Tag: Fashion

Older models are all the rage. But some items of clothing wear easily. Now, a Swedish company founded by scientists is recycling used clothing and production waste from cotton or viscose. Having been de-zipped and de-buttoned, the textiles are ground and dissolved into non-toxic chemicals. The resulting pulp of cellulose fibres is freed from unwanted residues, dried and made...

Skin cancer can be detected early using mobile phones. Though sun-cream and clothing help with prevention, the latter are often treated with potentially hazardous chemicals. Enter a Finnish research team, which has spun a new yarn. They isolated fibres from a fast-growing species of willow by using sodium bicarbonate and mixed them with the same amount of cellulose. Materials...

Fish have benefited from tropical plants, pallets too. Now, a Swiss rucksack company has joined forces with a Taiwanese yarn manufacturer to create a durable material from banana trees. The Abacà plant, native to the Philippines, is rich in fibres and doesn’t need pesticides or water to grow. Harvesting occurs once a year, allowing the plant to regenerate fully....

Biodegradable markers are a highlight. Environmentally-friendly colouring agents are a rarity in the textiles industry - but perhaps these will change that. Cue a Finnish research project investigating natural sources for dyes and pigments. Even microbes from agricultural waste are going under the microscope. Each step in the production of biocolourants, from manufacture to delivery, is examined for sustainability....

Stretch-jeans can be manufactured sustainably. But for a new look, it’s worth taking a peek inside your existing wardrobe. A London-based startup is helping consumers to find novel combinations. Single items of clothing are photographed and images uploaded to its app. It, in turn, categorises users’ wardrobes. This catalogue lets users generate new combinations for any occasion. Those looking...

There are biodegradable flags and environmentally-friendly colours for jeans. Meanwhile a fourth-generation owner of an Italian family-run textile company has shown that stretch jeans can be sustainably manufactured too. The new yarn contains natural rubber instead of oil-based elastane. His jeans are fully biodegradable and can even be used as fertiliser for raw materials such as cotton. After 3...

Tipp-Ex can help correct spelling mistakes. Where textiles are concerned, however, an error leads to disposal. Cue a startup from Portugal with its blend of high-resolution cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence. Their system can be installed on circular knitting machines, where it monitors production - normally responsible for 80% o mistakes - in real time. At the first sign...

As winter draws in, bacteria start to grow more quickly. Not much fun unless you happen to be a scientist. We’ve seen wood and designer bags manufactured from fast growing cells. Now, a startup from New York has developed a leather-like material using bacterial nanocellulose and plant-based fibres. The novel material is free of chemicals and plastics, as well...