Fine Cotton Factory Solves Apparel Industry Fabric Shrinkage Challenge With Its New 333 Jersey

Published
09/09/2023 by

Fine Cotton Factory, a leading textiles manufacturer specializing in high-tech, high-fashion textiles and certified knits for the North American market, is offering a solution to one of the greatest challenges in the apparel industry: fabric shrinkage. The company is introducing its proprietary 333 Jersey, which can significantly reduce the number of returns apparel retailers encounter due to garments that shrink after washing.

In creating 333, the company innovated new machinery that is capable of knitting jerseys that shrink three-width by three-length, by three percent torque, without washing – hence the name 333. The company's exclusive machinery ensures that the twisting force that gives the yarn or thread its strength (torque) is wound together in a compact fashion to ensure the garment shrinks no more than three percent.

Historically, apparel manufacturers that have attempted to tackle the shrinkage issue have resorted to purchasing fabrics, designing and manufacturing garments, and then washing all of the garments before they are sold at retail. "We're talking about millions of garments a week that had to be washed prior to sale, which wasted an incredible amount of water and energy," said Skip Kann, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Fine Cotton Factory.

Installing a state-of-the-art dyeing and finishings facility in 2018, Fine Cotton became the only company in North America to wash and tumble-dry upwards of 1,000 fabric rolls a day. The pre-washed rolls of fabric are crafted to shrink an unnoticeable two percent after a consumer washes a garment made from them, which vastly reduces the number of in-store or online returns for retailers.

"Our new 333 Jersey is another important innovation because it requires no pre-washing at all, so there's no waste of energy resources in its production. And that is important messaging for apparel brands that seek to be more eco-friendly today," Kann said.

Headquartered in Toronto, Fine Cotton Factory serves leading apparel brands and manufacturers in Canada and the U.S. The company introduces major fashion collections twice each year, and all are displayed for buyers inside its 5,000-foot-showroom incorporating a sample room, design studio and future lab adjacent to the factory. For more information, visit www.finecottonfactory.com.