Moving beyond masks: Hong Kong start-up Innotier expands into antimicrobial clothing
- Innotier diversified into making products aimed at customers concerned about hygiene in the post-Covid-19 era, founder Juliana Lam says
- With demand for the company’s products growing, Lam expects sales to increase by more than 300 per cent in excess of HK$100 million in the next 12 months
Like many mask manufacturers in Hong Kong, Juliana Lam saw her company’s business drop sharply after the government scrapped the face-covering mandate in March last year as the number of Covid-19 cases declined.
“Our business dropped more than 20 per cent shortly after the mask-wearing mandate was removed,” said Lam. But the company’s sales have bounced back as it launched a new line of hygiene-focused products, including antimicrobial underwear for women and baby clothes.
“Tests by international laboratory institutions have shown our underwear can kill various germs and viruses, including Staphylococcus aureus, HPV-16, and vaginal candidiasis [an infection caused by a type of fungus],” she said. Those institutions include SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Hong Kong dropped its Covid-19 mask mandate on March 1 last year in a move to lure back visitors, revive business confidence and restore normal life, more than three years after stringent rules were first imposed in the financial hub. Hong Kong was one of the last places globally to do away with masks.
The technology behind Innotier’s products involves the release of silver ions from the clothing fibres. These positively charged ions can act to eliminate viruses and bacteria on the surface of the fabrics, according to Lam.
The company is now in discussions with a Western brand to supply them with antimicrobial underwear products. There are also plans to diversify the product range, such as underwear for men, socks and apparel for both men and women.
“We have the expertise and manufacturing facilities in Panyu in Guangdong province, and in Vietnam, which allows us to be flexible in product diversification,” Lam said.
Lam’s father Frank Lam-Chi-kuen, and Edward Cheng Wing-chung, co-founded AML Group in 1963. It initially started off making gloves. By the early 2010s, AML had sales of over HK$1 billion (US$128 million) and counted major brands such as J Crew, Gap and Nike as clients before it shut down.
Lam’s Innotier supplies apparel to a number of international brands.
Sales of Innotier’s baby clothes and other products like travel bedsheets and pillowcases have been performing well since the travel restrictions were lifted after the pandemic.
In the coming 12 months, Lam expects the company’s sales to increase by over 300 per cent to exceed HK$100 million.
Last week, Innotier collaborated with the China Hong Kong Paralympic Committee to provide athletes with T-shirts to enhance the brand’s visibility.
