Invista, US based fibre producer and owner of the Lycra brand, has acquired dual core patent portfolio of Cone Denim and its parent company, International Textile Group (ITG). Since the acquisition, Invista has been meeting individually with its denim customers and providing selected weavers with licenses to practice the technology.

One of the requirements for granting of a license is that the mills agree to use branded Invista products such as Lycra and Lycra T400 fibres in their dual core fabrics. The patent estate covers a broad variety of dual core yarns, fabrics, and garments made from those fabrics, which are sold in the US, China, and most recently, Europe.

Jean Hegedus, global director for Invista's denim and wovens segment said that Invista has compiled a licensed mill resource list for dual core fabrics which is being shared with denim brands and retailers. Only mills on the list are licensed to practice the Invista technologies. The patents apply to yarns, fabrics, or garments made or sold in the countries where the patent is granted.

So, if a fabric is made in India, but sold into the US or Europe, it would be covered under the new Invista patents, explained Hegedus. In addition to the recently acquired patents, Invista also has a broad array of other patents related to fabrics made with dual core technology. One of those patents is granted in India and several others are pending.

Cone Denim is a leading denim innovator who delivers expertise and advanced denim capabilities. From performance denims and Sgene technology to vintage re-creations of Cone Deeptone Denim reaching back to the early 1900s, Cone offers collections of selvage, performance, stretch and natural Indigo denims crafted out of the Cone3D R&D incubator.

Cone Denim operates as part of the ITG, with manufacturing capabilities in the US, China, and Mexico, including the iconic White Oak mill in Greensboro.