In recent years, natural fibre-reinforced polymer composites have been attracting attention from the viewpoint of reducing the impact on the natural environment. Currently, the use of thermoplastic resins in composites is clearly of higher potential than the use of thermoset. There are many thermoplastic polymers derived from renewable raw materials, which are also biodegradable. Polylactic acid (PLA) is one such candidate, and it shows rather good properties that are suitable for applications that do not require long-term durability or elevated mechanical performance at higher temperatures. In order to make their possible use in many technical applications more attractive, the mechanical properties of the PLA can be enhanced by using reinforcements. Hemp fibres can be considered to be a good choice for reinforcing polymer composites, due to their high stiffness, strength, and aspect ratio. Highly ordered textile reinforcements, such as interlaced woven fabrics and unidirectional fabrics made from natural-fibre yarns, perform considerably better than random non-woven mats in natural-fibre composites. At present, the commercially available plant-fibre yarns are not intended for structural composites, but for textiles, which have entirely different demands on the yarns. Thus, work is needed to tailor-make the best plant-fibre yarn for reinforcement of composites. This also includes investigation of the possibility of combining plant-fibre yarns with the matrix polymer in fibre form into one hybrid yarn (a composite preform), and how to do it (twisting or blending). It is well known that fibres provide the highest strength and stiffness when they are continuous and aligned in the direction of the applied load. Natural fibres are naturally discontinuous and conventional spun staple yarns tend to be highly twisted, which leads to fibre misalignment and poor resin wet-out. The structured natural-fibre composites reported so far are based on twisted yarns produced by long-established conventional spinning methods, mainly ring spinning. In this paper, we report our work on improving the orientation of hemp fibres in composites by using our recent development of co-wrapped yarn structures. This novel co-wrapped yarn consists of low twist and very fine hemp yarns next to PLA filaments in the core part, which are wrapped by PLA filaments. By varying the composition of hybrid yarn, it is possible to vary the hemp fibre content from 10 to 45 wt %. An exciting recent advancement has been a new family of aligned natural-fibre reinforcements, which has overcome these issues by using low twist yarns. We also report the influence of fibre content and wrap density (number of wraps per unit length) on the properties of composites. Before compression moulding, multilayer 0/90 bidirectional hybrid yarn prepregs were prepared by winding the hybrid yarn around a steel rectangular frame. We investigated the mechanical and thermo-mechanical properties of hemp-reinforced PLA composites. Compared to neat PLA, the tensile and flexural modulus and the strength of the PLA-hemp composites were significantly higher as a result of the increased fibre content. Impact strength of the composites decreased initially up to 10 wt % fibre loading, but even higher fibre loading caused an improvement in impact strength. From the DMTA results, it is evident that incorporation of the fibres gives a considerable increase in storage modulus and a decrease in tan δ values. These results show the reinforcing effect of hemp on PLA matrix. From the general trend in the results obtained, it can be affirmed that co-wrapped hybrid yarn with lower wrapping density leads to lower mechanical properties in the composite. The study performed with DSC revealed that the glass transition temperature and the crystalline melting point of PLA were not affected significantly after reinforcement with hemp. The crystallisation temperature of the hemp-reinforced PLA composites decreased compared to pure PLA, which indicates that the hemp fibres hinder the migration and diffusion of PLA molecular chains to the surface of the nucleus in the composites. No noteworthy differences in calorimetric data from DSC for composites were observed between the hybrid yarn preforms with different wrapping density. Future work will concentrate on efforts to evaluate the biodegradability of these developing and promising composites.

The expressiveness of use is of focal interest in fashion design, which makes the perspective of act design important in learning/teaching. The objective of the project presented here was to introduce interaction design methods in fashion design teaching to make act design explicit throughout the different stages of the design process in a systematic manner; to develop a general workshop curriculum in experimental fashion design focusing on the expressiveness of wearing and use. A series of test workshops were implemented to provide a foundation for reflection and critical discussions. The main results, motivated by workshop evaluations, consist of theoretical models for a systematic development of workshop exercises in fashion design aesthetics.

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Value innovation is a key in developing competitive advantage in most industries. Value innovation is both related to the physical products and accompanying value-adding services. Logistics has evolved from an order qualifier – that is a necessity – to an order winner. Increased focus on the consumer and co-creation with the consumer as a vital partner lead to alignments and rethinking of the channel structure. The supply chain evolves into a demand chain! Deeper knowledge about the why, how, and when of consumer buying behaviour is a main ingredient in demand chain thinking, and the starting point in designing and developing segmented demand chains in the fashion market. These chains are built on partnership and trust oriented relationships. The game of power is increasingly replaced by the game of trust. This is a necessity when the competition shifts from rivalry between companies to rivalry between chains. In this position paper we discuss visions of the fashion future, and how to develop innovative concepts that deliver added value to the consumer. The “old school” of distribution economy, and the concept of convenience, are the basic theoretical grounds, and we argue that innovations could be reached when investing in consumer insights and closer relationships in the demand chain.

Natural fiber reinforced composites are well known for static and middle stresssed applications like the hat rack, the car roof or the indoor car interior lining since the beginning of 1990. As these samples show a lot of applications have been done by natural fiber reinforced composites but in the last 2 to 3 years further implementations are missing. Now it is possibel to use natural fibers in a special combination of different semi finished textiles for high dynamic loaded applications like a scooter beam. The lecture will show the used kinds of different textiles and the reachable mechanical properties for this material combination.

This narrative focuses on one aspect of the growing phenomenon of textile recycling: the act of “getting rid of” one’s no longer wanted clothing. The story here derives from many visits to Wearable Collections, a business that collects apparel (as well as towels, sheets, shoes, and other textiles) with an “inlet” at the popular Union Square Greenmarket in Manhattan. Over several months, I watched hundreds of individuals drop off thousands of kilos of materials for recycling and talked with many of them about what they were doing and why they were doing it. This investigation was undertaken for two purposes. On one hand, it was a device for practicing a variety of ethnographic field methods to support my current Ph.D. action research with enterprises aiming to build more sustainable fashion systems. On the other hand, it was a means to gain knowledge of what is happening with textile recycling in New York City. The pages that follow have been excerpted from a longer and broader account. The term textile recycling is used here broadly. It encompasses upcycling (for example, making a dress from old dresses, or producing yarn from trimmings from garment manufacturing); downcycling (such as shredding worn out textiles for insulation); practices such as selling, swapping, or giving away; and any other ways of reusing or repurposing that saves — or at least delays — textiles from being buried in landfills or otherwise wasted.

In this paper 4 different textile based strain sensors for measuring different level of strains were presented. Sensor consist a conductive part formed by coating or weaving technique. Both elastic and inelastic textile substrates were selected to achieve the required stains in applications. Sensor configuration was characterized using a tensile tester and measuring the resistance parallel by microprocessor. A linear working range with transfer function of each sensor was found. Coated sensor gives a good stability, while woven sensor was relative less stable. Inelastic textile substrate reduces the hysteresis error caused by refraction and construction of materials. The sensitivities were between 2.5 to 9 vary with different sensors. This paper finished by a discussion of how to choose sensors with different applications, among which sensor function and processability are most important aspects to be considering.

The fundamental geometrical aspects of motifs and patterns are identified, and a systematic means by which textile and other surface patterns may be classified with respect to the symmetry characteristics of their underlying structures is explained and illustrated.

This paper reviews the more important literature concerned with pattern analysis, and appraises the application of the systematic classification system outlined in part one. It is apparent from the literature that when a representative selection of patterns from a given cultural setting is classified in terms symmmetry characteristics, a non- random distribution of symmetry preferences results, indicating that symmetry is a culturally sensitive parameter.

Light textiles Is a research work which focuses on the development of light textiles based on the integration of optical fibres into textile structures. The aim is to create textile light designs which offer big light surfaces that have an even all over and strong light effect. Finally they could be used as big movable light screens in a space either private or public.

HeadCrowd is a collaboration between the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and the School of Textiles and Design at Heriot-Watt University. It investigates how rich web and mobile applications may be employed to provide designers with near instantaneous and highly visual feedback from thousands of potential customers, or crowds. We are exploring the use of state of the art rich media applications to add quantity, speed and statistical accuracy to the study of semiotics, and the use of visuals in fashion as communication. The project seeks to add to participatory design and market intelligence processes by enabling rapid and iterated co-design cycles between crowds and designers based on visual forms of communication so as to mirror the highly visual nature of fashion design inspiration. Such a scheme shows applications for sustainability in fashion if it can give crowds a concrete sense of ownership of the design process and provide enthusiastic target markets, thereby offering potential to significantly reduce the risks of producing unwanted product. The paper provides an analysis of prior knowledge before describing the first two stages of the project, in which a pilot browser has been constructed that allows observers to navigate a vocabulary of 500 images which have been ordered into 48 similarity stacks using a mixture of human and crowd sourced sorting techniques. A first test involved the presentation of 20 terms to observers and asking them to choose 3 images from the browser to represent each term. Analysis of the resulting pilot data has given insights into the communicative certainty that a selection of 3 images from a vocabulary of 500 can provide for certain types of terms, and amongst certain groups of testers. It has also prompted deeper analysis of the pilot browser. To put the communicative value of visual feedback to the test, the current research phase is preparing the reverse experiment of asking a fresh cohort of participants to associate images back to the original terms, and various interfaces are currently being constructed to facilitate the presentation of visual choices from phase 1. The similarity relationship between test images is investigated and visualized before a case is made for comparative experiments of raw selection data and versions of visual summaries in this second research phase, in order to test which way of data presentations best convey the intended visual communication.

Although there are a lot of interest concerning the use of leuco dye-based thermochromic inks in Textile and Fashion Design, there is still a lack of teaching approach to help students arrive at a better understanding of the color transitions of leuco dye thermochromic inks. This paper aims to share a systematic approach for teaching the behavior of leuco dye-based thermochromic inks to students in Textile and Fashion Design. Printed color-swatches and exercises were used as the central part of the approach. Through the approach it was described what printed color-swatches were and how to use them effectively to make color transitions understandable. The approach has been applied in several workshops at both Bachelor and Master level. The samples made by the students in the exercises clearly revealed that the approach created opportunities for students to craft an understanding of using leuco dye thermochromic inks through experimentation and individual exploration. Ultimately, this approach plays a fundamental role in the design process, the creation and the development of dynamic patterns.

Smart textiles with its vast range of possibilities provide a considerable opportunity for societal sustainability for the waste-oriented fashion industry. May the new textiles react to the environment, wearer, have a mind of its own or simply provoke and inspire people – it is a great tool for the transition from the product-oriented industry to the service-minded economy. Fashion field needs to mature and adapt to the new rules set by the user within today’s environment. While developing the new field of smart textiles, this paper stresses the importance of learning from traditional crafts and the value of craftsmanship. We start by introducing the importance of crafting and connecting it to the industrialized way of producing. Then, we ask whether we could merge valuable insights from both in order to develop the smart textiles area. Later, you will find an example project merging Quick Response (QR) codes with traditional embroidery that inspired a set of TechCrafts explorations in a form of student projects. In case of the embroidered QR codes, the link to technology is an add-on feature to textiles. In the other examples, craftsmanship technologies are used to create the textile substrate itself. These explorations are the input for a discussion about the role of craftsmanship and skills in developing materials with interactive properties that is held with relation to the possibilities for societal sustainability.

Earth’s current state demands new perspectives in many fields; political, private, global and local. This article examines sustainable functions within workwear and fashion. A design process is argued to be developed within a sustainable frame concerning the whole chain of ecological, sociocultural and economical factors. The two construction traditions of a. tailored: pattern pieces constructed next to the body, and b. empty space: simplified construction using squares and space between body and garment, are investigated and contrasted in order to find elements of sustainability within aesthetic. The article argues for a greater view upon what could be sustainable aesthetic, in forms and values. This is related to a construction of clothes which allows movement and durability. A proposal is finally given which contains three various shapes and constructions for workwear trousers.

Today’s fashion market is characterized by short life cycles, low predictability and high impulse purchasing. Many fashion companies are responding to this by constantly introducing new collections. Zara, which is considered to be the leader of fashion are introducing as many as 211 new models per week. One of the drawbacks of Zara’s and others’ methods is the resulting overproduction; many garments have to be sold to reduced price or are thrown away. An average of one third of the collections is considered waste. It costs money for the fashion companies; it reduces the sell-through factor and wastes natural resources. Knit on Demand is a research project at the Swedish School of Textiles that aims to reduce the waste and increase the sell-through factor and service level. A local producer of knitwear and a retailer of tailored fashion in Stockholm also participate in the project. The purpose of the project is to test new methods of supply chain management and to analyse whether mass customization is applicable on knitwear. There are several benefits with mass customised garments: the customer receives a garment that is better suited to his or her needs, the producer does not have to make garments on forecast, and the environment and natural resources are spared because only what is bought by the end consumer is produced and shipped.

The design of smart textiles presents a discrepancy

of scale where the designer works at the level of

structural textile design while facets of the material

express at scales beyond one’s senses. Without

methods to narrow this gap, certain expressional

domains of the textile are closed off from design

possibilities. The aim of the research has been to

design a method for observing, visualizing, and

describing expressions of electromagnetism in

textiles. Through a method of textile surface

scanning, one can produce a visualization of its

electromagnetic field. Woven textile samples

observed through this method reveal a textural

quality that exists within the electron flow – an

electromagnetic texture, which emerges at the

intersection of woven design and electromagnetic

domain variables. The design variables field

strength, diffusion, and field shape contribute in

narrowing the gap that presents when one designs

simultaneously at the scale of textile structure and

electron flow in yarns.