Bemberg® Lining Museum+ closes on August 31, 2022

2022-08-30 Fashion Business, Japan Manufacturer, Lining, Manufacturing

Hi guys, this is Hazel from ApparelX.

I visited the Bemberg® Lining Museum + in Yurakucho, Tokyo this time.

So I would like to introduce my impressions of the Bemberg® Lining Museum + and what kind of features Bemberg® has.

What is Bemberg®?

Have you heard of Bemberg®?

Many people in the apparel industry have probably heard of it, but I didn’t used to understand the difference between Bemberg with Cupra.

Bemberg is the brand name of Cupra, a recycled cellulose fiber born from cotton. Therefore, you can just understand that 100% Cupra = 100% Bemberg.

And currently, Asahi Kasei is the only company in the world that produces this material.

What is the Bemberg® Lining Museum+?

The Bemberg® Lining Museum+ opened in 2014 in Jimbocho, Tokyo, as a facility dedicated to apparel professionals.

It reopened in November 2018 in Hibiya, Tokyo, since the relocation of Asahi Kasei’s office.

Unfortunately, the Bemberg® Lining Museum+ will close on August 31, 2022, but we were able to visit in time before it closed. Its so lucky!!

But don’t worry about that, because the VR version of the Bemberg Lining Museum+ will remain open.

I believe thay you will also have a good experience of museum via VR.

About Bemberg®

1.Raw materials come from nature, friendly to nature

Bemberg® is made from cotton lint, a by-product of cottonseed oil production.

Cotton lint is the fluffy fiber (2-6 mm long) left on the surface of cotton seeds after harvesting. It can be used as a substitute for wood pulp for producing paper.

Since the raw material comes from nature.

Bemberg® will naturally degrade when buried in the soil without harm.

2.High moisture absorption and desorption that polyester lining does not have

Bemberg® can quickly absorb and expel water from very small, invisible moisture channels.

Because it has a different crystalline structure compared to polyester. Please refer to the picture below.

In the picture below, the top is Bemberg® and the bottom is polyester.

3. Excellent antistatic properties, ideal for lining wool surface fabrics

The moisture content of Bemberg® is approximately 11%. This allows static electricity caused by friction to be released into the air.

Asahikasei tested the antistatic properties of various lining materials, including Bemberg® lining, anti-static polyester lining, and ordinary polyester lining.

They putted the lining on the back of the wool fabric. And rubbed the wool fabric, then the static electricity on fabric will attract dust.

In the picture below, is the difference when the wool fabric is paired with three different lining materials.

As you can see, the wool fabric that pays for the lining of the Bemberg® is the one that absorbs the least amount of dust.

(The left one is Bemberg®, the left two is anti-static polyester lining, the right one is ordinary polyester lining.)

4.Light but comfortable

The fiber cross-section of Bemberg® is nearly perfectly round and has a smooth surface that prevents friction and facilitates body movement.

5. Less exhaust gas emission during combustion

The graph below, where the word ベンベルグ is written, shows the comparison of NOX, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions during combustion with those of other materials.

I think it is a very environment friendly material.

(Quoting data from Asahi Kasei website https://www.asahi-kasei.co.jp/fibers/bemberg/sustainability/resource/)

6.Others

Asahi Kasei imports some of the raw cotton lint from India. The by-products of the Indian cotton business are sold as yarn for the application of saris, the Indian folk costume, using Asahi Kasei’s technology. In this way, traditional clothes are comfortably reborn in India, increasing the opportunities to wear them and helping to preserve traditions in a new way. We are impressed by this part of the world.