Textile company to sell anti-COVID-19 fabric

Kolkata: Quick to recognise the need for clothes that will help to sanitise the wearer from COVID-19, an Indian textile company has adopted the Swiss HeiQ Viroblock technology which claims to have a proven effect against the virus.

The garments of ViroSecure fabric of the textile company will provide self sanitisation by 99.99 per cent of the COVID-19 virus in 30 minutes, sources in the textile company said on Wednesday.

The RSWM Ltd, the flagship of LNJ Bhilwara Group, which owns Mayur Suiting in a statement claimed on Wednesday that the revolutionary viroblock technology is among the first textile technologies in the world to have a proven effect against the virus. It will be used to make uniforms for not only frontline health care workers, but also for school children, defence and police personnel as well as for general suiting and shirting purposes, the statement said.

The price of the antivirus fabric starts from Rs 400 per meter and will be available in multi-brand outlets across the country from July 20, it said adding the new launch will rejuvenate Mayur Suiting for a comeback in the market.

There is a significant uptake in the demand for the anti-viral fabric technology and with this we are targeting 20 per cent of the sales from the ViroSecure fabric in this fiscal, Mayur Suiting and LNJ Denim CEO and business head, Suketu Shah said.

The 20 per cent sale would translate into Rs 550 crore to Rs 600 crore additional revenue for the company.

Tests conducted by the Swiss textile innovator in association with the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, Australia, has shown that the fabric demonstrated a rapid antiviral action against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) strain, which causes COVID-19, company sources said.