Moving onto our second lecture the focus was on innovative and experimental fibre types, and to introduce us to the new materials and technology that are influencing contemporary design and production variations; in the hopes that this will educate us outside of the textile design process that we had become accustomed to.
Non- Traditional Fibre Sources:
Bast Fibres: A natural fibre source. Fibres such as Nettle, Jute and Ramie. These are quite linen-like and can be used for clothing as they can be very soft. Also Hemp, man's oldest cultivated fibre is very versatile as every part of the hemp plant can be used. It can be knitted and woven and turned into denim and it also has a natural strength and built in UV protection.
Leaf Fibres: A minority area, as only a few plants have the necessary atributes for fibre production. However those that are able to be used are from the Agave, Pineapple and Banana plants and can be used to create floorings and interior fabrics.
Bark Cloth: First developed in Asia, Africa, Indonesia and the Pacific. Made my beating wet strips of the inner bark of trees into sheets, which can then be finished into different items. The production of these fibres has a carbon footprint less than zero. Not suitable for garment production but can be used for accessories.
Seed Fibres: Seed fibres, such as the ones that are taken from the Kapok tree, are fine light and silky fibres that are used predominately for insulation and fibre filling as these fibres are moisture resistant, buoyant, resilient and soft, but are not suitable for spinning. Synthetics have replaced most applications for Kapok fibres and now they are used mainly in life preservers. Coir fibres come from the fruit of the Coconut tree, they are hard wearing and abrasion resistant making them suitable for floor coverings, geotextiles and ropes. They are also a good example of an easily renewable natural fibre.
Peat Fibre: Organic plant remains found in Scandinavian peat bogs. They can be woven and knitted and are used for clothing, blankets, interiors and footwear. They have thermal qualities as well as being naturally antiseptic and antistatic. However there are many environmental issues that come with peat harvesting as many scientists believe that peat growth cannot compete with the rapid harvesting and it has been compared to deforestation in its effects of the environment.
Alginate (Seaweed): Brown seaweed is often blended with cellulose fibres. It has natural healing properties due to it's high iodine content and can be used functionally in medical applications. It is also dissolvable and can be used in devoré and invisible printing techniques.
Metal Fibres: Predominantly Copper, Steel and Aluminium. Metal content fibres have the ability for heat memory and therefore react well to heat. They are conductive, protecting against electromagnetic radiation and are detectable by radar. Some trousers have these metal fibres in the pockets to protect the wearer from mobile phone radiation.
Paper Textiles: Made from renewable resources of pine trees, cotton, rice and abaca (a form of banana plant). They are high strength, light fast, renewable, biodegradable textiles.
Latex: A rubber tree will produce latex for 40 years, which creates enough latex to create 10 pairs of latex gloves per week. Due to the growing problem of skin sensitivity in response to natural latex, a latex substitute can be produced from synthetic materials.
Man-made Synthetics: Such as Polyethylene, PVC, Polypropylene and Polyurethane. They have a high strength and can be heat set. They are used in industrial and sports textiles and also in the medical world as they can be germ resistant. These fibres and products can be recycled.
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| A spider silk cape. |
Bio Fibres: Biotechnology is gaining much attention in the textile world in recent years in the search to find a way of mass producing fibres in a way that is environmentally friendly. Dextrose from plants can create a fibre with an environmentally acceptable life cycle, such as PLA bio-plastic materials. Starch from maize potatoes and sugar beet can also be used to create within a closed loop cycle. A silk-like fibre can be produced from the casein in milk, therefore a profit can still be made from spoiled/waste milk. Investigations into fabric sources from animals and insects are leading to some very interesting results.
Spider silk, for example, is one of the biologically engineered fibres being investigated via genetic modification as an alternative to harvesting silk worm cocoons and is statistically stronger than steel. there are also investigations into creating materials that can think, respond and take action such as
Honeybee silk, which is 100x finer than human hair, skin friendly and biodegradable.
Innovative Textiles:
Growing Fabrics: BioCouture work investigates the use of microbes to grow a textile/leather type biomaterial, by fermenting bacteria from a dense layer, instead of chemically exploiting materials. Experiments have been made to harness the power of mycelium/fungi to create fabrics and materials that could potentially replace synthetics. The company Ecovative have 'grown' 3D packaging material from this mycelium/fungi.
High Tec Fibres: Carbon fibre is a fibre containing at least 90% carbon and lightweight material that is very strong. It is a good conductor of heat and power, which can be used for interactive uses such as 'smartphone gloves' that let you control touch screen devices whilst still protecting your hands in cold weather.
Fibre-Optics: Can be used for aesthetic purposes such as co-ordinated colour and pattern changes and also enables response, interaction and increased functionality as it can link with other wireless communications, take wireless broadband internet connections for instance.
Sprayed Fabrics: Fabrican is a creation of a liquid suspension, sprayed by a spray gun/ aerosol can. Fabric is formed by the cross-linking of fibres which create an instant non-woven textile that can be sprayed onto any surface.
Rapid Prototyping: UV beams are used to fuse layers of powdered thermoplastic into a desired shape/ mould. Products are recyclable and leave behind minimal waste. There is no use of needle and thread.
Oversized & Micro-sized Stitches: Playing with they scale and size of the knit to create unusual/inspiring pieces and products. Nano-knitters create unbelievably tiny miniature garments to scale. There can be up to 80 stitches per inch.
Biomimetics: The ability to mimic a living bio system, often coming form developments made by the military. Stomatex products use the principle of a leafs natural ability to perspire and keep dry to create breathable fabrics that can be used in protective clothing and sportswear. Speedo's Fastskin swim suit replicates the surface of shark skin and helps the swimmer move through water more freely. There are also investigations into to Gecko lizard's ability to stick to surfaces that are being developed into fabric constructions.
Body Scanning: From body scanning, the body form can be used for 3D garment design which would be designed for and tailored to each individual person's body.
Moulded Fabrics: Yarns that are at least 60% synthetic can be moulded around a form and set to create the desired silhouette , with no cutting or sewing required.
Magnetism: Ferromagnetic materials such as iron or nickel. Ferromagnetism can be used to create textiles that can alter the fabric surfaces, often known as magic textiles. These materials can become permanently magnetised. Electronics can also be embedded into the fabric surface.
Zero Waste Cutting: Some garments can be created without
any waste fabric being left over whatsoever, by using pattern cutting templates that use up every inch of fabric. However this technique is very difficulty, and impractical in the sense that it limits the range of different garment shapes that can be created, therefore it's use is not widespread in the commercial textile industry.
I found this lecture really interesting, although we were given so much information on fibres and technologies that i didn't know about that my wrist was hurting trying to frantically write as much as I could down. I find the innovative textiles so inspiring and yet so frustrating because I wish I had the means to try them all, but there's some technology there that I doubt I'll ever get my hands on!
References:
- http://www.textileschool.com/articles/359/natural-cellulosic-seed-fibres
- http://www.speedo.co.uk/infoadvice_1/infoadvice/fastskinlzrracerelite2/fastskin3technologiespg.html
- http://www.toolingu.com/definition-560210-86402-ferromagnetic-material.html
- http://www.stomatex.com/faqs.html
Image Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bast_fibre
http://www.nma.gov.au/online_features/cook_forster/objects/poncho-like_garment_tiputa_oz421
http://charliegwillim.wordpress.com/2012/11/04/keireine-canavan-constructed-textiles-291012/
http://ssingh2301.blogspot.co.uk/2011/07/fibres.html
http://arcticstudies.pbworks.com/w/page/13623330/Tundra
http://skin-wound-care.medical-supplies-equipment-company.com/calcium-alginate-dressings-391.htm
http://www.burnertech.co.uk/Products/Metal-Fibre/68/71/
http://kickcanandconkers.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/shellie-holden.html
http://www.kew.org/plants/rubber.html
http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2012/jan/24/spider-silk-cape-show
http://www.designboom.com/design/suzanne-lee-biocouture-growing-textiles/
http://blog.proporta.com/smartphone-gloves-the-best-winter-accessory/
http://www.psgtechteam.com/telecom.html
http://news.softpedia.com/newsImage/Clothes-in-a-Can-Fabrican-Comes-Out-with-Spray-On-Fabric-2.jpg/
http://www.newmancraneins.com/2012/10/the-benefits-of-rapid-prototyping-in-the-manufacturing-industry/
http://ullaskovjensen.blogspot.co.uk/2012_10_01_archive.html
http://www.industrijski-dizajn.com/inspiracija/njeno-velicanstvo-majka-priroda-nepresusan-izvor-inspiracije/
http://www.ten24.info/?p=725
http://freshome.com/2011/12/13/redifining-the-connection-between-upholstery-and-fabric-olive-chair/
http://www.surfacedesign.org/newsblog/textile-magnetism-an-extraordinary-workshop-experience-with-jennifer-leary
http://bethnaomi22.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/zero-waste-pattern-cutting.html
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