Sustainable Sportswear: Hyosung, Tefron, Santoni Partnership
PATRICK SILVA SZATKOWSKI
Problem
Turning Material Innovation into Market-Ready Product (Santoni x Hyosung x Tefron)
As global sportswear brands accelerate their shift toward sustainability, demand is growing for certified, high-performance materials that can be effectively translated into commercial products.
However, a key industry gap persists:
Material innovation often remains underutilized due to limited integration with advanced manufacturing technologies
Brands struggle to convert innovative yarns into functional, differentiated garments at scale
This created the need to bridge materials, machinery, and product development into tangible solutions.
Solution
Enabled the development of a new generation of seamless apparel by integrating:
Certified bio-based and recycled elastane yarns (Hyosung)
Industrial seamless production capabilities (Tefron)
Advanced Santoni seamless technologies, including SM8-TOP2ST with selective terry structures
Key innovation:
Introduction of needle-by-needle and sinker-by-sinker selective terry, allowing 3D engineered structures directly in the garment
Ability to place terry zones in specific areas of the garment, enhancing performance (comfort, cushioning, breathability)
Creation of sculptured terry and 3D functional zones, enabling protection in high-stress areas
This allowed:
Development of garments with integrated functionality (compression, padding, ventilation)
Reduction of production complexity while increasing product differentiation
Impact
Accelerated the conversion of material innovation into market-ready product solutions
Enabled adoption of certified sustainable yarns in performance apparel collections
Introduced new functional design standards (3D terry zones, engineered comfort areas)
Strengthened Santoni’s positioning as a partner capable of turning innovation into sellable products
My role
Led the translation of material innovation into commercially viable product concepts, combining deep technical understanding with business development.
Acted as link between material innovation (Hyosung), manufacturing scale (Tefron), and Santoni technology
Defined the commercial value proposition for global sportswear brands
Drove go-to-market narrative and brand engagement
Leveraged hands-on expertise of Santoni machinery interface and knitting capabilities to guide product development
Like this project
Posted Apr 4, 2024
Oversaw the collaboration with Tefron and Hyosung to introduce a new generation of sustainable sportswear, bringing seamless technology expertise
