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Transparent, self-adhesive textile shades windows
October 1st, 2018
As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention—or in this case, it’s the father. Specifically, Philippe Lampe, owner of Lampe Textiles in Tielt, Belgium, was looking for a way to provide his son some privacy in his college room. Lampe’s son wanted curtains for his window, but he wasn’t allowed to attach anything […]
Fabrics create comfortable shelters
October 1st, 2018
A group of designers at Bora Architects, a Portland, Ore., firm, had an interesting idea they wanted to explore. The group considered the way in which modern American life, with all its comforts, creates a barrier to the natural world. Increasingly, the buildings we inhabit no longer reflect the regional climates in which they exist, as […]
To sew or to seal: expanding the toolbox
October 1st, 2018
To sew or to seal is a question that some fabricators have answered by gearing their offerings toward products that utilize either the former or the latter, but not both. While this kind of specialization can be a viable and lucrative strategy, expanding the toolbox to incorporate both sewing and sealing can often prove even […]
Performance finishes for performance textiles
October 1st, 2018
Perhaps the people who develop textile finishings by coating or laminating could best be described as the unsung problem solvers—superheroes, even—of the textile performance world. Do they wear capes? Maybe they should—textile capes finished with performance-enhancing treatments. Problem solving is the basis of their work, as they treat textiles to enhance performance, in response to […]
Riding the pendulum of industry change: Awnings by Bigley and Hogshire
October 1st, 2018
"We have to be diverse and knowledgeable about the various types of products people are making in the industry,” says Taylor Bigley, co-owner and president of Awnings by Bigley & Hogshire, Hampton Roads, Va. “What’s in demand changes—the pendulum swings each way—and we have to react to it.” The roots of Awnings by Bigley & […]
Finland’s glare-free West Port terminal
October 1st, 2018
The Port of Helsinki, located on the Baltic Sea, is a bustling gateway from Finland to the rest of Europe. In 2017, 12.3 million passengers traveled through the harbor, making it Europe’s busiest. It’s also Finland’s top port for foreign trade, with 14.3 million tons of goods transported through the harbor in the same year. […]
Sustainable recycling: from textile waste to chindi rugs
October 1st, 2018
In India, the most common meaning for chindi is ‘torn cloth’; encountered either as a waste byproduct in the textile industry (post-industrial) or, more commonly, as the end-of-life residue of fabrics in use in households (post-consumer). For generations, this form of textile waste, torn strips of cloth, has been repurposed as colorful twine for tapestry […]
Safety Components puts its business acumen to work for charity
October 1st, 2018
Following the events of 9/11, Joey Underwood, senior vice president of Safety Components in Greenville, S.C., witnessed several neighborhood efforts to raise money for families of the fallen firefighters in New York City. “I remember driving past a bake sale and thinking, ‘We’re in that business—we should do something, too,” he says. Safety Components develops […]
GlideWear solutions for children
October 1st, 2018
Imagine that your child’s skin was so delicate that a minor fall, a scratch or even a light touch could cause painful blisters, open sores or even a serious infection from a wound. This is the reality for children who suffer from epidermolysis bullosa (EB), a rare genetic disorder that causes the skin to injure […]
Triple Chill cooling denim
October 1st, 2018
Denim is always in style—but it’s not always the first choice in the heat of the summer. A new line that keeps its cool could change all that. Developed by Atlanta, Ga.-based performance fabric innovator brrr°, the textile is designed to move heat and moisture away from the body, alleviating that hot and sweaty feel. […]