Brazilian denim expert develops fast-acting Antiviral & Antibacterial fabric technology

 

Brazil’s leading denim specilist VICUNHA has developed functional  fabrics  with  antimicrobial, antiviral and repellent properties,  and are capable of destroying the Coronavirus with 99.9% efficiency in just one minute of contact. 

All will be revealed at the KingPins24 Amsterdam online trade show from 27 to 30 October 2020 when the Brazilian company will introduce their new V. Tech Protective fabric range.

Their new development of antiviral & antibacterial fabrics is said to be  capable of mechanically destroying the wall of enveloped viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19, with the help of Swiss company HeiQ Viroblock by CHT, combining the innovation of two technologies - the antimicrobial activity of silver salts and the technology of fat vesicles.

The V. Tech  Protective  collection has achieved effectiveness in inactivating viruses belonging to the Coronavirus group, according to tests carried out in the UNICAMP´s Virology laboratory, showing the imprresive result of inactivating 99.9% of the viruses in just one minute of contact.

The technology was conducted together  with  the  Peter Doherty  Institute  of  Infection  and  Immunity  in  Melbourne,  Australia  (Doherty  Institute), and tests were conducted by Prof. Dra. Clarice Weis Arns, at  Virology Laboratory, that is part Biology Institute in State University of Campinas-UNICAMP. Each fabric from Vicunha´s line were individually tested according to ISO 18148/2019 standard.

According to Vicunha in a statement, the company has been at the forefront of safeguarding  the  population's  health,  well-being  and  safety since the beginning of the pandemic in Brazil, including  the creation of a fabric bank to support projects aimed at the production of masks and medical items for hospitals, the donation of 27,000 PPE items to the health departments of Ceará and Rio Grande do Norte and the reopening of its Sewing Room in order to produce 36,000 masks for  employees,  their  families  and  communities.  

The  company  also  created  the  website "Together in the fight against coronavirus," an official channel for providing guidance, services, industry news and useful information about the pandemic for all audiences.    

Sunglasses made of 100% denim by VICUNHA X MOSEVIC

Across all segments and product groups of the fashion market, denim is proving more popular than ever. And now just as the weather is turning warmer, the latest must-have piece is not another pair of jeans (you may already own dozens of them) but a pair of ‘Solid Denim’ sunglasses.  How cool is that!

These sunglasses made of resin-infused layers of denim are the result of a partnership between  the Brazilian denim giant VICUNHA TEXTIL (whose customers include Hugo Boss, Diesel, Esprit, Salsa, as well as large retail giants like Marks&Spencer and C&A) and MOSEVIC, a young English company specialised in denim sunglasses.  

MOSEVIC was established in 2015 by two friends, product designers Jack Spencer and Alex

Boswell, in Cornwall, in west England.  The frames of the solid sunglasses are made at MOSEVIC’s own workshop.  

Depending on the model, there can be three to ten different layers of denim used.  These are bonded with resin and solidified before the glasses can be sanded into shape and polished by hand.  A single red layer in the bonded layers accentuates the frame with a hint of colour and highlights the edging. The co-branded stainless steel plate on the arm of the frame rounds off the design. 

And this upcycling project is all in the name of sustainability. Some of the models are even made using denim from recycled jeans and plans are being made to convert the production entirely to upcycling in the future.  The handmade products are made from 100% BCI (Better Cotton Initiative) cotton from the Brazilian factories which are industry leaders in their social responsibility and practice in environmental protection. 

“We became aware of these innovative denim sunglasses last year, right after MOSEVIC

launched. A fantastic idea, which we as a global company instantly wanted to support and

encourage. But this collaboration isn’t just about promoting a young, innovative business, but

also about the production of a cool, socially responsible product. You could say it’s like

recycling, but on the very highest level with the best ambitions, style and coolness, combined

with environmental protection and social responsibility,” is how Thomas Dislich, Managing

Director of VICUNHA TEXTIL for Europe and Asia, sums up the cooperation with MOSEVIC.  

The limited edition sunglasses by VICUNHA X MOSEVIC come in four frame styles for both mena and women, now available on the MOSEVIC website, on which there is also a video showing the process.