Former director of raw material innovation at Lululemon, Aaron Jackson has been named as the CEO of Won.House – a textile and apparel R&D business and think tank based in Tao Yuan, Taiwan – with the goal of commercialising kinetic colorization.
Originally developed by US-based business Sustainable Apparel Solutions, kinetic colorization utilises pulsed backside heat and kinetic energy, to dye/print fabric and is a replacement for both traditional wet printing and chemical dyeing, as well as advancing the established dye sublimation printing process.
The process uses aqueous-based mineral dyes and has three phases: placement of the colour (dye); penetration into the receiving fabric, as in the sublimation process; and levelling of the colour to create an even appearance and infuse the dye into the fabric. The dye is reduced and is infused into the fibres When the pulsed heat is reduced, and the kinetic energy is removed, the dye particles are trapped below the surface and become impervious to bleach.
Won.House has been created to work with mills, brands and yarn companies worldwide on new yarns, fabrics, waterless colouration and dying utilising the kinetic colorization method, as well as producing seamless garments and double-sided garments for sustainable apparel production.
The Won.House building
Jackson comments: “This past four weeks has been very special with the successful installation of the KC2.2 machine [for kinetic colourization] and the first series of successful tests on nylons, polys, and […] new Synatec Merino wool/poly blend utilising kinetic colorization, a waterless dye technology.”
There are more than 10 companies said to have expressed strong interest in the kinetic colourization machines, with three having placed pre-orders to be the first to get deliveries in 2019.
“The successful setup of the KC2.2 machine at Won.House by Katmandu Inc [which acquired the kinetic colourization technology from Sustainable Apparel Solutions earlier this year] is the tip of the iceberg” says Jenny Cho, VP of Won.House.
The potentially game changing technology purchased with the trademarks and patent rights from Katmandu Inc. Won.House says its goal is to commercialise kinetic colorization over the next few years and it seems things are off to a very good start. Won.House announced it already has five plants sold in Taiwan, Vietnam, and China. The official launch date of Won.House is late April 2019 with a grand opening for guests coming in from all over the globe.
Murphy Chung, CEO, TSGS, and Aaron Jackson, CEO, Won.House
“Being able to dye Nylons and wools on the fly with a fraction of the MOQs is also a game changer,” says Murphy Chung the CEO of TSGS.
Jackson adds: “With the successful setup the Kinetic Colorization machine Won.House is doing a great deal of testing on a variety of fabrics creating a formulation book and Won.House will be selling kinetic colorization machines worldwide starting at the end of QI or start of Q2 of 2019.”
A grand opening with companies from Asia, North America, Latin America and the EU will be invited to tour and understand the concept of Won.House and see KC2.2 themselves and how it can be utilised in demand manufacturing.
