Product Round-Up:
Fair Hemp, Paxar, and American Sheep Industry

This month’s product round-up features news from Fair Hemp, Paxar, and the American Sheep Industry. We’ve also included a correction to one of the items that appeared in last month’s column.

For many, summertime and baseball hats go hand and hand. Indeed, the sporty cap is a staple all over the country. Now comes word that Fair Hemp, which bills itself as a “company committed to manufacturing processes that respect the earth’s resources and utilizes renewable resources without creating unnecessary waste,” has produced the classic hats using new materials and an eco-conscious approach to manufacturing.

Organic apparel manufacturer Fair Hemp has introduced a new line of casual hats made with hemp and organic cotton that offers a green alternative for companies. Fair Hemp is one of the first apparel makers to offer an ecologically conscious choice in headwear at competitive market prices.

The company has recently rolled out three new hat styles made with hemp and organic cotton: a

Structured Ball Cap (Style 6000), Low Pro EcoWashed Ball Cap (Style 6020) and a

Children's Ball Cap (Style 6020YV). This trio of stylish and socially responsible accessories is the latest addition to Fair Hemp’s existing line of organic cotton and hemp casual wear. The new hats are available in brilliant hues achieved using eco-friendly reactive dyes. Embroidery can be completed through one of Fair Hemp’s partners in the US or with any local embroidery shop and custom hats are also available for volume orders.

The foundation element of all of Fair Hemp’s headwear offerings, the hemp plant, is a naturally organic crop that thrives in almost any climate without the use of pesticides. Hemp is hypoallergenic, four times more durable than cotton and contains anti-bacterial properties, making it a perfect building block for the form and function of the new line of structured hats. Each hat plays up hemp's natural strength, possesses a surprisingly soft feel and offers healthy UV protection with the highest SPF rating available in headwear. Because of laws prohibiting hemp growth in the United States, however, the hats are produced overseas.

For more info rmation on Fair Hemp products (including photos), please visit www.fairhemp.com , or phone (646) 485-0939.

The Paxar Corporation, a White Plains, NY company that provides merchandising systems including bar code, RFID and identification technologies for leading apparel manufacturers and the retail supply chain, has developed an industrial-strength heat transfer to withstand harsh wash and abrasion processes such as those used in denim and work wear applications. The Paxar VR Industrial Heat Transfer withstands dry cleaning and home laundering up to 200ºF.

The industrial heat transfers, available with single or multi-color printing, provide wash resistance to industrial wash processes, such as enzyme and stone washing. The technology is ideal for industrial work wear, denim, bags and accessories.

For all heat transfer customers, Paxar offers design, testing, consulting and manufacturing services. The Paxar team can design the heat transfer label, produce and test samples to determine the best application process for a particular fabric or garment then produce the transfer labels to be shipped to any location in the world.

The industrial heat transfers use a clear 100-percent polyester carrier for simple and accurate positioning during application. A roll format is available for improved speed and efficiency with roll-to-roll application. All Paxar transfers have Oeko-Tex Class 1 accreditation.

For more info rmation on Paxar, visit www.paxar.com , or phone (914) 697-6800

The American Sheep Industry Association and the United States Army have teamed up to finance an enhanced wool fabric for use in military uniforms.

The organizations co-funded the development of a fabric called EPIC by Nextec® Wool.

Made in the United States from U.S. wool for the military, the fabric contains silicone that is placed within the fabric. The fabric therefore feels and looks like wool on both the back and front, but also repels wind and liquids.

The army is now testing the new fabric. If it passes tests, panels of the new wool fabric could be sewn into strategic areas such as the lower legs of combat uniforms. The fabric could also be used in other parts of the uniform that are likely to get wet.

Nextec Applications, Inc. is a 10-year-old research and development company that has pioneered a process for creating performance fabrics. By using precise polymer placement and special chemistries, Nextec places barrier protection inside a fabric, encapsulating fibers within the fabric. The process is protected by more than 52 patents issued or pending in the United States and internationally.

EPIC by Nextec fabric is water resistant, windproof, breathable and washable. It was originally developed for skiwear, tents and footwear

Several characteristics have made wool a natural choice for product development. Wool has a lower noise level than a 100 percent synthetic fabric, making it desirable for use in military applications. Wool, too, offers comfort. Although the air spaces around the wool fabric would be filled with the polymer, body moisture could still leave through the wool fibers. Finally, the fabric is a good insulating material, as well as strong and durable.

EPIC wool wouldn't likely be as warm as some traditional wool garments, because the airspaces found in wool provide insulation. An encapsulated wool fabric would offer less insulation than a regular wool fabric, but the total insulation is dependent on the overall thickness of the fabric - so a thicker product would be more insulating.

The combat uniforms could include several layers of fabric, with the EPIC wool panels on the outer surface.

To find out more, information, visit www.sheepusa.org or www.nextec.com

Correction: Last month’s article on CornerStone work shirts erroneously stated that the shirts had removable collar stays when in fact the collar stays are permanent. UniformMarket regrets the error.