than jeans made of ordinary fabrics. They always fit the elegant figure and show a soft body.
In addition, spandex also has shortcomings such as difficulty in the weaving and production process, and the product is prone to defects. The exposure of a series of problems has caused the spandex market to gradually be occupied by special fibers. Differentiated fibers are still a major trend in the development of raw materials in the future.
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