High Point - Culp Inc has launched a new line of circular knitted fabrics which, as well as boasting environmentally friendly credentials, also offer cooling technology for the mattress ticking sector.
The ChillSense fabric is knitted using Repreve fibres from Unifi, Culp's longstanding supplier of sustainable raw materials. Repreve is made from recycled plastic bottles with U TRUST verification to certify recycled content claims.
According to Unifi, fabrics made with Unifi's ChillSense fibres transfer heat from the body to the fabric more quickly, creating a cool blend. The new Culp fabrics are a blend of 70 per cent ChillSense and 30 per cent Repreve.
Understanding the consumer demand for cooling technology in fabrics, Unifi, Inc. created the ChillSense fibre, which has an instantaneous sensation of coolness to the touch. Brian Moore, vice-president of global brand sales for Unifi, Inc. explained: “Fabrics made with ChillSense fibres have a high thermal effusivity - the rate at which a material can absorb heat. Fabrics with high effusivity represent the ability of a textile to exchange thermal energy with the skin.”
Jeff Veach, vice-president of sales and marketing for Culp Home Fashions added: “The cooling technology is inherent within the yarn, not requiring the addition of chemicals. ChillSense powered by Repreve combines performance and sustainability elements in one fabric and represents an affordable offering for our customers and consumers to make a sustainability-based buying decision. Since 2019, Culp has helped divert over 63 million plastic bottles from going into waste streams by incorporating Repreve recycled fibre into its mattress fabrics and upholstery fabrics products, including the ChillSense powered by Repreve line. We are excited to offer two great technologies in one.”
A further feature of the partnership between Culp and Unifi is their combined global capacity to navigate the current supply chain issues. Commenting on this, Veach noted: “Culp has the redundancy to produce and scale this new fabric line. The raw material can be made locally in Reidsville and it can also be made overseas, in concert with Culp’s expansive fabric formation capabilities.”
