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Texon and Umbro team up
February 1st, 2022
Texon’s innovative jacquard weaving technology incorporates patterns and colors into the weave instead of being printed or dyed onto the surface of the fabric. Photos: Texon. Texon, a leader in performance fabrics and structural components for the footwear industry, announced it is working with Umbro, the global sports brand, on a world first in the […]
MIT creates weavable battery
February 1st, 2022
This submarine drone is powered by a 20-meter-long fiber battery that is wrapped on its surface. Photo: MIT. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in the form of an ultra-long fiber that could be woven into fabrics. The battery could enable a wide variety of wearable electronic devices […]
LiveSmart Performance fabric covers seats in UNC Smith Center
February 1st, 2022
Every one of the 10,000 lower mezzanine seats at UNC Chapel HIll’s Dean Smith Center were re-covered with stain-resistant fabric. Photos: Culp. When UNC Chapel Hill Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham, mentioned that it bothered him to see how dirty the seats were in the university’s Dean Smith Center, Iv Culp, president and CEO of Culp, […]
A different kind of label
February 1st, 2022
Nisolo will include a “Facts Label” with each of its products in an effort to educate consumers about fashion’s impact on people and the planet. Photo: Nisolo. Taking a cue from the ubiquitous nutrition facts label that adorns nearly every packaged food item, Tennessee-based fashion brand Nisolo has introduced a Sustainability Facts Label, that it […]
Minimally obtrusive sensing with smart textiles
February 1st, 2022
Sensors can now be integrated into leggings making EMG monitoring unobtrusive. Photo: DITF. In his presentation at IFAI EXPO 2021, Carsten Linti of the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) outlined some of the institutes’ work with e-textiles R & D. Smart textiles are proving particularly effective as diagnostic systems, providing real time […]
Eco-friendly passive cooling solution
February 1st, 2022
Nanopores in fabrics made of PE allow heat to escape from the body. Photos: MIT Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Scientists from MIT’s Dept. of Mechanical Engineering have developed a means to modify fibers of PE (polyethylene), found in plastic wrap and grocery bags, to create fabrics that absorb and evaporate water more quickly than common […]
Wearable glucose sensor responds to sweat
February 1st, 2022
Diabetic patients typically check their blood glucose levels with a finger-prick blood test, or a subdermal implanted sensor. But an experimental new device could perform this function just sitting on the patient’s skin. Currently under development at Pennsylvania State University, the low-cost sensor is designed to measure glucose levels in the wearer’s sweat. Although the […]
Making cotton behave more like synthetic fibers
February 1st, 2022
Most performance fabrics used in athletic clothing, such as Spandex, are made from synthetic fibers—plastic, essentially—but Natural Fiber Welding (NFW), has found an alternative to synthetic fabrics. NFW’s Clarus performance cotton textile can be used for clothing. The fabric is made from cotton that has been treated to partially break down the organic material and […]
Building a jacket that’s more than waterproof
February 1st, 2022
British adventure clothing brand Vollebak has launched a jacket it says is not just waterproof, it’s waterfall proof. The outer layer of the company’s Waterfallproof Puffer was inspired by the famously waterproof lotus leaf, which may look completely flat, but the surface is covered with microscopic bumps that cause water droplets to roll off it, […]
Tell us your stories
February 1st, 2022
As we settle into the new year there are several things we wish we could have left behind but are already leaving their mark on 2022. The pandemic continues to wreak havoc around the world, of course, with new variants emerging almost as fast doctors can identify them. A nationwide labor shortage—what economists are calling […]