TEXTILES.ORG
Onshoring profits and productivity
August 31st, 2023
ShowTex helped bring the fantasy world of Icelandic singer/songwriter Björk to life by using a fine selection of delicate projection fabrics and motion systems, transforming venues from large black boxes into true fairytale scenes. Photo: ShowTex From pandemic-caused supply chain disruptions and limited freight capacity to increased shipping costs from Asia and trade enforcement actions, […]
Aurora Specialty Textiles Group celebrates 140 years of U.S. manufacturing
August 31st, 2023
Meridian Industries leadership. While thousands of U.S. manufacturing companies have closed over the past 40 years, or moved operations overseas, Aurora Specialty Textiles Group (ASTG) has remained in the USA and this year is celebrating 140 years of continuous operation outside Chicago. Through two world wars, two global pandemics, a major depression, countless recessions and […]
H&M award winners tackle industry challenges
August 31st, 2023
KBCols Sciences developed a way to bio-ferment textile dyes using microorganisms, offering a potential replacement for current practices that contribute to freshwater pollution. Photos: H&M The 2023 winners of the H&M Foundation’s annual Global Change Award (GCA) offer a glimpse into the near future of textiles, from the creation of bio-based polyester alternatives to the […]
Algorithms aid researchers with heat-responsive fabric
August 31st, 2023
Researchers experimented with various applications using Steam Stretch, including lighting. Photos: Nature Architects Inc. Ltd. Engineers from Japanese clothing company A-POC Able Issey Miyake and University of Tokyo startup Nature Architects Inc. Ltd. presented their innovative approach to the design process at this year’s Milan Design Week held April 17–23, showcasing how algorithms can be […]
Pop-up medical tent provides instant privacy for injured athletes
August 31st, 2023
In an age when every play—and every injury—in a game can be replayed ad infinitum online, the need to protect an athlete’s privacy on the sidelines during a medical exam becomes more important than ever. Thanks to Kinematic Co.’s SidelinER® pop-up medical tent, athletes don’t have to keep their game face on for the world […]
RobotSweater may increase worker safety
August 31st, 2023
Bo Ying Su, a master’s student at Carnegie Mellon University’s (CMU) department of electrical and computer engineering, observes a robot wearing the RobotSweater. Photo: Carnegie Mellon University A team of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) Robotics Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., is working to increase employee safety with the RobotSweater, a covering for machines that detects […]
New soap increases hand-washing accessibility
August 31st, 2023
A prospective user evaluates a tab soap prototype. Edward Brial/Cardiff University Proper hand-washing is essential to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, but water and soap can be difficult to find in low-income areas outside of Western countries. Researchers at Cardiff University in the United Kingdom are trying to change that with tab soap, a […]
3D printing may be the future of footwear manufacturing
August 31st, 2023
Elastium, a startup based in the United Arab Emirates, and the Munich, Germany-based startup Sneakprint, have harnessed 3D printing technology to manufacture shoes. Elastium-1 sneaker. Photo: Elastium Elastium has developed sneakers using fused granulate fabrication 3D printing technology, a method of 3D printing that uses raw materials in granule, or pellet, form rather than filament […]
Skin care product made from organic industrial waste
August 31st, 2023
WASTECARE™ is a skin care product made from textile wastewater that is infused with plant-based antioxidants and anti-inflammatories. Photos: AIZOME It’s not every day that someone looks at industrial waste and says, “I want to put this on my face.” Believe it or not, a couple of years ago, owners at AIZOME started developing just […]
Safe travels: Airports zone in on geosynthetics
August 31st, 2023
The existing concrete runway was “rubble-ized” and reused below the new runway at Toronto Pearson Airport, saving time and carbon emissions. Photo: Tensar Airport runways are not the same as roads. They need to be built smoother and stronger to support the loads of jet planes without buckling under the weight, which is no small […]