Why Vita Textile Has Been Using TENCEL™ for Over 2 Decades
China’s Vita Textile has been an early mover in multiple ways since its start in the 1990s. This pioneering approach includes being a longtime producer of TENCEL™ yarns.
Vita’s production covers spinning, weaving, knitting, dyeing, finishing and garment manufacturing. The company, which was recognized in 2018 as a National High-Tech Enterprise, has received at least 28 national patents for its technologies. This innovation extends to sustainability, including low-impact material choices and facility upgrades.
Imellda Ho, regional sales manager at Vita Textile, chatted with Carved in Blue about Vita’s history, specialties and its use of TENCEL™ materials.
Carved in Blue: Could you tell us a bit about Vita Textile?
Imellda: Vita Textile Group headquarters, Foshan Lisheng Textile, was set up in 1996 in Foshan City, Guangdong. It was one of the earliest slub yarn and earliest true knit denim manufacturers in China. We specialize in denim fabric manufacturing, including indigo to PFD [prepared for dyeing], from woven denim to true knit denim.
Carved in Blue: What differentiates Vita from other mills?
Imellda: As Vita was one of the earliest true knit denim manufacturers in China, true knit denim became one of our signature products. Moreover, our woven knit denim, which is also known as faux knit denim, is also fulfilling clients’ requirements of both the softness of knit and versatility of woven.
Carved in Blue: What first attracted Vita to TENCEL™ fibers?
Imellda: We started using TENCEL™ products in 1998 in order to achieve soft hand feel, shiny effect and environmentally friendly [characteristics] for us to apply on denim. It made our products an advantage that [were] a superior denim at that time.
Carved in Blue: In what ways are you incorporating TENCEL™ into your denim collections? Which types of TENCEL™ materials are you using?
Imellda: We are using TENCEL™ Lyocell, Modal, and TENCEL™ Lyocell with REFIBRA™ Technology, as well as ECOVERO™ on woven denim and true knit denim. Every new product from Lenzing we are [welcoming]. Our recent developments included TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color Technology that you will see in our coming collection.
Carved in Blue: What is the benefit of TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology on knit denim applications?
Imellda: It is a kind of indigo fiber that is helping us to solve the uneven indigo yarn dyeing on knit denim, which has constrained us all the time to achieve better hand feel. The reason is dyeing on yarn with indigo may easily create the barre issue due to uneven dyeing, which affects the aesthetic on knit fabric surface. We did not have a kind of yarn satisfying both on color dyeing at the same time with soft hand feel before TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology appeared.
Carved in Blue: How is Vita investing in sustainability?
Imellda: We invested sustainability in our site facilities such as a solar energy system, wastewater recycling system and steam recycling circulation system in our Foshan headquarters. Meanwhile, we continue to expend our collection with sustainable raw materials such as TENCEL™, to provide a green denim knit solution for customers.
Carved in Blue: Would you share some of your latest innovations? What’s coming up in the future?
Imellda: We will keep exploring new materials in sustainable aspect as this will be keep going strong in future. For example, TENCEL™, ECOVERO™, REFIBRA™. Definitely TENCEL™ Modal with Indigo Color technology is the latest significant one to improve hand feel recently in both our knit and woven products.