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PowerPoint Presentation
Insiders Guide to Luxury Cotton
Buxton Midyette VP Marketing & Promotions
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I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you this morning about luxury Cotton
There is a lot of interest now in luxury Cotton
at the same time there is some confusion about what makes a cotton a luxury cotton
My objective for this presentation is to give you a basic understanding of what makes luxury cotton special, how to use it and how to sell it
Presentation Overview
Introduction: Supima
Overview of Luxury Cottons
Supima Fiber Advantages
Supima Fashion Advantages
More information
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1911: Pima is born
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The First American ELS was released by the USDA in Sacaton, Arizona and named Pima in honor of the Pima Indians whose forebears had cultivated cotton in the area for centuries.
Pimas Industrial Heritage1920 Goodyear Tire Co.
Pima cotton is so strong that Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company of Ohio purchased several thousand acres of land in the Salt River Valley to produce Pima cotton for use in its automobile tires. The tires inner-casing was made of layers of strong cotton, and rubber was vulcanized on its surface
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Spirit of St. Louis1927
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Impressed with its strength to weight ratio, Charles Lindbergh utilized Pima cotton as the material for the fuselage for the Spirit of St. Louis for its historic transatlantic flight in 1927.
1954- The Start of Supima
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In the early 1950s, a visionary group of farmers recognized that this special cotton had to be promoted differently from regular.
In 1954, Supima was founded in El Paso, TX to promote American Pima, align with government regulations and become involved with agricultural research.
Supima Authenticity
Licenses entire supply to ensure product integrityLimit licensing to better brands and retailers
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Licenses entire supply to ensure authenticity250 Manufacturers worldwide100 brands/retailers
Markets to both trade and consumer
Partners with brands and retailers
Overview of Luxury Cottons
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At this point, I would like to spend time defining luxury / ELS cotton for your as well as discuss the different types of luxury cotton that are known in the market.
Whats Up with all the Cottons???
Egyptiancotton
Peruvian Cotton
Turkish cotton
Pima Cotton
Supima
Sea Island Cotton
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There are a lot of cottons out there now but little real information
Brands do not know the difference
Retailers do not know the difference
Consumers do not know the difference
Confusion reigns
It is not enough just to say its better. Let me take a minute now to walk you through the major producers of luxury Cotton
Luxury CottonsRepresents top 3% of World Cotton
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Only 3% of total cotton grown in the world is good enough to be called an ELS or luxury Cotton
Represent just 3.1 million bales of 102.3 million bales
There is nothing wrong with conventional cotton, its just that there is something very special about luxury Cottons
Definition of Luxury Cotton
In the U.S., cotton must be 1 3/8 inches or longer to be defined as an Extra-Long Staple (ELS) cotton or Luxury Cotton.
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What difference does length make in cottons, a lot more than you would imagine which is why length claims are regulated by USDA.
The technical term for luxury Cotton is an Extra-Long Staple (ELS) cotton.
ELS cotton is a distinct variety of cotton separate from conventional or upland cotton.
ELS cotton is not just cotton that is left longer in the field, grown in special soil or comes from a specific country
ELS is a premium variety with exceptional performance characteristics: in terms of softness, strength and color retention
Egyptian Cotton
Giza varieties 70, 88, 45Annual Production: 150,000 bales Represents 30% of total crop of 500,000 bales
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One of the best known luxury Cottons
However Egypt produces conventional cotton as well (500,000 480lb bales)
30% of crop is luxury cotton
luxury varieties: Giza 45, 70, 88
Peruvian Cotton
Pima Cotton Grown in northern coastal regionAnnual Production: 16,000 bales
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Known for its luster It is a longer, silkier fiber but weak in terms of strength
Used mostly in knit constructions
Relatively small production
Sea Island Cotton
Historically, was grown in coastal GeorgiaCurrently grown in BarbadosAnnual Production: 300 - 600 bales
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Legendary luxury Cotton
Was original source for luxury cotton
Extremely limited production and extremely expensive
Buyers should take care to require invoices certifying use of the fiber
Supima (Superior Pima)
Grown only in Southwestern U.S.Annual Production: 600,000 balesSupima is registered trademark owned by growersonly licensees can use it
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Developed 100 years ago, based on a cross of Egyptian and Sea Island cotton varieties
Largest exporter of luxury Cotton
Named for Pima Indians in the Southwest
Supima is short for Superior Pima, Pima cotton grown only in the U.S.
Supima is registered trademark owned by growersonly licensees can use it
Supima Production Areas
NEVADA
CALIFORNIA
COLORADO
NEW MEXICO
OKLAHOMA
UTAH
ARIZONA
TEXAS
KANSAS
Eureka
Redding
Reno
Santa Rosa
Bakersfield
San Luis
Obispo
San Bernadino
Grand Juction
Raton
Las Cruces
Lubbock
Odessa
Ft. Stockton
Corpus Christi
Waco
Lawton
Ponca City
Salina
Oakley
Fresno
Yucca
Cedar City
Topeka
Kansas
City
Denver
Colorado
Springs
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
Carson City
Provo
Las Vegas
Oakland
San
Francisco
Los Angeles
Flagstaff
Santa Fe
Albuquerque
El Paso
Phoenix
Tucson
Durango
Austin
Houston
San Antonio
Dallas
Ft. Worth
Wichita
Tulsa
Oklahoma
City
Amarillo
San Diego
Santa
Barbara
Winnemucca
San Joaquin Valley93%
7%
Supima is a 100% irrigated crop
Supima is also 100% harvested by machine
93% of Supima is harvested in California which has the strictest environmental regulations in the world
Supima is cotton you can feel good about
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Luxury Cotton Fiber Advantages
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Supima Length
In terms of fiber, Supima best known advantage is length
Length
Supima is up to 35% longer than conventional cotton
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Supima is 35% longer than conventional cotton and long than most other ELS cottons
Length
Longer Fibers Produce Smoother, Finer Yarn
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Its longer, so what???
The difference is: longer fibers result in yarn with fewer protruding ends per cross section
This creates a cleaner surface with:
Softer hand feel
Higher reflectivity and sheen
Lower incidence of pilling as there are fewer ends to break off and adhere to fabric surface
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Supima Strength
LESS KNOW BUT AS IMPORTANT IS SUPIMAS ADVANTAGE IN STRENGTH
Strength
Supima is up to 45% stronger than conventional cotton
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As you can see from the chart Supima is the strongest of the ELS cottons
All the cottons are much stronger than regular cotton
tex unit is equal to the weight in grams of 1,000 meters of fiber. Therefore, the strength reported is the force in grams required to break a bundle of fibers one tex unit in size.
Strength
Stronger fibers make stronger yarn and fabric
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The stronger the fiber the finer the Yarns can be
Shown in this slide are examples of Supima yarns in differing counts
Similar to the wool system, lower counts are coarser and higher counts are finer
Supima can be used to make a wide range of yarn counts from the very coarsest for use in say a denim to the very finest for use in a pinpoint shirt.
Any differences in fabric thickness are a factor of the yarn and fabric construction, not the properties of Supima fiber
Strength
Stronger fibers allow designer to use lighter fabrics with not sacrifice to durability.
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Lighter yarns create lighter fabrics
Thick rigid fabrics are not necessary to meet strength requirements
Allows designers the freedom to use lighter weight fabrics that are as strong as bulkier alternatives.
Strength further enhances Supimas resistance to pilling. The few fiber ends protruding on a yarn are less likely to break off.
The result is finer, more supple fabrics with beautiful drape.
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Supima Fineness
LESS KNOWN THAN EVEN STRENGTH IS FINENESS
IT IS CRUCIAL THOUGH IN GIVING SUPIMA ITS AMAZING COLOR
AS WELL AS FURTHER ADDING TO STRENGTH
Fineness
Supimas micronaire is in the optimum range for dyeing: 3.7 to 4.2
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Micronaire is a measure of fiber fineness and maturity, a combination of diameter and density
What is important to know is that Supima fiber is much finer than regular cotton and that fiber fineness for Supima falls into a very narrow range
An airflow instrument is used to measure the air permeability of a constant mass of cotton fibers compressed to a fixed volume
Discount: 3.4 and belowBase: 3.5 3.6luxury:3.7 4.2Base:4.3 4.9Discount:5.0 and higher
Fineness
Narrower range of fiber diameters means:Better dye uptake18% more fibers per cross section Enhanced strength
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See here an image which is a cross sections of regular cotton fiber in a yarn construction
Now imagine that this yarn is put into a dye vat
You see both skinny as well as fat fibers which are going to have very different rates of dye absorbency.
In the skinny fiber, the dye may go to the core while in the fat fiber the dye may only coat the surface
Later as the garment is worn and washed, the dye may be removed from the fat fiber revealing the cottons white core
This is when fading begins to appear in a garment
Because of the consistency of its fineness, Supima is going to have better, more even dye uptake which gives Supima garments their lasting color
Background:Great slide because it shows a range of micronaire and fiber shapesDye absorbency and retention varies with the maturity of the fibers.Higher strength because of bundling effectMore individual fibers per cross section luxury cotton is in optimum range
The greater the maturity, the better the absorbency and retention.
Supima Cotton exhibits the highest Molecular Weight of all Cottons(as measured by Tappi Viscosity Method)uniform dye uptake and low variability in quality parameters)High and persistent durability from fiber to finished product More homogenous material ( Minimum fiber brittleness under hot chemical treatments
Superior Performance = Superior Pima
Fiber Advantages:35% Longer45% StrongerOptimum Fineness18% higher molecular density
Fabric Results:Appearance: Superior drape, color and lusterComfort: Natural softness, smoothness of handPerformance: Strength and durability
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Summarize key advantages of luxury cotton
Translates into at the fabric and garment level
Remember this is not just a luxury fiber though, it is a performance fiber
Supima Advantage:Apparel
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Now I would focus how luxury cotton makes a difference in the clothing you offer to your customers
Supima Advantage:Wovens
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Here are the results for wovens
Shirting:
Fabrics of Supima Cotton had higher tensile strength than all other fabrics (22% to 24%).
Under tension, Supima Cotton woven fabrics were able to withstand up to 50 pounds per inch more than regular or specially blended cottons.
Burst StrengthSupima withstood up to 50 pounds per inch more than woven fabrics made from regular or specially blended cottons.
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Strength Testing:
Industrial roots of Supima are a big advantage
Heavier weights made with Supima provide incredible strength and durability with comfort and softness
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Supima Advantage:Knits
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Supima Cotton knit shirts and sweaters provide up to a 50% advantage in pilling resistance .
Supima Cotton knit shirts provides a range of up to 42% advantage in bursting strength.
Upon washing and drying of 50 cycles, Supima Cotton knit shirts suffered the least thickness change and shrinkage and the best dimensional stability.
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Additional Information on Supima
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www. supima.com
Supimas website contains more detailed information on Supimas history, fiber properties and production
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www.facebook.com/supima
Supima is taking advantage of Social Media to get out our message. This site was launched this summer and already has over 400 fans!
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http://supimacotton.blogspot.com/
-Supima hosts an active blog with over 300 posts-It is an excellent source of information on all things Supima
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Thanks for this opportunity to talk with you about luxury cotton this afternoonI am happy to handle inquiries for all the origins of luxury cottonI hope that you will consider the opportunities that you may have to include luxury cotton in your own collections