Canada’s Doris Hosiery Mills has signed a Patent & Technology License Agreement with Quick-Med Technologies, a life sciences company which develops innovative technologies for the healthcare and consumer markets.

Under the agreement Doris Hosiery will manufacture, distribute, market and sell consumer socks that incorporate Quick-Med's proprietary Stay Fresh antimicrobial technology.

According to Quick-Med, Stay Fresh uses hydrogen peroxide as the active ingredient, the same chemical produced by human cells to fight invasive bacteria, and naturally occurring in milk and honey as a preservative.

Addressing shortcomings

Stay Fresh is said to address the shortcomings of existing technologies by providing sustained antimicrobial effectiveness after repeated laundering. The treatment is said to lock the power of hydrogen peroxide into fabrics allowing them to stay fresher for longer because the active agent is held in place on the fabric.

Quick-Med says that consumers are comfortable with hydrogen peroxide as a colour-safe bleaching agent and stain fighter for laundering applications and it is a powerful antimicrobial, highly effective against a wide range of microorganisms, including bacteria, mould, mildew, fungi, algae, and viruses.

The company also says that very low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide have been shown to be effective in guarding against the growth of odours from microbial causes and in resisting deterioration or staining caused by fungi, moulds and mildew.

Quick-Med claims that the safe, eco-friendly ingredient in Stay Fresh is “sequestered to fibres or fabrics to retain its efficacy for as many as 100 laundering cycles, in hot or cold water”.

Unparalleled durability

The company believes that the unparalleled durability of Stay Fresh antimicrobial is an important distinction, as other antimicrobials lose effectiveness during repeated laundering. Stay Fresh is said to be ideally suited to a wide variety of textile applications including essential apparel, workwear, active wear, bedding, and health care textiles.

"We are excited to employ this next generation antimicrobial technology," said Joel Edery, Doris Hosiery's Director of Sourcing and R&D.

"We want to provide our consumers with the best functional products that feature the most environmentally responsible technologies, and we believe that Stay Fresh helps us meet these goals."

"We are extremely pleased that Doris has selected Stay Fresh for its hosiery products," said J. Ladd Greeno, Quick-Med's CEO.

 "Stay Fresh provides highly effective antimicrobial protection with an extraordinary durability that previously hasn't been available for laundered textiles. Socks in particular are a great product where Stay Fresh technology can add value for both the manufacturer and consumer by making a product that stays fresher for longer."

Doris Hosiery

Doris Hosiery Mills is the leading hosiery and sheer legwear manufacturer and distributor in Canada. Founded 57 years ago, the company produces and markets Secret, the largest Canadian hosiery brand, as well as Kushyfoot and Dreamsoles socks and Therapy Plus diabetic and graduated compression socks.

Privately owned Doris Hosiery is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec and expects to begin selling socks incorporating Stay Fresh technology this autumn.