With the commencement of the pandemic, two leading textile innovators HeiQ and Nylstar pooled resources developed over a decade long collaboration to create a premium synthetic fiber that was sustainable, antimicrobial and durable, in short, the optimal fusion of innovative ingredient into sustainably made materials. A record-breaking development speed of just six months resulted in the launch of HeiQ Viroblock Permanent, a new technology under the im-mensely successful HeiQ Viroblock technology platform.

• A decade long collaboration between Swiss textile innovator HeiQ and Spanish premium synthetic fiber manufacturer Nylstar, has resulted in the innovation of a revolutionary new premium antiviral and antimicrobial textile with zero pollution sustainable benefits, Meryl Skinlife Force powered by HeiQ Viroblock Permanent, winner of ISPO Textrends Award for the Best Product.

The new technology is used exclusively on Meryl Skinlife Force, an innovative hi-tech fabric that combines the silver-ion active principle antimicrobial properties developed by HeiQ and Nylstar’s hydrogen-based technology which allows the creation of yarns with a very strong molecular cohesion structure. The Hydro-gen molecular structure makes Meryl Skinlife Force a high-performance fabric in terms of moisture management and breathability, offering a natural stretch without elastane as well as excellent durability thanks to its continuous and high tenacity filaments. The robust durability of HeiQ Viroblock Permanent is achieved thanks to the silver particles being added directly into the raw polymer of the yarn thereby keeping these properties active for the lifetime of gar-ments. Fabric samples successfully demonstrated a very strong antimicrobial efficacy with over 99.99 percent reduction of both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria after 100 washes. Antiviral test is underway.