India, one of the largest producers of cotton, is known for cotton-based apparels as its availability is a good strength for India. But now since the textile industry is facing volatile cotton prices, it has a negative impact on both – the textile value chain and the end consumers. However, the good thing is that with constant research and development, the industry is now coming up with suitable alternative options.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) has introduced R|Elan™ Cotluk fabric, which is one of them. RIL, an Indian multinational conglomerate, is the largest integrated producer of polyester fibre and yarn in the world with a capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per annum. The Group has a strong presence from raw material to retail across the textile supply chain. Besides R|Elan™ Cotluk, a fabric that is smarter than cotton, R|Elan™ offers much more to the textile and apparel industry and adds value to end-users also.
The vision of the brand R|Elan™ is to provide consumers with next-generation fabrics that are in line with the latest fashion trends while also fulfilling their lifestyle needs. In last five years, R|Elan™ has received a lot of appreciation from the industry.
R|Elan™ Cotluk fabric is now available in staple fibre and filament yarn form, exhibiting cotton-like look and feel along with an ever-lasting matte appearance. It is a smarter option as consumers today are looking for garments that offer value propositions, enabling them to achieve their style goals at an economical price. With volatility in cotton availability, it is extremely important to have a superior alternative with cotton-like attributes.
R|Elan™ Cotluk is an apt alternative as it is a perfect material for making high-quality knits and woven apparel across categories like casual knits, denims, formalwear, etc. It also has superior features like excellent strength, durability and easy care.
Empowering the Green Fashion revolution
Across the globe, sustainability is a major concern and keeping in mind the ever-increasing demand from consumers for sustainable products, R|Elan™ Cotluk is made from 100 per cent recycled post-consumer used PET bottles which is known as R|Elan™ GreenGoldCotluk and has a traceable manufacturing process.
Apart from apparel, this is also available for the home textile category under the brand name Recron® Cotluk that can be used across varied applications like bed sheets, cushion covers, curtains and towels, etc.
R|Elan™ – Fabric 2.0 has a portfolio of specially engineered fabric innovations offering a spectrum of benefits from sustainability to high performance and wellness. These smart fabrics have been created from specially engineered fibres and yarns using cutting-edge technological expertise, state-of-the-art R&D and robust testing systems at RIL. They provide solutions to emerging consumer needs and are highly sought after by established brands, retailers and apparel manufacturers.
R|Elan™ fabric provides brands with unique product capabilities that power different apparel fashion segments like denim, casualwear, athleisure, sportswear, formalwear, innerwear, etc.
They help apparel brands create special sustainable collections, thereby enabling the ‘green fashion’ movement across the industry. R|Elan™ has also infused new-age functionality in its innovative fabric range to meet the growing demand for high-performance apparel.
Adding value
Some of the examples of the R|Elan™ ‘next generation of fabrics’ are:
- R|Elan™ GreenGold fabric which is made by recycling 100 per cent used PET bottles
- R|Elan™ EcoGold with CiCLO® – a new fabric technology that has unique chemistry enabling activation of biomimetic biodegradation process. This fabric is designed to reduce the persistence of textile waste in landfills and other related conditions
- R|Elan™ Kooltexfabric with rapid moisture management functionality keeps the garment cool and dry. The Kooltex technology is specially engineered to encourage physical activities and enhance performance
- R|Elan™ AirTherm fabric with thermal insulation functionality enables the garment to keep the wearer warm and comfortable in cool climates.
- R|Elan™ AllClima fabric has inherent dual functionality that enables all-year comfort under the ‘Hi-Performance’ section
- R|Elan™ FeelFresh is an antimicrobial fabric under ‘Wellness’ section that reduces bacterial growth and inhibits bad odour
Hub Excellence Partnership (HEP)
Through a comprehensive Hub Excellence Partnership (HEP) programme across global textile hubs, Reliance has been able to establish a strong network of high-quality value chain partners to create relevant fabrics, including eco-sensitive R|Elan™ GreenGold fabric that can be showcased to brands and retailers. Reliance has created robust fibre to fabric value chains to ensure that these innovations match the commercial expectation of fashion brands. It has partnered with more than 20 handpicked mills across India which have state-of-the-art infrastructure to produce new wage R|Elan™ fabrics.
Collaboration with top designers
To serve the fashion world with attractive and most comfortable collections, prestigious designer Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap and R|Elan™ have collaborated. R|Elan™ X Satya Paul collection was showcased at the recently held Lakme Fashion Week and it was a note of hope for the fashion of the future.
Saving marine life
R|Elanᵀᴹ supports more style with less water consumption, less waste and less energy. It also goes beyond for sustainability like R|Elan™ GreenGoldEcocean, a fabric made by recycling 100 per cent used PET bottles collected from within 50 kilometres of the ocean coastline. This initiative is keeping water bodies clean and saving marine life.
