Biodesigns from grass root

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Zena Holloway has launched “Rootfull,” a collection of biodesigns grown entirely from grass root. The London-based designer and multi-disciplinary artist is exploring the possibilities for textiles for fashions that are sustainable and compostable. A designboom.com post says that the root itself…
Read More
New year, new challenges and opportunities

January 1, 2023  |  Editorial

At IFAI Expo 2022, noted economist Dr. Elliot Eisenberg gave a good news/bad news picture of the economy.  “We’re not in a recession yet,” he said, “but we’re going to get there.”
Read More
3D printing on textiles

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Stratasys, an innovator in 3D-printing technology, presented and exhibited at IFAI Expo for the first time. The technology itself is about 35 years old, but the recent move to 3D printing onto a textile substrate with the FabriX Innovation Kit takes it to the next level of access and usability. 
Read More
Vegan wool challenge

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is determined to reduce the number of sheep raised for their wool and incentivize clothing designers with the launch of the $1 million Vegan Wool Challenge, which offers a windfall to the first entrant who develops a vegan wool material that’s vis…
Read More
Superabsorbent wound dressing

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Freudenberg Performance Materials, based in Weinheim, Germany, has created an elastic flexible superabsorber for wound dressings that increases the comfort level for patients and enables longer wear time, reducing the frequency of dressing changes.
Read More
A better-fitting mask

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Wearing a mask can help prevent the spread of viruses such as COVID-19 and its variants, but a mask’s effectiveness depends on how well it fits.
Read More
Fully recyclable automotive fabric

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Lear Corporation, a Southfield, Mich., company specializing in automotive seating and e-systems has introduced a fully recyclable sueded material for seating and door panel applications.
Read More
Sustainable bicycle helmet

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Bicycle helmets have been shown to decrease the risk of a serious or fatal head injury by 70%. But bicycle helmets are made of plastic and expanded polystyrene (EPS), both fossil fuel-based and bad for the environment.
Read More
Low-cost wearable electronics

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Fabric researchers at the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University have created a technique for embroidering power-generating yarns onto fabric. This process allows researchers to embed a self-powered, numerical touchpad and movement sensors into clothing to offer a low-cost, sc…
Read More
3D Knit BioSuit

January 1, 2023  |  Swatches

Space is referred to as a vacuum because there is a near-total lack of gas molecules. That means there’s also a complete lack of pressure, so the air inside an unprotected astronaut’s lungs would quickly rush out of the body, gasses in body fluids would expand and the skin would inflate like a b…
Read More