What are the most promising innovations in new materials and production techniques? Cecilia Raspanti and Ista Boszhard are co-founders of Waag TextileLab Amsterdam. They explain their view on innovation in the fashion industry and give an overview of state of the art technological inventions that can be applied to textiles; from 3D printing to bacterial dyeing. What is needed for new materials and techniques to be adopted by the textile industry and by consumers? What about local production of biomaterials versus upscaling?
Bio Meets Digital was a collaboration project with Atelier Néerlandais in Parisand TextileLab Amsterdam at WAAG Society which created a series of events and an exhibition. Bio Meets Digital was about looking at fashion, and technology also as a new ecology. And asking ourselves the questions, 'can we actually speak about an ecology?' Because fashion in itself is of course not sustainable. But if we put all these materials, designers, thoughts together, can we see how they relate and also how they make use of each other's knowledge let's say. In the textile and fashion industry, we have many issues that we're not voicing yet. We have problems for which we don't yet have solutions. But, collaborating with somebody with a completely different point of view or expertise, such as a scientist, a microbiologist or a chemist. Actually can bring us so many new alternatives, possibilities, to explore together. And we found out that very often, scientists themselves had answers to this question for a long time. That is really important. Every time also when you work in innovation and want to make something, let's say 'better', if you want to find a solution. Because then you also at the same time create another culture, of really questioning and to share your problems, also to give others the opportunity to actually help you. And to together, really push the research forward. But the recipes of all of the, what we see as new materials and innovation towards sustainability, most of them are coming from heritage techniques and crafts from all over the world. And then we looked through a lens of new technologies and new possibilities, creating like a sort of new intersection, a whole new list of possibilities. Those are what we see very strongly emerging in this last couple of years.
project BioShades - bacteria-dyes and bacteria-pigments as an alternative to the current synthetic dyes. It's a project where we create mutualism between different parties. So between scientists and creators, to look together at what are problems and solutions.
WearPure. a project that focuses on active materials. it's not a material that is sustainable by itself, but actually attracts CO2 molecules. And actually processes them to diminish CO2 in the atmosphere around us. 'can this be upscaled?' 'Can this go to an industrial scale and feed the needs of the whole world?'
specific materials are abundant in specific regions and we can make the most use of that and develop biomaterials, in places such as China, or in South America, and look at different raw materials and their different outcomes. so its important that when we talk about the upscaling of biomaterial and research materials as such, that we actually look at spreading the knowledge and the facilities and the small production rather than upscaling it massively in one place. This allows us to keep biodiversity intact, but also to feed new possibilities. Having completely different raw materials will give you completely different outcomes. But sharing the knowledge behind that is what actually brings us together, and makes sure that both collaboration and local production actually create a new function.
the local production, the local materials, and sharing the knowledge, from this you can also start thinking of new business models. But it doesn't need to cover the whole world immediately. there's also working with artists and designers, they will be the ones that take the knowledge and develop that more and more.
Looking back in history, clothes were often produced locally which contrasts with the large global value chains the fashion industry knows nowadays . Why did local clothing production become less and less common? The competitiveness of the fashion industry and new value chain management systems led to radical changes with respect to the flexibility and speed with which new clothing could be designed, produced, and brought to market. Firms therefore started producing fabrics and clothing in countries with low labour costs, to maximize cost efficiencies, whilst reducing response times to retailers.
This way the fashion industry became dominated by global production networks (GPN). A global production network has interconnected nodes and links extending spatially across national boundaries, integrating parts of disparate national and subnational territories. GPNs have some challenges as well, besides logistics and other practical issues, one of its main disadvantages nowadays, is the large anonymity in the value chain of fashion. As a result, researchers, designers and brands are looking for alternatives. Will we go back in history and produce more locally? Read more about recent change in fashion value chain in the report below.
Trends and biobased materials
Fabrics as we know them today are not sustainable. But while jackets from jellyfish or mushroom are slowly emerging in research and design, they are not yet mainstream. Being naked is the most sustainable solution, but what if we actually prefer clothes? Then what are our options? What can we wear without feeling a certain “fashion-shame”? What are we wearing now and what are the future fashion trends? In any phase of the value chain of the fashion industry, as a designer, manufacturer or as a user, wanting to transition to more sustainable practices, can be very overwhelming. Luckily, there are many new perspectives and solutions emerging as well.
First of all, the secondhand industry has gotten an enormous boost and is expected to grow even further. Though boomers are often seen as a nuisance regarding sustainability, thrift shopping the garments from the boomer generation is not just hip, it’s very much happening. ThredUP publishes a yearly Resale Report, a global market analysis on second-hand retail, gathered though surveys with American women combined with other data. In January 2019, their report stated that in five years, the total second-hand apparel market will double. Over the last three years already, resale has grown 21 times faster than the regular retail apparel market. “Compared to the overall apparel market, resale’s growth has been phenomenal. As the market uniquely meets consumers’ preference for variety, value, and sustainability, we expect the high growth to continue.” In conclusion, there are more second-hand shoppers than ever before. Any smart business owner or entrepreneur should see this rise as a massive circular business opportunity. However, as with regular fashion consumption, second-hand shopping or thrifting remains a capitalistic activity, focused on sales. And whether your closet is filled with fast-fashion bought in the actual store, or through a reseller, it remains questionable whether this is the right way to go. As Lidewij (or Li) Edelkoort, one of the most influential trend watchers to date, states we’re addicted to greed. “The system is seriously ill. Seriously, seriously ill. The overconsumption is leading to neglect, and there is no fantasy about fashion anymore, because we don’t give enough care to the making of clothes.” So, if you have the choice, look for truly vintage, maybe even handmade pieces that could very well outlive you, instead of buying that sold-out Zara top from a reseller.
Still, alternatives are needed as not everyone loves garments from the past or simply don’t have access to them due to price or availability. Many designers, researchers and entrepreneurs look for alternatives. One of the alternatives can be found in radical new ways of consumption, such as renting garments through a fashion library instead of owning, which should result in owning less and less. No more “stuffocating” as Lidewij Edelkoort puts it.
In terms of alternative resources, she speaks of more natural resources, such as nettle or hemp and more alternative resources, such as algae. Creating a fashion industry influenced by biobased materials or bio-inspired innovation. This movement is getting a lot of traction, and as explained by designer and scientist Neri Oxman, we are moving on timescales focused on physical means such as the Stone Age, Bronze Age and Iron Age towards the Digital Age in which we live now. She believes society will move forward towards a “Biological Age”. Lidewij Edelkoort agrees that she sees much more nature-inspired design, “we look a lot at insects for inspiration, and nature in general. People are really introducing new fibres, new ways of making things, because of what we see happening in nature.”
we need a radical change towards biobased materials. Together with among others, material scientists, consumer behavioral experts and designers we can pave the way for a more sustainable and circular fashion industry.
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