The Fabric Development group of Cotton Incorporated is responsible for the development of new fabric ideas and product concepts to show what is possible with cotton. Each year, the fabric development group introduces collections of new woven and knit fabrics for home product and apparel end uses. The fabric collections, called FABRICAST™ are shown throughout the world to mills, apparel and home product manufacturers as well as retailers to provide inspiration when developing their own cotton products. Fabric concepts may contain new yarns, unique fabric constructions, mechanical or chemical finishing techniques or combinations of these elements.

Knit fabrics are produced in-house in Cotton Incorporated’s Knitting Laboratory, while all woven fabrics and floorcoverings are developed in production facilities under our direction and supervision. All fabrics are then processed in Cotton Incorporated’s Dyeing & Finishing Lab. Artwork, layouts, and drafts are developed in-house with state-of-the-art design systems.

In addition to the Fabric Development group, another core function within the Textile Research group is technical service. Our textile scientists work with mills, manufacturers and retailers in an effort to reduce costs and increase operating efficiencies, while at the same time supporting our internal efforts to create new fabrications and product ideas. The Cary, North Carolina Research facility comprises full-scale, state-of-the-art research laboratories devoted to:

• Fiber Processing, Spinning and Yarn Research
• Fabric Development
• Dyeing and finishing
• Textile Chemistry Research
• Textile Manufacturing Processes
• Nonwovens research
• Physical Testing / Quality Assurance