Pailung’s High Pile Fabric Makes For Extra

Recyclable and low cost, Pailung's latest fabric technology uses knitting instead bonding techniques to produce adhesive-free high pile fabric for clothing, upholstery and industrial end-uses.

TW Special Report

Taiwan-based Pailung's latest high pile fabric collection, the "Cozy Collection," includes high-density pile, two-sided high-pile and three-layer high pile. These fabrics are ideal for outdoor garments, winter wear, and coats and gloves.

The knitted high pile fabrics feature a high-density structure and double-sided application, with different colors and fiber lengths. They’re environmentally friendly, lightweight, warm, windproof, and offer the wearer a full range of movement.

Ethical, vegan winter wear has relied heavily on adhesives. Ironically, garments that are labeled as ethical or vegan may not actually be recyclable, and they could finish up in a landfill, incinerator, or ocean.

Thanks to new advances in knitting machinery, Pailung has developed a plush alternative to adhesive technologies that is both ethical and sustainable. Pile fabrics can be manufactured economically, without sacrificing the premium quality that world-class fashion and apparel brands expect.

High pile fabrics usually are bonded using an adhesive to seal the layers together. But this method creates a recycling problem. In order to recycle a high pile fabric, the layers first need to be separated from one another, and adhesives make separation difficult.

Pailung presents a solution whereby the layers are knitted together, eliminating adhesives from the production process. Specific combinations of yarn can be selected for recyclability, and recycled yarns can also be utilized. Provided that each layer is itself recyclable, the entire high pile fabric made using Pailung's technology can be recycled.

Another added benefit is durability. Because Pailung's high pile fabric is knit, not bonded, the resulting fabric is incredibly durable. With repeated washing cycles, adhesives may deteriorate, but knitted fabrics retain their strength. The surface maintains a high level of anti-pilling, while the bottom layer resists snagging and shedding.

The process of knitting Pailung's three-layer high pile fabric is much less labor-intensive than traditional processes, which require at least one lamination step followed by two further knitting steps. Instead, Pailung's high pile fabric requires just the knit-ting steps. Not only does it save manpower, it also saves time and reduces power consumption.At the same time, the process does not limit flexibility in terms of design or manufacturing. The length of fibers on both sides of the fabric can be directly controlled on the knitting machine, creating many possibilities for designers. Furthermore, when printing patterns on one side, the patterns will not bleed through to the other side. In turn, controlling fiber length also minimizes the subsequent shearing process for manufacturers.

Pailung's high pile can achieve a similar density to sliver knit fabrics. Similarly, with Pailung's high pile fabric technology, sliver knit fabrics are produced using circular knitting machines. The main difference between the fabrics comes from the production process.In sliver knitting, the face fibers that imitate fur are attached to the fabric by means of a knitting sliver and base yarn. Sliver knit fabrics have longer and denser piles on the fabric surface than most pile jerseys, but the sliver knit fibers are difficult to collect, and the final fabric is usually heavier than Pailung's high pile.

Editor's Note: Pailung will debut its Cozy Collection of high pile fabrics at ITMA 2023 in Milan.

May/June 2023