Outlook expands to include leadership development in 2025

September 1, 2025  |  News, Swatches

Longtime and first-time Outlook® conference attendees agreed: This year’s Advanced Textiles Association event (this year newly minted as the Outlook Leadership Conference) at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., June 2–4, succeeded on all fronts, from the expanded offerings to the different type o…
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Fibre Arts Australia touring exhibit highlights 39 artists

September 1, 2025  |  Swatches

Fibre Arts Australia’s third International Art Textile Biennale is now touring. The exhibition features the work of 39 textile artists from 10 countries and will be visiting nine galleries across Australia through September 2026.
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Mycelium could create living sensors and batteries

September 1, 2025  |  Swatches

What can’t mushrooms make? Researchers at Empa, the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, have created a tear-resistant living bioplastic based on fungal mycelium. The bioplastic could be used in “proximity sensors or humidity-based actuators,” their study says, as w…
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Tapes made from rCF show high tensile strength

September 1, 2025  |  Swatches

Researchers at the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) have developed tapes made from recycled carbon fibers (rCF) that have a nearly comparable tensile strength to virgin fibers. The rCF composite material is suitable for structural components for automotive, aircraft …
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3D printing method may make smart fabrics washable

September 1, 2025  |  Swatches

New research from Washington State University (WSU) has demonstrated a 3D ink-printing method for smart fabrics that performs well after repeated washing and abrasion tests.
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Uplift360 re-spins para-aramid fibers for defense uses

September 1, 2025  |  Swatches

Uplift360, a chemical recycling company, has developed a proprietary chemical process to dissolve and re-spin para-aramid fibers such as Kevlar® and Twaron®into continuous, high-performance fibers.
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Norwegian space startup Nåva launches first suit

September 1, 2025  |  Swatches

Norwegian company Nåva Space recently took a small step toward becoming Europe’s first supplier of commercially available modern spacesuits. In late May, it released the training version of its suit platform, aiming for an operational spacewalk suit by 2032. 
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Morii Design supports traditional Indian textile artists

August 1, 2025  |  Swatches

Morii Design, a textile art studio based in Gandhinagar, India, specializes in working with artists who practice traditional Indian crafts. The studio’s name comes from the Japanese word mori, which means “forest.”
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Museum showcases Maija Lavonen’s fiber-optic artworks

August 1, 2025  |  Swatches

Fiber-optic-based art pieces created by Finnish textile artist Maija Lavonen will be highlighted in the “Quietly Monumental” exhibition at the Architecture and Design Museum in Helsinki, Finland, through Sept. 14, 2025.
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Smart insole tracks wearer’s movement

August 1, 2025  |  Swatches

A solar-powered smart insole system that monitors how people walk could help users improve their posture and provide early warnings for conditions from plantar fasciitis to Parkinson’s disease. Constructed using 22 small pressure sensors, the system offers real-time health tracking.
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