Mr. Avinash Mayekar
Suvin Expo LLP
From addressing the basic necessity of cover and safety from daily weather conditions to today being the ultimate gear for protection, textiles have evolved beyond imagination. High-functional textiles are developing and adding years to our lives today. Protective textiles from being identified as gears for the defence system to extending for safety workwear to today incorporated into fashionable protective gears at high altitudes for sports enthusiasts and adventure enthusiasts like riders, hikers, and mountaineers.
Major Segments for the growth of Protective Textiles in India:
Workwear: India is a hub for manufacturing, with production facilities set up across different segments from automobiles, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, mining, etc, the need for workwear will always be ever- growing. However, workwear in India over the years has been avoided by many mid to small- scale industries on two grounds one being the price issue and the second being the uncomfortable feel that the workers felt with these gears. The uncontrollable sweating, itchiness and the heavy weight suits all were the major reasons why the workers despite being allotted workwear would find a way to avoid using it. They would substitute it with just mere protection gear like gloves and safety goggles. But today the suits have evolved to a great extent. There are new materials introduced that are not only lightweight but breathable at the same time. These enhanced developments and awareness of
safety measures for the good of workers combined with the mandatory regulations by various certifying bodies will act as major reasons for the growth of protective textiles in India. Boiler suit, fire retardant uniforms are some of the areas which have seen huge growth in India.
Defence: Gone are the days when the workwear of our soldiers were mere camouflage garments today they are high-definition functional textiles with the highest standard of quality. With India’s envisioning and focusing on local procurement the demand for the high functional defence wear will be on the rise. Today there is close development between the defence team and industry partners to develop fully operational uniforms and other functional products like bulletproof jackets, parachutes, armor, camouflage covers, tents, etc. India has one of the world’s largest military forces with a strength of over 1.44 million active personnel (source: Wikipedia) similarly the demand for functional uniforms and other defence textile products will be on the rise. As per Ministry of Textiles estimate, the Indian market for high altitude garments is expected to reach Rs. 1,273 crore by FY 2024-25.
Safety: Reflective surfaces are a very small part of functional textiles yet this feature is most needed to be incorporated in work suits, especially for industries in rural areas. Since these units are far away from villages, most of the workers tend to walk back late at night to their homes with limited to very little light on the streets making them victims of road accidents. The workwear with this feature can be useful since they can wear the same clothes on their return home and can be easily spotted by vehicles at night and avoid the danger of accidents even when they are not working.
Nowadays reflective gears have also entered the fashion market which can be penetrated into fashion further so that athletes, cyclists and bikers be protected in low-light areas. A small market but with huge potential and a minimal investment range.
High Altitude clothing / Adventure gears: The use of high-altitude clothing was mainly done by the defence system for survival in extreme conditions. But the rising sports adventure and trekking enthusiasm have introduced these products to the common masses. The market is growing every day with people from all age groups entering this market. The demand for functionality and fashion icons is the major driver for this market. The youth of today are most attracted to the fashion angle for these products. New brands are marking their territory in this market with USP of high fashion.
A few years back the mere imagination of protective textiles would mean a vague bulky look and heavy weight unmanageable clothes. But today protective wear has gone beyond our conventional protection, it has the highest safety standard, but lightweight with a fashion statement. It is a combination of various synthetic blends that varies as per functional needs, it can be a collaboration of all physical properties, and even nowadays beauty of chemical technology is that all of the properties like heat resistance, chemical resistance, warm feel, ballistic protection, radiation resistant, reflectors, etc can be imparted to give more meaning to single clothing and enhance its safety. The different materials like carbon fiber introduced are game changers for these technologies.
Some of the groundbreaking innovations are:
- Redefining performance in harsh conditions: Grangers Down Defend – introduced by Equip Outdoor Technologies in partnership with Grangers. It is an at-source treatment made to clean and enhance the hydrophobic properties of down, maximizing warmth, comfort, protection and longevity. It exceeds 2,000 shake test minutes for recycled down and 15,000 shake test minutes for virgin down and maintains its insulation performance through up to 40 washes. It is also bluesign-approved and PFAS-free.
- Nanofibre – next-generation uniform prototype: Researchers at CSIRO have successfully developed this prototype employing nanofibres to safeguard Australian troops from chemical and biological threats. This is also a lightweight fabric that effectively filters out harmful particles while remaining lightweight and breathable, keeping the wearer comfortable in extreme temperatures. These uniforms have the potential to be used by military and non-military personnel like emergency responders and hazmat crews. In rigorous testing, the prototype surpassed all performance targets for air filtration, air permeability, thermal comfort and chemical protection,” informed project lead -Dr Yen Truong. The initial phase of the project was funded by Australia’s Department of Defence and the successful nanofibre suit prototype was coordinated by Kew, Victoria- headquartered DMTC Limited.
- Thermal Insulator Finishes: It uses special nanodispersions in binders for producing heat-retaining effects leading to infrared radiation owing to its porosity. It also has a deodorant effect against basic gases like ammonia and trim ethyl amine. Heavy Industry workwear has these finishes. With these finishes, the number of textile clothing layers earlier introduced has gone down today.
- Heathcoat Fabric’s – Graphene-coated knits: Graphene is an extremely lightweight, very thin, and extremely strong carbon-based material with many unique properties such as electrical and heat conductivity, resistance to high temperatures, natural anti-bacterial properties and superior durability. It delivers advanced heat dissipation and an increased cooling rate of up to 60%.
- Lightweight & Thermal Stability for Fire Fighter Suits: TenCate Protective Fabrics partnered with PBI for the launch of the new PBI Peak5 outer shell for fire service apparel. The new outer shell is said to provide firefighters with a new level of durability and thermal protection while being extremely lightweight. The fabric integrates TenCate’s Enforce technology, which blends multiple fibers into high-strength yarn structures. It contains an extremely high percentage of PBI fibres providing higher levels
of thermal stability. PBI Peak5 outer shell fabric meets global safety standards, including certifications for EN, ISO, ASNZ, and NFPA.
Conclusion:
Protective wears have come a long way but the sky is limitless and the innovations are endless so the market will keep on introducing new better materials and finishes but the ultimate goal would always be to have full protection with no compromise and high-end comfort for the users. India is said to grow in protective clothing market with a 5.8% CAGR until 2033 (source: Future Market Insights).In some markets, the fashion with the perfect blend of comfort and protection will always be welcomed but the zero tolerance of safety will be the thumb rule for production in this segment.