Teijin has developed an aramid fibre fabric in the style of denim, called XFire Denim. It has its sights set mainly on sales for flame-retardant clothing as worn by Japan’s volunteer fire service crews, which it plans to bring to the market in 2017.

These are expected to be adopted for use by volunteer firefighters

The raw material is a meta-aramid fibre called Conex which excels in both heat and flame resistance. To complement the heat resistance, strength and comfort required by fire fighters, a high level of design was needed.

A further benefit of the unique design that has been observed is that it allows volunteer and professional firefighters to be instantly distinguished while at the scene of a fire.

Teijin holds the largest market share for protective clothing worn by professional firefighters domestically, and aims for turnover of 20 billion yen in the field of such safety solutions, by the year 2020.