‘VSF will come into its own in near future’

Mr Ajay Sardana

Mr Ajay Sardana, Asst VP (Global Customers & Market Intelligence) at Grasim, is of the firm opinion that viscose staple fibre (VSF) will come in to its own in the near future and find a place in the consumer mind, subject to proper brand creation just like it was done for cotton by US.

Elaborating on the same, he said, “The consumption of VSF is rising globally, specially in developed countries. However the consumer in India is not aware that he may be using a product containing VSF, which needs to be worked upon. The need of the hour is to introduce compulsory garment labeling.

“Once labeling on clothing is made mandatory, consumers will know the composition of the clothing they are wearing. In present times, consumers attribute the softness of fabrics using VSF to cotton, a misnomer which needs to be removed”.

Speaking about the plans for branding VSF made clothing, he informed, “We have started co-branding with textile mills Arvind Ltd and SKumars. School uniforms which are washed atleast 300 times a year loose colour due to repeated washing. Fabric made from blended VSF dyed yarn retains its colour even after multiple washes.

“Secondly, for promotion of viscose fabrics we invite budding fashion designers to our Textiles Research & Development Centre (TRADC) in Kharach – Gujarat. We provide internship and training to textile engineering students and to those from fashion institutes. We are also hosting a fashion show in Jakarta in order to promote VSF made clothing”.

Regarding fabric related innovations in the VSF industry, he revealed, “There have been fabric dyeing and processing improvements in the recent past. The Gujarat Commando Force has preferred fabric made from ‘Excel’ blended for its superior fabric attributes”.

According to Mr Sardana, properties of Modal and Excel, which are second and third generation cellulosic fibres are further improved. Moisture absorption in Modal and Excel is higher than cotton, making it more suitable by themselves or in blends with synthetic for apparel wear on account of comfort factor.

Throwing light on the applications of VSF he said, “VSF based yarns have large number of applications ranging from nonwovens to knits, apparels, gum tapes, sewing threads, carpets, upholstery and so on. Viscose is the preferred fibre for nonwoven fabrics in hygienic and moisture absorbent applications such as baby wipes and skin care wipes”.

Mr Sardana is of the opinion that use of pigments at VSF production stage, eliminates the need for subsequent dyeing of grey fabric, while providing high colour fastness and perfect shade uniformity”.

International Conference on “Manmade Fibre Textiles” in Ahmedabad