Confitex – a New Zealand-based textile technology company – has come up with a knitted fabric for underwear (both men and women) that is leakage-proof and has properties such as high absorbance.
The fabric is said to offer consumers a sustainable alternative to single-use pads and liners. It is also reported that the fabric is entirely waterproof even without the use of any external layer like PU plastic.
It’s worth noting here that the layer of PU plastic is used in waterproof fabrics but, according to Confitex, it isn’t fit for purpose for two reasons – (1) it’s not easily biodegradable and contributes to landfill and (2) it can’t be joined with fabric as well as it is not breathable.
According to the developer of the fabric – Frantisek Riha-Scott – who is the Founder of Confitex and also a designer by profession, he wanted to create high-performance absorbent sports underwear so that athletes don’t need to stop for washroom breaks during their long races.
“But I quickly realized that reusable leak-proof underwear had a much wider application and it would also be life-changing for the one in three women and one in five men who live with light-to-medium urinary incontinence,” commented Frantisek.
The Confitex label – made up of the mentioned fabric and tested by International standards laboratory UL – was launched at New Zealand Fashion Week recently and is considered the world’s first fashionable range of washable incontinence underwear.
