Leading Textile Tech Innovators Unite to Create World's First Garment fully powered by HeiQ Viroblock

August 26 2020

The upshot of a collaboration among 2A-NYGUARD, COATS, HEIQ, VAGOTEX and SITIP, JUST 5 is an ingenious 'viroblocked' jacket that provides the best garment solution for resuming normal life by protecting the wearer, loved ones and everyone encountered. 

JUST5 is a multi-functional and fashionable jacket with every component powered by HeiQ Viroblock to protect them from spoilage by contaminating microorganisms in just five minutes. The treatment does not protect the wearer or others against food-borne (or disease-causing) bacteria. But the jacket sets up a highly effective barrier to shield the wearer from spoiling contaminants in the surrounding.

Designed and Developed for the Unstoppables
JUST5 is an initiative by 5 leading material manufacturers and features many life-enhancing gadgets. All the components of JUST5 jacket have been developed by leading companies in textile innovation. All components are individually available for any  apparel or home textile brands to create their own innovations.

5 innovative components

1. 2A-NYGUARD NYSHIELD zippers – Zippers are touched often throughout the day. These self-sanitizing zippers will restore its usability in just five minutes after every touch. 2A is a pioneer in zipper production in Europe since the 1930s, now leader in sustainable and innovative solutions for textile fasteners.

2. Coats ProtectV – Sewing thread from the world's leading industrial thread company  add anti-microbial and anti-viral properties to every stitch.

3. HeiQ Viroblock Swiss antimicrobial fabric technology – HeiQ Viroblock was originally developed to treat face masks registered by Swiss Medic as a medical device. Respirator masks treated with the same technology are authorized by US FDA under EUA. HeiQ is the world's leader in textile technology innovations.

4. SITIP warp-knitted fabric – Elastic fabric for the extendable cuffs of JUST5 to shield the hands when touching potentially contaminated surfaces. Warp-knitting is fabric technology that prevents a yarn from laddering after a tear and SITIP is a world leader in this. 

5. Windtex Vagotex fabric – breathable, water-repellent and wind-resistant fabric. Windtex Vagotex S.p.A. is a leader in lamination and processing of technical fabrics for sports- and footwear.

Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of HeiQ Group said, "It is a super team comprised of our industry's five most innovative companies. Any brand can now simply take parts from these suppliers and make their own, 100% 'viroblocked' garments!"

A crowdfunding campaign starts at 11:00 Eastern Standard Time, 17:00 Central European Time on 26 August on Kickstarter for people interested in supporting the idea and place their pre-orders. Finished jackets are expected to be available end of Autumn.

About HeiQ
Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH), HeiQ is a leader in textile innovation creating some of the most effective, durable and high-performance textile technologies on the market today. HeiQ's purpose is to improve the lives of billions of people by perfecting an everyday product: Textiles. Combining three areas of expertise – scientific research, specialty materials manufacturing and consumer ingredient branding – HeiQ is the ideal innovation partner to create differentiating and sustainable textile products and capture the added value at the point of sale. With a total capacity of 35'000 tons per year HeiQ manufactures in the USA, Switzerland and Australia serving its chemical specialties in over 60 countries worldwide. www.heiq.com

HeiQ, Viroblock and HeiQ Viroblock are trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of HeiQ Materials AG.