Towels and Textiles

The yarn-forward rule of origin under the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), which requires TPP countries to use yarn produced from a TPP country in textiles to qualify for duty-free access, is expected to increase the export competitiveness of Malaysia's textile industry. Higher demand for yarn produced in TPP countries also is expected to spur textile…

Terry Town, San Diego, a supplier of towels, blankets and robes, recently hired Esmeralda Anaya to head its marketing expansion as marketing coordinator. Anaya, a recent graduate of San Diego State University, has achieved accolades for her work with medium-to-large sized companies in southern…

Towel Specialties, Baltimore, announced that Eva Brannon has been promoted to the position of Western regional sales director within the inside sales department. Prior to the promotion, Brannon served 10 years in the customer service department. “Eva will closely be assisting our outside sales reps and focusing on inside sales in the Western region of…

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that about 21 billion pounds of post-consumer textile waste ends up in landfills each year. In an effort to mitigate this issue, Cintas Corporation has partnered with Know Hope, a Cincinnati-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals living in poverty in third-world countries. Cintas will provide Know Hope with leftover material from its uniform production process, which will be used to line reusable burlap bags sold by the charity. Funds from the bags will be used to purchase products and provide services to families in Mexico, Africa, Haiti and Guatemala.

Pro Towels, Pittsburgh, has released its newest item—the Frigitowel. The 100 percent cotton cooling towel features a one-time cooling sensation that lasts for hours.

Pro Towels has recently implemented a company care campaign. This campaign was created for employees to acknowledge the value their peers bring to the company.

The exports of textile and apparel from the United States increased by 3.99 percent to $1.861 billion in January 2014, compared to exports of $1.79 billion made during the corresponding period of last year, data from the U.S. Department of Commerce showed. Category-wise, apparel exports rose marginally by 1.91 percent year-on-year to $437.174 million, while textile mill products jumped 4.65 percent year-on-year to $1.424 billion during the first month of the current year.

Pro Towels, Pittsburgh, and Superior Decorating, Camarillo, Calif., has added three multi-line reps to its team. Those additions are Brad Langton of Langton Promotional Sales, and Jon Henrickson and Jonathan Bave of Henrickson Associates.

Shoppers are inspecting goods for "Made in USA" labels, as a deep recession has encouraged more Americans to reflect on lost manufacturing jobs. But what about the fabric used to make apparel and home furnishings? That material comes from where?

Most textile manufacturing is based in Asia. But cotton—the soft, fluffy staple that for decades drove the American South as a one-crop economy—has been enjoying a modern renaissance of sorts.

The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA), Fairfax, Va., announced that Towel Specialties, Baltimore, won Gold, Silver and Bronze Golden Image Awards for Excellence in screenprinting on textiles.