Category Archives: apparel industry

Fashion, Technology…and Lace!?

Posted on April 14, 2011 by | Comments Off

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal about the resurgence of lace being used on the runways again sparked a thought about how lace has been influential in so many ways.  It’s astonishing really, when you think about it, since lace is the ultimate luxury fabric: too light and ephemeral to lend warmth or protection to the wearer, easily damaged, and the good stuff is quite expensive.

The production of lace was actually something that drove the development of a new technology that ultimately proved to have far-reaching consequences not just for fashion and the textile industry, but also for computing and technology.

Despite the apparel industry’s relatively laggard uptake of new technologies, fashion has actually had a long history of moving forward and being moved forward by emerging new technologies.  In fact, one of the earliest inventions that helped define computer science and computers in general was a machine designed for  the textile sector of the fashion industry, the Jacquard loom.

Invented by Joseph Jacquard in 1804-05, the Jacquard loom was a pivotal invention for both fashion and computing.   It proved to be the impetus for the tech revolution of the textile industry and an important step in the history of computing.  The Jacquard loom (which is actually a misnomer, as this invention is actually not a loom, but rather a head or an attachment that can be used with a range of different looms) was the first machine which used punch cards as a control mechanism.

After the ‘hanging chad’ incident in Florida during the 2000 presidential elections, we all know what punch cards are: pieces of wood or paper with holes punched in them, where the precise pattern of the holes contain data when read through a machine capable of reading them.  They are a form of data storage and have been used to store computer programs.

Like the voter ballots, the Jacquard loom also used punch cards that contained information, or data, about different lace patterns.  Each hole controlled a needle, threaded with up to 4 warp ends (or threads).  A set of punch cards might control as many as 400 needles, for a total of 1600 warp ends in a given textile, and the machine could make up to 4 repeats of the pattern across the weft.

By changing out the punch cards, a loom operator could change the lace pattern which the loom could produce.  This meant that looms suddenly had the ability to create many different patterns on the same loom, simply by changing out the punch cards.

This was an important advance for fashion, since in the past lace had been made primarily by intensive hand methods. With the Jacquard loom, instead of a lace maker creating only a few inches of lace a day, he could now create feet and even yards of it, in some fairly complicated patterns.

This was also an important advance for computing hardware.  The Jacquard loom had the ability to have its program of lace pattern changed by simply swapping out the punch card sets.  While the Jacquard loom machine did not perform computation using its punch cards, this is still considered an important precursor to what would eventually become the field of computer programming.

The invention of the Jacquard loom had a far-reaching impact on the use of lace in fashion, as it was suddenly more affordable.   There was a renewed interest of lace as a trim by the fashionable elite, and a greater number of people could wear the new machine-lace because it was less expensive than the handmade needle laces.

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Posted in apparel industry, design, Fashion Research Institute, Shenlei

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Something Completely Visionary: Fashion, Tech, Innovation, Part 6

Posted on April 7, 2011 by | Comments Off

Armed with our initial vision of a base garment that could essentially play videos or images on its surface, let’s explore some of the challenges that need to be addressed before this could become reality.

Last time we talked some of the safety considerations of such a garment.  This time, let’s discuss some additional safety considerations, namely the circuitry for such a garment.

A ‘video garment’ such as we’re discussing is nothing more than a large play-back device.  But in order for it to actually work, it needs to both receive data to actually play back on its surface, and it needs power to perform the playback.  So the garment needs to be able to conduct two things in its circuitry: data, which must be uninterrupted, and power, which must be controllable for both on and off states, as well as possible rates of change.

Any circuitry which is used for playback must be uninterrupted, and must not lose connection when the body moves and changes under it.  As the garment follows the body contour and movements, the circuitry cannot be disrupted or the entire image will be disrupted, often in strange ways.

What sort of materials might be used to ensure that dataflow remains persistent? There are currently a range of materials which are used to conduct power/data, including fiber optics, thin metal threads (usually copper), and of course, metallic, printable inks.

Each of these materials has advantages and drawbacks: fiber optics are relatively inexpensive, being an ‘older technology’, and can be easily handled just like any other thread and woven into a garment.  It is already used to carry optical data and lighting, and lovely textiles have been created using fiber optics.  Some drawbacks to fiber optic textiles are that they are itchy for a wearer; if an optical thread is bent, it loses signal; and there is now easy way to connect up optical threads from different pieces of the garment (such a thread would need to be knitted into a one-piece tubular garment, which would change the addressing properties of the garment to playback imagery or video).  Fiber optics are largely inert, so a wearer wouldn’t need to be concerned about the material having any dangerous chemicals being off gassed onto their skin. Safety considerations would be relatively minor other than the possibility of the fiber optics bending and breaking and perhaps scratching the wearer.  Seams would need to be sealed carefully to prevent wearers from being hurt by the sharp cut ends of the optics.

Thin metal threads have also been used to carry data and power.  Very fine threads of copper metal are created, and simply woven into the textile just like any thread.  Like the fiber optic thread, it too shares some of the same issues of not being able to readily connect the threads between two pieces of the garment, and while the copper thread would be softer and not prone to shattering, it might still be a scratchy experience for the wearer.  Moreover, such a garment would need to be cleaned very carefully, as copper is reactive to many substances, and over time, it can oxidize, which reduces its effectiveness as a conductor.  Lastly, it would need to be sealed in some way to prevent any voltage leaks or verdigris stains from the copper oxidizing.

The third sort of circuitry would be the use of metallic inks.  This is currently being used effectively in the toy and home furnishings industries, and can be easily printed onto a textile base.  Unlike the woven in fiber optics or metallic threads, metallic inks can be printed on a garment after it has been largely constructed. This means that there is a complete circuit, without gaps at the seams which need to be connected.  Moreover, the metallic inks can be overprinted by an impermeable, protective layer of polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane, which prevents seals the printed circuitry behind a protective layer that prevents leakage of voltage, data, or harmful chemicals from the ink itself.  While this may sound great, there are still safety considerations, as printing metal-based ink often produces toxic fumes which need to be handled carefully.  Metallic inks haven’t been in use long enough to know how they respond to laundering, and they have not been extensively used on a range of product classes, so it is unclear how they will wear or respond to cleaning considerations.

It is possible, that with something like a flexible OLED for the base material, that the circuits could be designed to be embedded into the base material, which would remove many of the safety considerations and health hazards that a woven or printed circuit would have.

Next time: powering up the garment.

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Posted in apparel industry, Black Dress Technology, design, Fashion Research Institute, Shenlei

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Something Completely Visionary: Fashion, Tech, Innovation, Part 5

Posted on April 6, 2011 by | Comments Off

Armed with our initial vision of a base garment that could essentially play videos or images on its surface, let’s explore some of the challenges that need to be addressed before this could become reality.

Last time we talked about comfort as it pertains to the make and manufacture of the actual garment.  This time, let’s discuss safety considerations of such a garment.

There are several areas of importance to consider with such a garment: first, of course, is the safety of the actual material used for the base garment; secondly is the safety of the circuitry; third is the safety of the power supply; and fourth is something which is often ignored by both apparel and accessories designers, the ergonomics of such a garment.

Let’s take these one at a time.

The actual material used, by its nature, will be very new to the industry.  Since it is unclear if it will something like a flexible glass, or something like a giant OLED, it’s difficult to assess the precise nature of safety concerns, but some things will always remain a concern: does the material off-gas at any point in its development or wear cycle? By this we mean are any sort of noxious fumes released by the material?

We all know about the toxic side-effects of formaldehyde and other chemicals used in various ways in the apparel industry.  We all also know how horrific a textile warehouse can smell from all of the other chemicals used in developing just the textiles alone (bleaches, aldehydes, and so on) most of which will give the user anything from a mild headache to an allergic response to, with enough exposure, various long-term health issues.

Any new material used in this way should definitely address some of these considerations, and be as inert as possible. Materials in the ware house are bad enough, with the build-up of fumes and other gaseous effluent, but covering a wearer’s body, and being exposed to the wearer’s skin presents even larger challenges to keep the wearer safe.

Beyond simple storage considerations, how would such a new material be handled, cut, constructed, packaged, and eventually, shown? What sort of health concerns might we need to have beyond the obvious ones of the material shattering easily: would this create splintering or particles which a worker would need special protective tools and garments to avoid being cut or injured?

And what about the wearer?  Would a garment made from a ew base material capable of playing back images or videos be shatter-resistant? How would the wearer be protected from possible health considerations, and how would such a material be developed to ensure the wearer’s safety?

If it possible, even, to build safety features into the material, e.g., to provide it with micropore filtration devices, to filter out pollutants and harmful radiation like ultraviolet and other wavelengths?

A garment that would enable an increased level of health and safety for the wearer would provide an exceptional boon to the wearer, who could be both stylish and safe at the same time.

Next time, we’ll look at other safety considerations.

 

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Posted in 3D, apparel industry, Black Dress Technology, fashion, Fashion Research Institute, Shenlei

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