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Going for a FinishFollowing on from last week's topic - the right amount of information to offer to the consumer, coincidentally I was invited to a press conference this week in London where Invista, the licensed marketer of DuPont Teflon fabric protector, launched a new consumer ad campaign to bring Teflon to the fore in the consumer market and to explain to the purchaser the benefits of the finish and to announce new developments. Teflon in action with Klopman's Hydrofoil fabric The message to the consumer is Outsmart Stains. The message to the trade is that Teflon fabric protector increases business. Manufacturers and producers are targeted by a series of ads in the trade press, starting this month, signposting a consumer campaign which will run next year in the popular consumer press. Hangtags and commercial programmes will underpin the message. Data which suggests that 97 per cent of stains can be outsmarted by Teflon is at the heart of the message . Hang tags are being used to present this information to shoppers, together with selected data which will explain how the finish works to prevent stains.  Teflon man Teflon, according to independent surveys by NOP World, has a very high brand recognition, (56 per cent consumer awareness in Europe, with 80 -per cent of women in Europe saying they would pay a price premium of 5 percent for the fabric protector) This is music to the ears of any manufacturer, and Teflon is the focus of much development, with variations on the original formulation becoming ever more sophisticated to ensure that the brand keeps its premium position and quality image. Association with designer brands and the better end of the high street is intended to position Teflon advantageously. Ads are atmospheric and feature Smart as the operative word.  Teflon woman Two new products have been announced for the brand. Cool and Dry Teflon fabric protector combines stain protection with moisture management . Nanotechnology enables with a flurochemical draws detergent into the fibre and releases dirt in the wash. The innovation here is that the soil is held in the wash liquid, so that dirt if not redeposit don the fabric. The second new invention, High Performance Repel Teflon, plays on its durability; after 30 washes it still performs well and retains some stain repellent capacity even after 50 washes. Teflon is already successfully introduced in fabrics for workwear. Klopman recently unveiled HYDROFOIL, which is specifically designed to provide garments with a level of protection which preserves the appearance of the fabric. Hydrofoil utilises DuPont's Teflon® HT fabric protector to take advantage of the recent developments in nanotechnology, to provide a finish that resists soiling and offers superior repellency to water and oil-based fluids. Targeted for both the industrial and service sectors, Hydrofoil is suitable for a wide range of garments for indoor and outdoor applications. It is marketed as being particularly useful for situations where personnel risk contact with grease, oil and other fluids, as well as for a wide range of general service and maintenance requirements. The fabrics are accredited to EN 13034 for protection against limited chemical splash, and designed to help ensure that garments stay clean for longer and continue to protect the wearer. Hydrofoil is available as a standard finish on several EN-accredited protectivewear fabric and if required, it can also be applied to most other fabrics in Klopman’s image workwear and protectivewear ranges Comment With a portfolio of effective and powerful brands, Invista is concentrating on its best recognised consumer products and running with them. Teflon is the latest area of interest, and the trick is to keep the quality image, and even designer appeal, of the product and at the same time sell enough for the high street and other outlets to follow suit without devaluing the product, much as was done with Lycra. In the meantime quality brands in the corporate and workwear fabric field, such as Klopman show the science behind the image actually works, with Teflon in action. If you have a new fabric, yarn or fibre development or trend information you would like us to know about and perhaps feature, please contact Janet Prescott via janet@director-e.com or by phone on 00 44 (0)1943 603509. Fashion and fabrics editor: Janet Prescott Close Window
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