DryDye Fabrics; Who Needs Water?

You may remember a few months back when I wrote about AirDye, the delightfully innovative company that dyes and prints fabric without the use of water.  That was interesting, right?  If your answer is yes then you should keep reading.

The other day, while browsing and attempting to keep abreast of industry news, I learned about DryDye, another process that has been developed for textile dyeing without the use of water. A warp and weft knitted fabric producer will introduce the cloth that will use an exclusive waterless dyeing process. Apparently,the company will save millions of litres of fresh water on a yearly basis.  Both natural and synethic fabrics can be dyed using this technique, with both producing excellent results as far as even dyeing and shading. Also, in terms of the actual physical properties of dyed yarns, there is not change in comparison to conventional methods.  Which is important, of course.  We all know that we can’t allow the loss of the hand and drape of a fabric.  And, just so you know, you don’t need to wait too long to get in on the action.  DryDye fabrics will be available to consumer in Spring 2011.

So now, having read and written about both AirDye and DryDye, I can’t help but wonder, What’s the difference? Anybody know?