“Wellness blanket” for kids made of bamboo (image: Sky Enterprise Korea)
SEOUL, Sep. 9 (Korea Bizwire) – The so-called “well-being fabrics” are in vogue. Extracted from natural materials such as organic cotton, milk, soybeans, bamboo, banana leaves, and even charcoal, the fabrics made from alternative sources are lighter and higher in air permeability. They are also excellent in soft touch when worn by children.
Of all natural fabrics, the most popular for parents with small babies is one made from bamboo. As bamboo fabric undergoes several rounds of refinement to produce a cotton-like soft material, it is known to be perfect for sensitive baby skins. The fabric can keep the baby’s body temperature low by drying the sweat quickly so the wearer can maintain her skin healthy without heat rash even during hot humid summer days.
That’s why this wellness fabrics enjoy unusual interest before and after big holidays like Chuseok(the Korean equivalent of Thanksgiving). During the holiday season, rising number of kids develop intense cases of atopic dermatitis(AD) or skin trouble since they are likely to be exposed to drastic change in their environments like foods and beds in unfamiliar places.
In Korea, it is estimated that about 1 million people suffer from Atopy symptoms and half of the group with atopic dermatitis (AD)are found in children less than 10 years of age. Atopic syndrome is a predisposition toward developing certain allergic hypersensitivity reactions mostly common among children.
Other fabrics made from milk, soybeans, and charcoal are claimed to be antibacterial, anti-ultraviolet, and producing negative ion, respectively.
The concept of bamboo fabric is not new. But rising need for this kind of eco-friendly textiles is well illustrative of increasingly keen interest in “well-being” or wellness awareness even in apparels category among consumers. (image: Arashiyama bamboo forest by Curt Smith/flickr)
Yoon Kyung-shik, vice president of Sky Enterprise Korea, premium baby clothier, said, “Atopy skin conditions and psoriasis commonly found in babies and toddlers can be caused by little rubbing with their clothes. Fabrics made from specialty materials do not cause such problems.”
According to the Korea Federation of Textile Industries, the global market for new textile materials including super-fiber and well-being fiber would be US$606 billion by 2015, with the annual average growth rate reaching as high as 15.7 percent, three times that for the regular textiles (5.1%).
By M.H. Lee (mhlee@koreabizwire.com)
