And if someone told you that your jeans were sewn with a thread obtained from cellulose, the same raw material that originates the paper. Would that be innovation?
Vítor Alves believed that he could do something different in the yarn industry to stand out in a fiercely competitive market. After turning his company into a laboratory of ideas and experiences and having “wasted a lot of discussion on tests and trials, a magic potion was created for the Crafil Celofil yarn”, reveals the administrator.
The innovation click was shown three years ago given the imposition of the market due to the scarcity that made the price of cotton escalate. Cotton was the raw material used in almost all Crafil products. “Topics costing 2 euros are now costing 5 euros. In addition, there was not enough material to meet all of our customers’ demands”, reveals Vítor Alves.
The administrator took this opportunity to sew a new strategy for his company, which included Celofil. 100% produced with cellulose extracted from wood pulp, this line was designed for all types of clothing that are dyed after production. The main advantages lie in its incomparable resistance and elasticity to other cellulosic fibers such as 100% cotton.
This line, specially created for the jeanswear industry, is also ideal for use during manufacturing, as it avoids explosion problems during production, minimizing the number of post-dyeing arrangements. Entrepreneurship and the love of innovation are part of the DNA of Vítor Alves, a former commercial who became an entrepreneur in 2004 and who has seen Crafil grow since then, mainly in the foreign market, conquering markets in Tunisia, where he now has a company, And in Morocco. With Celofil, the company’s sales increased exponentially 46% and the revenue is already above 1.5 million euros.
Although the business did not grow by more than 10% in 2014, the administrator continues to depend on differentiation. He recently presented two new topics that caused a very positive reaction at the Maroc in Mode show in Casablanca. Durifil, a high quality core line, produced with a cotton / polyester blend that can combine the strength and elongation of a core yarn and the excellent slip of a 100% cotton yarn. Starpoly Mix, a polyester / cotton yarn that can change color depending on the intensity of the light, thanks to its photochromic characteristics. “Imagine yourself in a club and the threads in your jeans become fluorescent”, dares the Crafil administrator.
