1. medical
textiles
Medical textiles are one of the
most rapidly expanding sectors
in the technical textile market,
according to reports, and
hosiery products with medical
industry applications are
among a long list of textile
products being consumed in
that market.
by BRENT CHILDERS , Editor
A paper released last summer by the Institute of World Economy U.S. market.
and Textile Marketing, textile materials used in the medical and Companies manufacturing compression therapy hosiery at North
applied healthcare and hygiene sectors are an important and grow- Carolina facilities include Carolon, Elastic Therapy Inc., BSN-Jobst,
ing part of the textile industry. Therafirm and Medi.
According to “Technical Textiles and Industrial Nonwovens:World
Market Forecast to 2010” published by David Rigby Associates, it is
forecast that the world market for technical textiles and industrial
nonwovens will increase 3.8 percent per year from 2005 to 2010
with a volume value of $126 billion.
The study suggested the market for medical textiles is being driven
by a number of factors, including:
• Population growth rates, particularly among developing global
regions;
• Changes in demographics, including a cited statistic that in 2004
people age 60 or over represented 40 percent of the entire population;
• Changes in living standards;
• Attitude to health risks, particularly health worker risk to blood-
borne pathogens.
• Ongoing enhancement of product performance, driven by inno-
vation within materials industries.
Technical textiles will find many different kinds of application with These artificial arteries are being tested by Carolinas Medical Center at the N.C.
medical and hygiene products in the health care sector and those Center for Applied Textile Technology.
applications are diverse, the study concludes.
“The diversity of applications encountered in medical and The compression hosiery market has its own set of criteria for its
healthcare products is quite remarkable, e.g. simple bandages, success over the previous several years.
biocompatible implants and tissues, antibacterial wound treat- As the market for compression hosiery changed, so have the
ment material, prosthetics and intelligent textiles,” the study products themselves and that has changed the public’s attitude of the
concludes. “Each of these categories covers a broad range of stockings.While there used to be a negative stigma if you had to
applications, and the many end-uses with their disparate wear compression stockings – when medical-grade products were
requirements create opportunities for all kinds of textile such the customers’ only option – there now are more options.
as fibers, mono- and multifilament yarns, woven, braiding and Most manufacturers offer a variety of styles, colors and compres-
composite fabrics.” sions — and products specifically designed for men.
Compression therapy hosiery accounts for a significant portion of Manufacturers also offer preventive products, which means
North Carolina’s medical textiles segment and it appears poised to the compression is set below 20 millimeters of mercury pres-
take advantage of the predicted growth. sure. That makes the target audience almost limitless, exper ts
North Carolina hosiery manufacturers, according to industry exec- say, since practically anyone who sits or stands for the majority
utives, provide the majority of compression therapy hosiery to the of the day might benefit from wearing some form of compres-
16 LEGWEAR TRENDS AND FASHIONS / May 2005

2. sion hosiery. the majority of BSN-Jobst’s North Carolina Martin said the cotton makeup of
One source described Asheboro-based manufacturing operation. Century’s slippers are one aspect of his com-
Elastic Therapy Inc. as a leader in market- Recognized within the industry as the pany’s success as many hospital patients indi-
ing compression hosiery far beyond the leading producer of compression therapy cate they prefer the comfort afforded by the
medical setting. hosiery, the company also has a cut-and- cotton and purchasers find the product
Still, the market for medical-grade prod- sew operation in North Carolina that pro- more economical to products comprised of
ucts is large and includes patients with vascu- duces medical industry garments, including polyester and nylon.
lar or lymphatic disease, varicosis or throm- a line of garments that can be customized Martin said the company, which also
bosis; burn patients; maternity patients; to fit individual patients.The company at produces diabetic socks and currently
patients following sclerotherapy; and those one time also produced some seamless employs 70 people, is expecting contin-
who have had heart, organ transplant and medical apparel but that operation has ued growth this year.
cosmetic surgery. been shifted back to Germany where the Martin’s mention of the marketing asset
Larry Reid, president of Carolon, head- company had already been manufacturing of the material that goes in his products
quartered in Rural Hall, N.C, has been seamless garments. touches on another aspect of medical
involved in the design, manufacture and sales Greene said the variables involved in textiles and one of the drive components
of anti-embolism stockings, medical vascular the compression characteristics of its of its predicted growth.
hosiery, hot and cold therapy and compres- hosiery products also require specialized As yarn and fiber producers continue to
sion products for 20 years. training and that BSN-Jobst has utilized harness the innovation coming out of their
Reid said compression therapy is a special- the Hosiery Technology Center’s employ- testing facilities, it’s opening up new avenues
ty market and the stringent medical controls ee training programs. of opportunity for medical hosiery products
and regulations on the products make it In Ellerbee, N.C.,Therafirm – a Kansas- and a host of other markets as well.
even more specialized. based Knit-Rite company – employs 45 peo- Wellman, the largest domestic polyester sta-
“It’s not a commodity market’” Reid points ple at its facility.The facility produces com- ple producer, last year announced a joint ven-
out, stating the compression therapy market pression therapy hosiery. ture that resulted in Holofiber, promoted as
deals more in terms of “pairs not dozens.” Jimmy Ray, plant manager at the Ellerbee the world’s first body-responsive textile fiber.
Domestic manufacturers of compression facility, said agrees with projections that show It is said to work with the body to
hosiery aren’t under the same type pressures continued growth in the medical textiles build strength, increase energy and accel-
from imports as those competing in com- market. He says Therafirm is poised to take erate muscle recovery. After ten years in
modity markets. But Reid says the compres- advantage of that growth a leading provider development, its market launch last
sion therapy market presents its own chal- of compression hosiery. November was sounded as a significant
lenges as most hospitals today are operated While compression therapy hosiery is the step forward in clothing. Holofiber
by controlling groups. dominant player in North Carolina’s hosiery- Enterprises holds a 75-percent stake in
“If I want to sell to a hospital just down the related medical textiles, most of the major Holofiber manufacturer Hologenix, with
road I may have to go to Chicago,” he said. compression hosiery providers also produce Wellman owning the remainder.
And as the number of those controlling diabetic socks.Therafirm produces a line of It works by transforming ambient light
groups have grown smaller, he notes the busi- seamless diabetic socks using Shima Seiki energy into energy with a different wave-
ness obviously becomes more competitive. flatbed knitting machines. length that the body can use. Energy emitted
Dick Green, human resource manager of In addition, several sock manufacturers from the body is also transformed, and both
BSN-Jobst in Charlotte, N.C., said the also are poised to take advantage of the are then reabsorbed, improving circulation
Germany-based company employs 400 peo- growth in medical industry related markets. and oxygen levels.
ple in North Carolina in the production of Malcolm Martin, president of Century Bob Usher, director of research and devel-
compression hosiery, diabetic socks, medical Hosiery in Denton, N.C., said his primary line opment at Wellman, said he is excited about
industry garments and other medical textile of soled cotton slipper socks are sold to the possibilities of the new product, which
related products. both to hospital groups and also does pri- underwent physician supervised testing as
Compression therapy hosiery accounts for vate label business for distributors. CONT’D page 18
May 2005 / LEGWEAR TRENDS AND FASHIONS 17

3. medical textiles FROM page 17
well as a battery of other performance tests. facturers to get freshness into legwear.
“We’re really very excited about the product,” Usher said.“We He said the company is also working with microencapsulation
have a great deal of testimonial information suggesting it works and technology applications for its yarn and fiber for hosiery prod-
it works well.” ucts that release moisturizing agents.
Knit-Rite has an entire family of “silver” products constructed Dyna-Yarn, based in North Carolina, also supplies the medical
with X-STATIC® - The Silver Fiber™ from Noble Fiber hosiery trade.
Technologies. Products ranging from prosthetic socks and diabet- Daryl Garner, sales representatives for Dyna-Yarn, sees it as a
ic socks, to torso interfaces and knee sleeves, now offer silver’s integral facet of the overall industry.
antimicrobial and therapeutic characteristics. “The medical hosiery business is a vital part of the legwear
Yarn and fiber titan Invista this year introduced it COOL- community and an integral part of our business,” he said.
MAX® FreshFX, an antimicrobial silver ion application for As Dyna-Yarn and other yarn and fiber producers, as well as
across-the-board hosiery products, including medical hosiery. dyestuff and chemical suppliers, continue their quests for innova-
John Hague, an Invista’s hosiery marketing representative, said tive applications, the development of new end-uses for medical
Invista’s COOLMAX® FreshFX is a cost-effective way for manu- textiles appears likely to keep the market’s predictions on target.
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18 LEGWEAR TRENDS AND FASHIONS / May 2005