Sneakers made from banana or pineapple leaves, dresses from fish scales. The search for new fashion fabrics are on the rise. Sustainable materials has taken the fashion industry to some wild places. These might be a necessary step in developing cleaner technologies.
Banana, Seaweed, Nettle-The New Fashion Fabrics
‘We harvest the sides of the plants, and they are already growing in the forest, so no chemicals, pesticides or even water are used.’ Hannes Schoenegger, co-founder of Bananatex.
Brazil based Nova Kaeru offered leather made from the discarded scales of the pirarucu fish and another from the ‘elephant ear’ plant.
‘It’s about finding a wide variety of substitutes to make sure that nothing is over-sued,’ said spokesperson Pilar Tejada Lopez of Pyratex.
Pyratex offers multiple options, from recycling the waste of corn and sugar cane production, to making fibres from Icelandic seaweed, Chinese bamboo or Austrian wood.
Nettle, another plant, can be turned into a silk-like and strong fabric that can be used in everyday and luxury clothing.
Fashion’s future is getting brighter. And as consumers become even more conscious about the clothing they wear, brands, designers and engineers alike are responding by creating new and emerging technologies that can meet — or exceed — shoppers’ greater expectations.
Textile technology firm Evrnu developed the first denim made of regenerated post-consumer cotton waste. Working with brands, retailers, mills and waste owners throughout the supply chain, Evrnu creates recyclable, customizable textiles with its engineered fiber.
Zoa as a company, are committed to sustainability and protecting our planet. Modern Meadow created Zoa, a lab grown, chameleonic leather-inspired material made with its designed collagen protein. Described as “highly adaptable” and moldable, Zoa can be easily combined with other materials and accommodate any shape or texture
Regenerated nylon material Econyl is gaining traction in sustainability for its efforts in diverting waste from landfills. The material is made from rescued waste such as fishing nets and industrial plastic from oceans and landfills and converted into textile and carpet yarns for the fashion and interior industries, the company said. And sustainable apparel basics brand Arvin Goods recently introduced its new men’s boxers, made with Econyl fibers.
Mylo, a synthetic leather fabric also from Bolt Threads, made of mycelium — or mushroom roots — was released earlier this year. The company’s mission in creating eco-friendly, vegan products is rooted in its “process [that] moves away from petroleum-based polymers and materials, toward a more sustainable and biodegradable solution.
Materials firm Ananas Anam created Piñatex, a natural, non-woven and patent-protected material made from pineapple leaf fibers, is praised for being durable, breathable and pliable, in addition to tensile strength that is similar to flax and greater than jute, hemp and sisal, the company said. Since its commercialization in 2016, Piñatex has been used by more than 500 brands, including recent collaborations with Hugo Boss, Edun and Lancel, all according to the firm.
Conversations centered on sustainability regularly address conscious consumption, yet rarely touch on overconsumption. But ChroMorphous, the first active user-controlled color-changing fabric, enables its wearer to change the color or pattern of its material through a smartphone app, giving a singular garment two distinct faces. ChroMorphous was engineered by a team of scientists from CREOL, the College of Optics and Photonics at The University of Central Florida. Dr. Ayman Abouraddy, professor of optics and photonics at UCF
Conclusion
There are so many bloggers on Fashion, but I am going to blog about the sustainable fabrics. I will be back with more sustainable fashion fabrics…soon.
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