Central Silk Board (CSB) in association with Tirupur-based NIFT-TEA Knitwear Institute will be soon releasing a new product range of inner wears for women developed out of Eri silk using knitting technology, according to Shankar Kotrannavar, Assistant Director of CSB.
“The technology to make the product has been evolved during a research conducted to bring out innovative products using silk with knitting as the base. Till now, clusters like Tirupur are predominantly into cotton-based knitwear products,” he told The Hindu on the sidelines of an event organised by the Board and NIFT-TEA Institute here at Sripuram Trust office to explain the product diversification possibilities using silk as raw material for knitwear products to garment producers.
Termed as ‘intimate wears’, the new set of lingerie developed out of Eri silk, would be giving all wearing comfort which include lightness and good thermal properties giving warm feel during winter and coolness in summer.
“Moreover, the products are eco- and skin-friendly besides being soft,” Mr. Kotrannavar pointed out.
Blended products
Mr. Kotrannavar also hinted that the joint research being conducted by the Board with NIFT-TEA Institute would be soon developing more diversified silk-blended products that could be manufactured with knitting technology.
“Even though the Board usually promotes products with pure silk as raw material, here we are trying to come out with products made of silk blended with other natural fibres such as cotton, modal and bamboo only based on the industry demand that was based on the trends,” he said.
Fabric made of pure silk was little costlier and hence, the industry was looking for blended products to cut down cost at the same time could offer the consumers the ‘luxury of silk’.
Mr. Kotrannavar said that Board had come out with a diversified product for the handloom woven sari cluster in Madhya Paradesh using pure silk spun yarn in place of cotton which was traditionally used for making Chanderi saris.
“This is to give value-addition,” he said.
