Foxa’s Foxshell product family has welcomed a new addition. Foxshell M Knit Eco has the same properties as other Foxshell fabrics, but it has a lovely and soft knitted surface. The other Foxshell fabrics have a woven fabric surface.
“The new Foxshell M Knit Eco was created to meet a customer’s needs after the customer enquired about whether we have such a fabric. Based on our customer’s description, we understood that they wanted something like Foxshell, but with a softer surface,” explains Heli Sukki, who is responsible for product development at Foxa.
The fabric is very suitable for use as workwear; especially if the wearer spends some of their workday indoors and some of it outdoors. Lorry drivers, for example, require warm and windproof clothing that isn’t too thick or stiff.
“The fabric is comfortable due to the soft knit. There is a windproof membrane between the layers of fabric, and the outermost layer is waterproof,” explains Heli Sukki.
Working with customers on product development
Foxa began to develop the fabric requested by the customer. Product development took place together with the customer and progressed as the customer clarified their ideas.
”We found samples of knitted fabric in our product range, and went from there. At first, the customer also wanted the fabric to be made from recycled material,” explains Heli Sukki.
Fabric was manufactured in four colours for the customer: two high-visibility colours, dark grey, and dark blue.
“The blue and grey contained 50% reycled materials, while the high-visibility fabrics were made entirely from recycled fibre.”
Foxshell M Knit Eco is available for all customers to order. Only certain colour combinations are reserved for customers for whose needs the fabric was originally developed.
Purpose is a decisive factor
The product development process always begins with the customer’s needs. The better the customer can describe the intended purpose of the fabric and the properties they wish for it to have, the faster the desired result can be achieved.
”It’s also good to know if the customer wishes to have the final product certified right from the start of the project. The preprocessing relating to certification of a fabric includes things like how well the fabric can withstand industrial washing or washing at home. Certificates also set requirements on the product’s properties and values, such as colour fastness and strength.”
Heli Sukki confirms that more and more custom fabrics are being made for customers.
“Customers such as workwear manufacturers want to introduce new kinds of products to the markets, and in order to do so, they also need new kinds of fabrics. Naturally, price is a decisive factor when it comes to developing a new fabric. It has to be competitively priced and profitable for the customer. That’s why we also discuss things like how much the customer is prepared to pay for things like eco-friendliness.”