As mentioned within my first blog, I decided to join the Textiles Innovation TOP because it was completely out of my comfort zone and I was interested in learning about the world of textiles. Having started the course with very poor knowledge about the textile industry and the things available, I feel like I'm leaving it with a much greater understanding.
I feel really lucky to have had the opportunity to delve in to another area of design, and ultimately all of the things that I have learned will help me a lot within my interior & spatial design work. It was great to be in a class full of students from the various degree courses as we could all give examples of textiles within our own industries and bring something different to the table. It was also lovely to meet some new faces.
Although we only had 4 lectures, the amount of knowledge I picked up from them was immense. At first I found the pace a little quick and had hand-ache at the end of most sessions from frantically writing notes, but I eventually got used to it! The lectures were engaging and I liked the mix of power point presentations, show & tell boards and normal verbal teaching. The seminars were great too because they were really tactile, with everyone bringing in a different example to pass around, it was interesting to listen to everyone else's thoughts and opinions on things, being from different backgrounds.
I think the blog is a fantastic idea because personally through making my blog and re-reading notes etc I feel that it has fully cemented the knowledge I have gained in to my brain. I have actually also enjoyed doing it. The course has given me a genuine interest in, and enthusiasm towards the industry - I've spent hours online, reading articles and watching videos relating to the subject. I am particularly fascinated by new developments in textiles that aim to combat environmental issues. As something that is also a major issue and concern in interior & spatial design, I will look at trying to include some of these smart textiles within my design work in the future. After learning about the NPE scandal I have now signed up to the Green Peace Toxic Threads campaign (something I wasn't aware of) and receive regular newsletters from them keeping me up to date with the latest issues. My new found knowledge of different fibres and their qualities will be highly useful within my work when deciding which fabric will be best to use in various circumstances.
I think the TOP scheme in general is a great idea and it is a shame the course has come to an end. I hope to sign up to another textile related TOP again if given the opportunity.
Monday 14 January 2013
Seaswarm
MIT have created an incredible self-powered robot which could completely repair disasters such as the oil spill in the Golf of Mexico. These machines are made from a nano fabric that separates oil from water, picking up the oil and leaving the water behind. The amazing thing is, once heated up the oil can be removed and the fabric used over and over again.
Plant Plastic
Sunday 13 January 2013
The Power of Twitter
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| <https://twitter.com/i/#!/Greenpeace> |
Green Peace seem to be picking one company at a time and badgering them on twitter until they commit to detox. A good example of this being Zara, one of the worst offenders. “Zara alone churns out 850 million clothing items a year,” says Li Yifang, a toxics campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia. “You can imagine the size of the toxic footprint it has left on this planet, particularly in developing countries like China where many of its products are made.”
Green Peace
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| "Toxic Threads". Photo. <http://www.ecouterre.com> |
TOXIC
Are toxic chemicals in our clothing damaging to our health?...
Ros mentioned this issue within a lecture and it really intrigued me, as personally I hadn't even realised that this was a possibility. So I had a little read up about it...
The clothes we wear contain NPE's (nonylphenol ethoxylates), which technically are banned in Europe. When you wash your garments in water these NPE's break down in to NP (nonylphenol) and are creeping into and poisoning our waterways. NP is a toxic and hormone disrupting substance, let alone extremely harmful to animals. 52 out of 78 garments sold in the UK tested positive. There are other alcohol ethoxylates available that companies can use, however they don't, as this is more expensive. Traces have already been found in human breast milk blood and urine, its slowly working its way inside of us!
Sustainability
"meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs"
It's quite shocking that the textile industry is the 2nd worst next to the chemical industry for pollution. This could be significantly reduced if companies stopped cutting corners in order to save money. 90% of a products environmental impact is decided at the design stage, so why aren't designers only using processes that have minimal effects? This could include digital printing which uses significantly less water that other dying/printing methods, or lazer cutting and bonding to create seamless products. Not only would this cut down on process's it would also mean less travelling around and therefore less pollution. In order to combat the issue of pollution as well as the issue of incorrect waste disposal we should be pushing recycling, or purchasing items that we will keep for a long time, not just for the average lifespan of a garment - 2 years.
Self Cleaning!
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| <http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk> |
Engineers have created a chemical coating containing titanium dioxide (already used in self cleaning windows) that when applied to clothes allows them to clean themselves. Wow. Not only will they be able to rid themselves of stains (when exposed to sunlight) the coating will also be able to remove odours. It is said to be non-toxic, environmentally friendly and also cost effective. Madness!
Wonderland
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| <http://interface.ulster.ac.uk/projects.php?id=16> |
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| <http://interface.ulster.ac.uk/projects.php?id=16> |
Previously on my blog I posted this picture of 'Plastic Island'.... A build up of old plastic objects, floating around in the ocean, no sign of breaking down.
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| Plastic Island |
In order to address this issue in 2008 designer Helen Storey, alongside a team of others, set out on an exploration into biodegradable materials. Storey designed six dresses chemically designed to disappear when submerged in water, to demonstrate the power of the plastic she had created. See the video shot by Nick Knight here...
Pollution-Busting Textile
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| <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-14043156> |
"As you walk down the street you are purifying the air and passing cleaner air on to the person behind you by the movement of your own walking," Professor Helen Storey MBE
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-south-yorkshire-14043156>
Finishes - Digital Printing
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| "Peony Legging" <www.allsaints.co.uk> |
This is a beautiful way of printing images on to various fabrics, with a huge reduction of waste. Although it is an expensive process, it can be seen regularly on the high street with AllSaints being a particular fan of the method.
Finishes - Wax
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| <http://www.barbour.com/anatomy/wax> |
Uniqlo Heat Tech
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| "Heat Tech". <www.uniqlo.com> |
Seminar
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| Making Plastic Yarn |
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| Attempting to hand knit plastic bags. |
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| Machine knitting plastic bags combined with cotton. |
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| Playing with a single colour. (although we eventually found out that Tesco bags glide the most easily through the machine) |
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| Machine Knit Plastic Bags |
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| Testing out the stretchability of a sample of plastic bag knitting. |
Plastic Island
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| "Plastic Island". Photo. <http://www.zmescience.com> |
Some of the consequences of over using and under recycling plastic bags.
Precious Waste
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| "Precious Waste: Plastic Shopping Bags". Photo. <http://inhabitat.com/> |
In last weeks unusual fibres lecture, Ros touched on Michelle Baggerman's 'Precious Waste' project. Baggerman believes that the lifetime of a plastic bag should be much longer than it currently is. To address both this and the issue of recycling she has spun plastic bags in to yarn which when woven will create a stronger, longer lasting plastic material.
Fabrican
A concoction of cotton fibres, polymers and solvents, this unusual mixture means that garments can be literally sprayed straight on to your body to create a 'perfect fit'. The brain child of Dr Torres, he believes this is the perfect way to create clothes instantly and cheaply, that can be dissolved and used again once bored to make something new. It is currently still in progress, but could eventually be used for anything from bandages to furniture upholstery. However, the question still remains, would anyone use it?
Spider Silk
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| <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/spider-silk/> |
Another impressive fibre is spider silk, used by spiders for suspension or capturing other animals, it also makes a rather remarkable textile. However, quite obviously there are a lot of difficulties in extracting and processing a large amount of spider silk. It took four years, eight-two people and one million golden orb spiders to create a piece of cloth 11 foot by 4 foot.
Spider Silk's New Competitor
Alginate
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| <Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images> Another amazing fibre is Alginate. As mentioned earlier I found learning about medical textiles really interesting and Alginate is in a similar category. The Fibre comes from brown seaweed and due to its iodine context has natural healing properties. Incredibly it has anti-flammatory / antiseptic properties, can hasten blood clotting and encourages healing on damaged skin. |
Piña
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| <http://www.parkesdale.com> |
I was surprised to learn that fabrics were being made with the fibre obtained from pineapple leaves. Mostly used in the Philippines this unusual and exotic fibre is used to make table linens, bags, mats and various items of clothing. The end product is lightweight but rather stiff, however, pineapple fibre combined with silk is said to be a favourite of the Queen of Philippine!
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| "Pina Fibre". Photo. <http://www.ecouterre.com> |
Ryohei Koike & Jarod Poenisch - Nested Skyscraper
Tired of endless concrete structures, Koike and Poenisch wanted to deviate from typical rigid forms within their design. By 'nesting' the core of the building within such a delicate materiality gives the design a fragile aesthetic that can 'adapt to climatic, urban and programmatic conditions with the use of advanced materials'. Through using this textile the skyscraper 'seeks to blur the distinctions between interior and exterior'.
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| "Nested Skyscraper". 2010. <http://www.designboom.com> |
Cocoon - Chia-Min Chen
I came across this design by Chia-Min Chen and it instantly reminded me of the cocoons silk worms create around themselves. The chair is the perfect example of how easily textiles and spatial design overlap. Chen also happens to have studied MA Textile Design at Chelsea.
Wednesday 9 January 2013
Wool
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| "New Zealand Merino Wool". Photo. <http://www.johnsmedley.com> |
- Hard wearing and absorbs moisture.
- Does not burn over a flames, smoulders instead.
- Lightweight and versatile.
- Wool does not wrinkle easily.
- Durable
- Resistant to dirt and wear and tear.
- 200+ varieties of wool.
From Worm to Silk
Silk has to be one of the most amazing textiles in my opinion. Not only is it absolutely beautiful, but I find the process from worm to material fascinating. Listed below are just some of the properties that make it so popular.
- Versatile and very comfortable.
- Absorbs moisture.
- Cool to wear in the summer but warm in winter
- Easily dyed.
- Retains its shape and is relatively smooth.
- Strongest natural fibre and is lustrous.
Below are some videos explaining the process which I found really helpful.
Feeding the worms...
From Cocoon to Silk...
Cotton
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| "Cotton Plant". Photo. <http://www.organic-cotton.us/>
"Not only is it renewable and biodegradable, it’s incredibly versatile – capable of being woven into the lightest tees or the heaviest sweaters. It’s light and breathable in warmer conditions and dries easily to prevent chilling. Cotton is also durable, malleable and extremely easy to take care of – all good reasons why it’s the most popular textile on earth."
<http://www.finelines.co.nz>
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Fibres
Today Ros asked us whether we thought about what garments are made of before we buy them, and whether it would affect our decision to purchase. I have to say I personally don't check out the labels when I'm shopping and I probably should. It made me realise that I don't know much about fibres and their unique pros and cons, which is why the next part of the lecture can in really handy...
Methods of Making
Similarly to the way that there are vast amounts fibres that can be used, there are also numerous ways of bonding them together to create a textile. Knitting, weaving, crocheting, knotting and pressing fibres just to name a few. I have had experience with hand- knitting before but did not know too much about the other methods so it was interesting to discuss and learn about these.
What amazed me when researching in to knitting on an industrial level was the wide range of textiles it can produce, not just the typical knit and purl stitches I was expecting!
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| Knitting Machine - Textiles for Agricultural, Construction and Sports Use |
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| Nylon Net Cloth |
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| Round Yarn |
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| Flat Yarn |
Textiles & It's Uses - Architecture
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| "London 2012 Olympic Stadium Wrap". Rainier. Photo. <http://fabricarchitecturemag.com> |
"A breakthrough product, Cooley’s engineered-fabric membrane (coated with resins made by Dow) showcase a durable, printable, fire retardant and recyclable fabric, now part of Cooley’s Enviroflex™ line.
<http://fabricarchitecturemag.com>
Textiles & It's Uses - Medical & Hygiene
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| "Medical Textiles Classification". <http://www.fibre2fashion.com> |
When learning about textiles and its different functions, I have to say I found this area the most fascinating. Whether for internal or external purposes textiles used within a medical context need to be non-toxic, nonallergenic, sterlizable, strong, durable and biocompatible and can have lots of different functions as seen in the diagram above. After researching online, there seems to be a healthy amount of room for more development in this area. However the things available today are still outstanding such as polyester and viscose fibres being used to create an artificial kidney.
Textiles & It's Uses - Geotextiles and Agrotextiles
Textiles within an agricultural context can be used for weed protection, warming soil, reinforcing embankments and shading to name a few tasks. In order to do this it needs to be stable, permeable, strong and lightweight at the same time and because of this polythene is widely used.
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| "Wastewater Pond Liner Withstands Florida Sunshine". Photo. <http://www.xr-technology.com> |
Textiles & It's Uses - Transport
From the interiors of our own personal cars to public transport, the textiles used in transport needs to have high abrasion resitance, UV resistance and fire resistance to be successful. For these reasons polyester is the obvious choice. Believe it or not this ghastly print as seen on buses/trains was handpicked for its unique properties!
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| "Bus/Train Fabric". Photo. <http://www.alibaba.com> |
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