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Car of the future becomes extension of the home
June 1st, 2018
Imagine the automobile of the future as an extension of your home: it could be stored in your house and might even match your furnishings. This is the concept the carmaker Renault explored when they unveiled Symbioz, a personal autonomous automobile, at the Frankfurt Auto Show in September 2017. Designed to be as livable as […]
Curtains for textural graphics
June 1st, 2018
Brothers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are Paris-based designers known for a fresh, modern aesthetic that plays with silhouette and texture. They have always had an interest in embroidery due to its ability to enhance textiles, as well as its grounding in French cultural tradition. When Danish textile manufacturer Kvadrat tapped the team to create a […]
Two in one: double-duty textile could warm or cool
March 1st, 2018
Imagine one jacket that could keep you warm or cool, no matter the weather. Scientists at Stanford University have developed a reversible fabric that does just that, depending on which side is facing out. The research team, led by Yi Cui, professor of materials science and engineering, was interested in developing ways to promote energy […]
Polartec unveils cycling apparel kit
March 1st, 2018
Spanish cyclist Alberto Contador is one of only six riders to win the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana—the Grand Tours of cycling, something he has accomplished more than once. Contador also helps young cyclists develop championship skills through his Alberto Contador Foundation, which manages Continental, Under-23 and Junior cycling […]
Textile sustainability study
December 19th, 2017
The OEKO-TEX® Association, in commemoration of its 25th anniversary, commissioned a global research study to assess consumer attitudes about textile sustainability. The results were released in the report “The Key to Confidence: Consumers and Textile Sustainability—Attitudes, Changing Behaviors, and Outlooks.” More than 11,000 clothing and home textile consumers around the world were surveyed for the […]
Pavilion brightens Amsterdam Light Festival
October 1st, 2017
During the dark days of winter, the Amsterdam Light Festival brightens the city with light-filled artwork created by architects and designers from around the world. There are two routes of artwork: Water Colors, the boat route; and Illuminade, the walking route. Last year’s theme was biomimicry: the imitation of natural phenomena for the purpose of […]
Walk-in installation offers perspectives on light, pattern and texture
September 1st, 2017
Europe’s biggest international lighting exhibition is Euroluce, held in Milan in conjunction with Salone del Mobile Milano (the Milan Furniture Fair). At Euroluce 2017 last April, 485 exhibitors displayed the latest in indoor, outdoor and industrial lighting products, including many innovative, cutting-edge designs. The Italian lighting company Leucos created a dramatic rendition of their own […]
Hohenstein researches textiles’ softer side
June 23rd, 2016
The Hohenstein Institute, Bönnigheim, Germany, has developed a digital method which allows 3-D analysis of the surface of textiles that come into direct contact with people’s skin. This new microscopy technique will allow greater understanding of the mechanical nature of contact between textile surfaces and skin, enabling manufacturers to improve the friction properties of textiles. […]
Nano-enhanced textiles clean themselves with light
June 16th, 2016
Researchers at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, have developed a cheap and efficient way to grow special nanostructures—that degrade organic matter when exposed to light—directly onto textiles. Textiles, which already have a 3D structure that absorbs light, are ideal for the process. When the nanostructures are exposed to light, they create “hot electrons” that enable […]
Creating a financial cushion
February 1st, 2016
In a reversal of the old fairy tale about turning straw into gold, artist Angela Mathis has turned money into fabric. With what she has named her Value project, the London-based designer explores the meaning of money in an increasingly technology-driven and economically complex world. After all, what is a dollar bill worth without its […]