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at Stretchline . “ They ’ re still a major part of our business – around 50 per cent – but we ’ ve also grown to manufacture products for sportswear , activewear , loungewear , and other emerging markets .”
Brand solutions
Stretchline is one of the largest narrow fabric manufacturers in the world , with operations across six countries in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres . Producing around 1.5 billion meters of fabric a year – enough to circle the globe 30 times .
“ Our largest customers include leading names in intimate apparel and activewear ,” Barry shares . “ We ’ ve also developed seven in-house brands that offer unique solutions for our clients , from fashion brands to supermarkets . Each of our brands were created as a solution to a specific problem at the time . While these brands may not be widely known outside the industry , chances are , if you have ten people in a room , half of them are wearing something made by Stretchline without realizing it .”
Innovation is one of the main pillars of Stretchline , one that the company is continually investing in . The business employs nearly around 4,000 people globally , with over 100 working on research and development alone . It also works very closely with certain UK universities in pursuit of further innovation . With a high level of expertise under its belt , Stretchline has been able to provide solutions to some of the most perplexing textile challenges .
“ We ’ ve developed a product called Fortitube , a specialized wire casing for underwire bras ,” Barry explains . “ Traditionally , bras come with care labels that say , ‘ Hand Wash Only ,’ but many people still put them in the washing machine . This often leads to wires popping out , damaging the drum or the washing machine . Fortitube solves
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