Musicians mask up their instruments

December 1, 2020  |  Swatches

The pandemic has left stages empty, and for many musicians, even practicing as a group is difficult. Instrumental ensembles in particular face a tough challenge: the aerosols generated when playing woodwind and brass instruments make it difficult to meet in person without proper protections. Betsy M…
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Yale researchers develop shape-shifting robotic fabric

December 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Researchers at Yale University’s School of Engineering and Applied Science have developed a robotic fabric, a breakthrough that could lead to such innovations as adaptive clothing, self-deploying shelters or lightweight shape-changing machinery. Created in the lab of Prof. Rebecca Kramer-Bottiglio…
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Minidocumentary follows students as they explore T-shirt sustainability

December 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Apparel company HanesBrands Inc. has released a seven-part minidocumentary that follows three North Carolina State University students on an all-questions-answered journey from a cotton field to a finished T-shirt. The Crop to Campus documentary, created by award-winning filmmaker Rod Murphy, follow…
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Wearable technology helps stroke patients rehabilitate

December 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Dutch designer and researcher Jessica Smarsch has introduced Connextyle, a shirt designed for measuring muscle activity. Applicable for many kinds of rehabilitation, it was originally meant to help stroke patients who have lost full use of their upper body. Using a new textile technology called TexP…
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Tent CARES Day honors pandemic workers

November 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Tent manufacturers and rental businesses around the U.S. celebrated the frontline workers of the COVID-19 pandemic on Aug. 29 with barbeques, food truck fare and lots of sweet treats.  Independent Tent CARES Day events were hosted by members of the IFAI’s Tent Rental Division (TRD) and other …
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A tented grocery store meets essential community needs

November 1, 2020  |  Swatches

The summer season for tent rental companies is usually filled with weddings and festivals, but there is nothing usual about 2020. While many rental companies replaced canceled events with medical and restaurant tenting, Traube Tents and Structures, St. Louis., Mo., also took on the job of installing…
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Crafting handbags for addiction recovery

November 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Completing an addiction rehabilitation program is cause for celebration. But maintaining sobriety is a lifelong process that requires additional support. People coming out of rehabilitation often need job training that leads to economic stability. Many have no money or support, and their only option…
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Netted sculpture billows above St. Petersburg pier

November 1, 2020  |  Swatches

Artist Janet Echelman used 180 miles of twine and 1,662,528 knots to create the ethereal look of Bending Arc, the aerial sculpture commissioned for St. Pete Pier, a 26-acre destination on the waterfront in St. Petersburg, Fla.  Echelman is known internationally for monumental net sculpture inst…
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Rainier Industries fabricates and installs massive banner

November 1, 2020  |  Swatches

The call for racial justice in the United States took many forms in the summer of 2020. One of those expressions involved an 8½-story banner produced and installed by Rainier Industries Ltd., Tukwila, Wash. The banner’s artwork, American Rage by artist Shepard Fairey, is based on a photo taken by…
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Egyptian consortium develops textile palm fibers and reinforcements

October 1, 2020  |  Swatches

A consortium of five Egyptian researchers has developed PalmFil, the world’s first high-performance fibers and reinforcements extracted from the byproducts of pruning date palms, such as fronds and fruit stalks, according to a press release from the PalmFil Consortium. PalmFil is sustainable, econ…
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