Fashion for the Future
- daisypope
- Aug 18, 2019
- 5 min read
This week sees an increase in combating the environmental impact of the fashion industry including the use of spider silk, cellulose sequins and 3D knitting. Along with some incredible technological advancements in flying cars, robotic contacts and finally a new way to reuse our cooking oils.
Robotic Contact Lenses
Imagine being able to use your contact lenses like a camera, zooming in on text and even capturing pictures, Well it seems we are one step closer to achieving this. Research scientists at the University of California San Diego have looked at how electrooculographic (the small movements our eyes make) can control soft robotics. Soft robotics are robotics that use mechanisms and materials similar to those found in living organisms. So far the team have developed contact lenses that will zoom in when you blink twice. Imagine you wouldn't need two pairs of glasses for reading and for seeing in the distance, you could just have one pair of lenses. But could this go even further? Could you capture photographs by closing your eyes for 3 seconds and the images automatically transfer to your phone? Perhaps we could even invent glasses that zoom in for those who don't like wearing contact lenses.... There are many possibilities so watch this space for the next optical advancements. See more at https://www.designboom.com/technology/robotic-contact-lenses-that-zoom-in-by-blinking-twice-07-30-2019/ .
Fatty Soap
After cooking where do you usually throw your excess oil?... Straight down the kitchen drain? Well did you know that by doing that you are contributing to 80% of water system issues and contributing to £100 million worth of damage to water systems and the environment. Northumbria University graduate Danielle Coffey has created Sapu, a device to turn waste oils into soap, as part of the John Lewis' Room Y innovation department. The FOGs (Fat, oil and grease) are poured into a polypropylene filter where the FOG is filtered through a non-toxic, biodegradable filter paper made from cellulose or starch. After filtering into the main compartment the FOG is mixed with a metal hydroxide and water. The next step is to add your own herbs and aromas before pouring the mixture into moulds and leaving to solidify for household use. Coffey's design is an excellent response to a problem that, let's face it, not many of us ever thing about or consider. I think this would be particularly good for restaurants and places like fish and chips shops that use an abundance of oil. Imagine a restaurant where you could buy some soap that has been created from the oil used to make your southern fried chicken. It certainly highlights a problem that needs addressing, and would also be a fun thing to make at home. See the full story at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/06/danielle-coffey-household-fat-soap-design/ .
Flying Cars Finally Here
This week Japanese electronics giant NEC have demonstrated their latest development of the flying car. The car is a battery powered vehicle that looks much like a drone, using 4 large propellers to get off the ground. The car was demonstrated for a full minute, 10 feet off the ground. The car has been designed to carry people however no one was inside it during the demonstration. This is an exciting development for the future of flying cars. Perhaps is could solve issues around traffic jams, road accidents and congestion. However it makes me question how you would be able to control the air traffic and also the environmental impact flying cars could have. I guess we will see fairly soon as NEC are hoping to release their flying car by 2026. See the video at https://www.designboom.com/technology/japan-unveils-flying-car-test-flight-nec-corp-08-07-2019/ .
Spider Silk Dress
You may not know it, but spider silk is one of the most amazing natural materials in the world. It has an incredible amount of natural properties including super strength and being hypoallergenic. Stella McCartney and Adidas have collaborated with Bolt Threads to create a fully biodegradable tennis dress made from lab-grown spider silk. The silk from an orb-weaver spider is used by bio-engineering the genes and implanting them in yeast. The yeast produces protein through fermentation and then the silk proteins are extracted and woven into a yarn to create garments. Wool or cotton can be labelled as biodegradable, however the chemical treatments they go through can slow down or prevent the process altogether, whereas spider silk is fully biodegradable. Designer Stella McCartney says
Fashion is one of the most harmful industries to the environment. We can't wait any longer to search for answers and alternatives. By creating a truly open approach to solving the problem of textile waste, we can help empower the industry at large to bring more sustainable practices into reality. ( https://www.dezeen.com/2019/07/31/biofabric-tennis-dress-adidas-stella-mccartney-bolt-threads-microsilk/)
Hopefully the fashion industry will follow suit in reducing their environmental impact, although this may be a slow process. However alternative fabrics such as spider silk are certainly the way forward for a greener fashion future. See more at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/07/31/biofabric-tennis-dress-adidas-stella-mccartney-bolt-threads-microsilk/ .
Bio Sequins
In the quest to reduce our use of plastics Designer Elissa Brunato has invented sequins made from cellulose. Sequins isn't something I have even considered having a negative impact on the environment. However when you consider just one dress can contain hundreds, even thousands, of little plastic sequins the environmental impact could be pretty harmful. The crystalline form of naturally occurring cellulose refracts light making it shimmery without any extra coatings or colours. The sequins only take a day to create and can be created in a variety of shapes and sizes ready to be sewn in to garments. The sequins are still in their development stage but there are hopes for the future in developing their biodegradability and hopefully producing them on a mass scale. Another great innovation to create a greener future. It could only seem a small solution, however if mass produced perhaps the bio-sequins could eradicate the use of petroleum-based sequins altogether and lead us to a much more environmentally friendly fashion industry. See more at https://www.dezeen.com/2019/08/02/bio-iridescent-sequin-elissa-brunato-sustainable-fashion .
InverseKnit
Have you ever fancied trying knitting but don't have the patience for it?... Well Computer Scientists at MIT have created InverseKnit, a program that anyone can use to created a 3D knitted product. Anyone can design a product or upload a picture of what they want and the 3D knitting machine will produce exactly what the used desires. Currently 3D knitting machines are pretty expensive, so some companies are working on reducing the cost of them. InverseKnit is also under development as it can only create one piece items and can only use one colour of yarn. However in the future maybe we will be designing and printing our own jumpers in our own homes ready to wear. Perhaps it will also help combat some of the fast fashion and throwaway fashion problems as if you have designed and created your own jumper you'll be more likely to wear it and keep it for longer. See more at https://www.fastcompany.com/co-design/3 .
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