Fashion – Enter Wales: Novelle Yarn Project – A Major Breakthrough #15

As Fashion-Enter Ltd (FEL) heads into the last week of their SMARTCymru novel yarn programme the team achieved a major breakthrough in the creation of an innovative mixed fibre that utilises waste.

The team (FEL) met with Dr Muhammad Tausif, Deputy Head of School: Academic and Enterprise, Professor in Sustainable Textile Manufacturing at his lab at Leeds University. Tausif’s areas of expertise is in micro plastic textile pollution; yarn manufacturing; fibre spinning; structure-property modelling of fibrous assemblies; sustainable textile manufacturing and textile composites. 

On 17th June 2022 the team saw the successful combination of SNR (Synthetic Nylon Rummage, from discarded clothing) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate, from clear plastic bottles) to create a green yarn that stretches and pings, a fantastic result as this is a sign of good fibre strength. Now we are combining this green yarn with virgin Welsh wool, the aim is to create a yarn that will be at least 50% virgin Welsh wool combined with the recycled green fibre that we have already developed.

The team has reached an exciting stage in the development of this novelle yarn as it creates a fibre that utilises recycled clothing, recycled plastic with natural, biodegradable wool which has numerous beneficial properties. Environmental issues aside these early samples reveal excellent strength qualities for manufacturing woven fabrics for fashion apparel.

The Fashion-Enter Wales Novelle Yarn project is in collaboration with SMARTCymru and Potter Group. 

To read about the project development to date tap here.