Technical fabrics add value to fashion
By a happy coincidence, in 2014, when in the face of stiff market competition HerMin was looking to create its own brand in order to move away from doing purely OEM work, Umorfil yarn came along at just the right time to help pave the way to a successful transition.
Tony Chen, manager of the clothing brand “Weavism” and part of the third generation at HerMin, defines his brand as a mid-priced, well-designed brand with functionality and travel as its themes. Besides using HerMin’s own production lines, the brand also makes deft use of Tainan’s textile industry cluster by working with other firms. Of course, Umorfil is one of these.
About one-fifth of the clothes made by Weavism use fabrics that include Umorfil. Tony Chen sees lightweight scarves as the product through which people can best experience collagen peptide yarn. Besides having no size limitations, when used in the summer, one can feel the cool sensation that the material brings. Especially when one considers that many women neglect to take care of their necks, since collagen peptide has a moisture-preserving effect, the scarves perform well whether one is outdoors in the hot sun or indoors in dry air-conditioned spaces.
Weavism’s T-shirts, printed with images of black-faced spoonbills or milkfish (both representing Qigu), as well as their loose-fitting sports shirts, best demonstrate the deodorizing effect of Umorfil. Chen says, “A lot of sportswear is made from polyester, but while polyester fibers don’t absorb water, they do absorb oils, and if garments are worn for a long time then body oils will penetrate the fibers and give off a bad odor. Cotton doesn’t have this problem, but it easily develops a ‘stink’ created by moisture.” He compares his own company’s clothing: “Our clothes have the handfeel of natural fibers, yet they will not develop an odor even if worn for a long time.”
Although Umorfil has received great reviews from all sides, James Hou modestly says that the reason it has been able to make such a splash on the market is in large measure a matter of fortuitous timing. In the end, in an era of intense competition in a globalized marketplace, functional fibers’ high value-added can create more commercial opportunities for brands.
Even though sales of Umorfil have spread around the world, Hou, who is deeply rooted in the textile industry, insists that the knowhow must be kept in Taiwan, so that this traditional industry that once led the way in Taiwan’s economic take-off can maintain the competitiveness brought by innovative value. He says with determination; “The US has American cotton, Austria has Tencel, but for Taiwan, it’s Umorfil!”
The textile industry is labor intensive, so firms that plan to remain in Taiwan are all striving to develop exclusive technologies.
Umorfil makes imaginative use of a material abundantly produced in Tainan, and is thus a fine example of innovation in farming.
Umorfil has been a hit on the international stage, and is prized by numerous leading brands. (courtesy of Umorfil)
Umorfil has been a hit on the international stage, and is prized by numerous leading brands. (courtesy of Umorfil)
High-tech fibers, combined with outstanding fabric manufacturing technology, demonstrate the capabilities of Taiwan’s textile industry.