A Golden Twist for Textiles

IN the troubled textile industry, double knit clothes--apparel made of specially knitted material instead of woven cloth--stand out like a bright golden thread in a frayed gray shawl. The upheaval caused by double knits has brought fresh earnings and excitement to the industry, created new textile firms and technology, provided a rich source of sales for profit-parched merchants, and satisfied restless consumer demand for increasingly varied fashions.

Largely in the past four years, double knits have sewed up about 35% of the annual $14 billion in women's and children's wear sales. Now double knits are the hottest new item in men's wear, and are expected to capture half of that $11 billion market in the next three or four years. Hart Schaffner & Marx reports that double knits make up half of the suits being manufactured under the H.S. & M. label, which are priced from $135 to $200. Double knit departments have been opened at Sears, Roebuck stores, and at least half of the dress slacks sold by J.C. Penney are double knits. "We're manufacturing men's suits as fast as we can, but we hardly get them into the store before they're sold," Genesco Chairman Frank Jarman told TIME'S Eileen Shields. Adds Ralph Lazarus, chairman of the nationwide Federated Department Stores chain: "Men are buying knit slacks like there is no tomorrow."

Curls and Stretches. Unlike regular knits, which are produced by inter-looping a single yarn, double knit fabric is made by interlocking the loops from two strands of yarn with a double stitch--one in back, one in front. This makes a strong, supple cloth that is suitable for dresses, suits, jackets and even rainwear. Double knits, which had been made in West Germany and Italy for decades, did not come into their own until English textile makers in the early 1960s found that they could produce the fabric with polyester. This was made possible by a process called texturizing, which twists the smooth synthetic filaments into curls that give them bulk and resiliency. Polyester double knits are comfortably light, and they stretch easily with the movements of the wearer. Moreover, they resist wrinkling, even when slept in. The new fabric quickly transformed millions of buyers of woven cloth into double knit pickers.

More than 300 firms have leaped into production. The most spectacular corporate success in double knits has been eight-year-old Texfi Industries Inc., headquartered in Greensboro, N.C. Texfi President Joseph Hamilton, 51, who left his job at Burlington Indus tries to help found the firm, was quick to see the need for a single producer who could knit, dye and finish the fabric. He borrowed money, issued a public stock offering to get more and went into production. Texfi is now the biggest producer of double knits, with estimated sales this year of $160 million, a 66% increase over last year.

Second to Texfi is Deering Milliken, a privately held company that pioneered large-scale U.S. double knit production with woolens in 1959. Duplan Corp., which began buying up small knitting mills in 1968, is in third place. During last year's recession, the firm posted record sales of more than $156 million, a substantial portion in double knits.

The front runners gained an early lead partly because most major weavers, like Collins & Aikman and J.P. Stevens, miscalculated double knit's staying power and were late getting into the race. Burlington Industries, the nation's biggest textile firm, began making double knit fabric only 18 months ago.

Despite their popularity, double knits have drawbacks. Being less tightly bound than top-quality woven cloth, double knits develop snags more easily. Cutting them is a problem; a garment is sometimes larger or smaller than its stated size. Alterations are also tricky because rips or marks can be left behind when a seam is let out or a waist expanded. Since there is no such problem when a garment is shortened or taken in, it is better for customers to buy a garment that is a bit too big rather than a bit too snug. Moreover, because of the limitations imposed by the knit process, the subtle pinstripes and deep-tone colors of tweeds are still impossible to duplicate in double knit fabric.

Apart from these difficulties, manufacturers have had trouble buying enough double knit machinery; practically all of it is made in Europe, especially West Germany, and orders have to be placed many months in advance. This problem has been aggravated by President Nixon's import surtax. Ironically, the most promising sector of the staunchly protectionist textile industry is now being forced to pay at least 10% more for its new equipment because of the Administration's protectionist measures.

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