MIT suit designed to educate about aging

June 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Visitors to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) AgeLab in the Center for Transportation and Logistics are greeted by a striking image: a mannequin in a jumpsuit and red goggles. But it’s the accessories under the jumpsuit that are the point. Inside the suit are weights and bungie…
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Brain Biotech, AMSilk to develop bio-based protein fibers

June 1, 2023  |  Swatches

German biotechnology companies BRAIN Biotech AG and AMSilk GmbH have announced that they will collaborate to develop high-performance, bio-based protein fibers for the textile industry.
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New spacesuit from Axiom is built for moonwalking

June 1, 2023  |  Swatches

NASA selected Axiom Space to deliver a moonwalking system for the Artemis III mission, currently planned for 2025, which will land Americans on the surface of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Axiom participated in the reveal of the first prototype spacesuit March 15, 2023, during a…
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Inflatable textile art shown by Dior in Paris

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

In partnership with Dior, Portuguese sculptor Joana Vasconcelos created the site-specific textile structure Valkyrie Miss Dior to present 20 fabrics from the fashion company’s autumn/winter 2023–2024 collection during Paris Fashion Week. The models walked through the giant fabric artwork as they…
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Smart heated vest responds to wearer’s temperature

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

The artificial intelligence (AI) in your everyday work clothing won’t manage your inventory, but it will definitely help you out. In partnership with clim8®, Carhartt® Inc. has released the X-1 Smart Heated Vest, which detects when to start or stop heating based on the wearer’s activity (and r…
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Fire-resistant cotton through breeding, not chemicals

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) have bred four cotton lines that can be used to make self-extinguishing fabrics. This could reduce the need for flame-retardant chemicals to be embedded in consumer products such as mattresses, clothing …
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Apparel management master’s degree established in Bangladesh

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

In an effort to elevate more women to management roles in Bangladesh’s apparel industry, the Asian University for Women (AUW) and the Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corp. Ltd. (HSBC) have teamed up to launch the HSBC-AUW School of Apparel and Retail Management. Students in the one-year master of sc…
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Custom-fit orthoses made quickly with the help of AI

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Resource efficiency, time and cost savings are essential topics in the textile industry. Conventional supply and production chains often reach their limits, as products need to be individually tailored and available in a short time.
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Ocean plastic gill nets turning into shoes

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

When shoe brand adidas made its first running shoe from upcycled plastic waste in 2015, it was just the beginning of its partnership with the environmental organization Parley for the Oceans. The collaboration has worked to intercept plastic waste on beaches and coastal communities before it reaches…
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Creating flexible underwater robots

May 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Underwater structures that can change their shapes dynamically, similar to fish, can push through water much more efficiently than those with conventional rigid hulls. Constructing deformable devices that can change the curve of their body shapes while maintaining a smooth profile is a long and diff…
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