Skin care product made from organic industrial waste
August 31, 2023 | Swatches
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 that, a skin care product called WASTECARE™, made from their textile dyeing wastewater. The company’s day …
Textile heritage on display at King Charles’ coronation
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
Amid all the pomp and circumstance at the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in May was a nod to the textile arts and history of the industry in the north of England (and New Zealand sheep as well).
Leather company sponsors 2023 Florida Python Challenge
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
INVERSA Leathers sponsored the $10,000 grand prize award for Florida’s 2023 Python Challenge, an annual 10-day event that tasks participants with humanely removing as many Burmese pythons from the Everglades as possible.
Fog collector helps neighborhoods without city water access
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
Condensing fog on fabric in arid and/or high-elevation locations is not a new concept, though a small-scale fog collector is not an everyday sight in people’s backyards. In Colombia, not everyone has in-home access to municipal water infrastructure, especially in low-income, informal neighborhoods…
Cellulose film could lower buildings’ energy use
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
Keeping buildings cool typically means releasing greenhouse gases. Researchers from the University of Cambridge in England recently unveiled a bio-based film that gets cooler when exposed to sunlight and does not require an external power source. And it comesin colors, without using dyes.
Detecting exhaustion with smart yarn, no chips required
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
Pushing fatigued muscles past the exhaustion point can cause injury. Prevention—through the detection of exhaustion—is the goal of a new textile sensor that ETH Zurich researchers are working on in the Biomedical and Mobile Health Technology Lab.
LEDs to replace fluorescent and incandescent lighting
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
Because of the U.S. phaseout of incandescent and fluorescent bulbs begun in 2007, organizations are in search of equivalent lighting replacements to be used for product testing methods, such as appearance, crease retention and stain-release tests.
Biomaterial created from bacterial fermentation
August 1, 2023 | Swatches
Biotechnology company Modern Synthesis has developed a biomaterial from bacterial fermentation that can be used to create a low-carbon alternative to traditional clothing fabrics. The biomaterial was developed in the company’s London, England, lab by growing nanocellulose (a lightweight material p…