Modern technology has opened up endless possibilities in the realm of fabrics, especially relating to recycling and sustainable design- that much was certainly clear to me after last week’s introductory TED talk! This weekend I was excited to delve in a little further when I went to hear Claudine Rousseau (course leader for LCF Sportswear) discuss smart fabrics in design at the V&A’s Fashion Festival.
The first piece we were shown was a sports shirt made from coffee beans. The fabric was light, flexible and breathable- you would never connect it with the image of waste coffee grounds. As the beans naturally contain anti-bacterial properties that eliminate odors and wick away sweat, the fabric is perfect for activewear.
I thought the effect of these recycled yarns heatpressed between layers of waste fabric (above) was really interesting. These samples are the work of Italian designer Luisa Cevese. I researched a bit more into her when I got back home, and I love how she applies the principle of reusing waste fibres to create accessories. Just look at these bags...
In the TED talk, the term ‘biomimicry’ was mentioned, and on Saturday, I saw a few of such fabrics in action. Inspired by the idea of water sliding off bird’s feathers, last year Scholler launched the aptly named ‘Ecorepel’, a water repellent fabric finishing. It was fun to watch Claudine tip a bottle of water over a treated surface, and see the droplets simply roll off. There were also fabrics that mimic pine cones, with pores that open and close depending on the temperature, making it useful for outdoor activity. I’ve never really thought about fabrics in such a functional way before, and it was really interesting to hear about the specific jobs fabrics can be used to achieve for certain purposes in a design.
This (left) was one of my favourite fabrics, however.
Although functionality is great when it comes to fabric selection, I think simply appealing to the senses is also a wonderful thing in itself. This piece has been made of multiple laser cut layers bonded together. Who can resist a bit of textured shine with some bright orange peeping through...not me, that’s for sure!
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