Fabricademy Week 10: Implications and Applications

Fabricademy Week 10: Implications and Applications

A goal of mine for this Fabricademy course was to work on a project which used waste Textiles. This weeks assignment has led me to look into the reason behind my future project, my intentions and how I might be able to achieve it in the short & long term

Below is the class ouitlina dna ssignments as well as my project outline and my research into the idea as an Ultra-personalised product service systems (UPPSS).


Global Instructor : Oscar Tomico 

Program outline: (Wearable) technology meets (Fashion) design: Implications and Applications

Recent developments in electronics, software programming and service design are shaking the current notions of what a textile is. Societal trends like a renewed interest in crafts, the need for a sustainable mass production system and the emergence of personalization are reshaping the way the fashion system works. By means of a series of conceptual garments and research exemplars carried out at the Wearable Senses Lab at Eindhoven University of Technology, this talk illustrates the challenges and the space of opportunities emerging where (wearable) tech meets (fashion) design.

Program:

  • Relation between craftsmanship, mass production, customization and services
  • Ultra-personalised product service systems (UPPSS): ultra-personalized fashion and connected health
  • Personalization at a product level: digital material production
  • Personalization at a systems level: generative design and fit
  • Personalization at a service level: end user programing
  • Case study 1: BB.Suit 0.2
  • Case study 2: Kimbow
  • Case study 3: Phototrope

Assignment:

Individually create a Ultra-personalised product service systems (UPPSS) based on the project you want to develop further as your final project.

Make sure that you explore how personalisation can happen at more than one level.

A customer journey map is expected to be presented the week after where the different levels of personalisation are integrated in the design and use of the UPPSS presented.


Initial Project idea: Create a Textile composite made from the waste textile coming from the fashion industry

It is a two part project: The development of a textile composite. Then using the composite, creating a chair which displays the qualities whilst and also allowing the user to hear about the process of the design and creation stages through an integrated audio system.

Click here to view my initial short presentation PDF of The Meta Chair MC

 


Development

  • Why this topic? Textile Waste
  • Need: The issue
  • Value: circular economy
  • Market Research
  • Shareholders
  • UPPSS : Services
  • UPPSS : Product
  • Research & Development
  • Design
  • Implementation

Why this topic? Textile Waste.

First hand experience: My career of working for Textile suppliers, Fashion Houses, Garment production and as a Individual Designer-Maker. All these roles have led me to experience a lot of processes in different locations across the world and also across industries.

Click here for the full research list, below are just some key points

  • Wholesale Textile suppliers: The main waste here is offcuts, end of rolls and spoilt textiles
    • A waste resource here may come from trimming the fabric down neatly in order to serve the next client and keep standards and presentation in order.
  • Fashion houses and Textile suppliers: They often visit other wholesale Textile suppliers and smaller Textile Producers for fabric samples and swatches.
    • Its this resource of samples and swatches which are attached to other material that I think can be exploited, especially as some fabrics become unusable for smaller projects as they can have labels, glue and even finishes which make them a waste issue.
  • Garment production: Most garment designs traditionally have flat patterns which are then plotted or laid out on a piece of fabric and then cut from the textile.
    • The waste resource here would be any of the fabric offcuts coming from the pattern cutting stage and then garment sewing stages (CMT)

Ultimately I’ve chosen to look at 2 waste streams top focus on

  1. Textile Supplier resources of samples and swatches which are attached to other materials like paper or plastic used within swatch libraries
  2. Garment CMT waste of fabric offcuts coming from the pattern cutting stage and then garment sewing stages.

Defining the waste streams that I will source from, will allow me to look into a more personalised service of collecting the waste and processing it, as well as the type of product which can be created.

 


Need: The issue

Every year, we’re producing over 55 million tonnes of new polyester and cotton to make our clothing and textiles. At the same time, over 50 million tonnes of textiles go to landfill or incineration – we’re throwing away almost as much as we’re making!

Polyester (made from oil) and cotton (which requires vast amounts of water, land and pesticides to produce) are the two most widely used raw materials in our clothing. Demand for these two fibres is set to increase to 63% by 2030 due to a rising global population. In the near future, there’s going to be a huge fight for resources, like land and water, needed to produce our clothing. New solutions to tackle these challenges are needed. Now.” – Worn Again (website)

With facts like these, it is necessary to think of solutions for a more circular and sustainable way of producing, so that even our waste becomes part of the design and production process.


Value: Circular economy

Much of my research and inspiration for this project has been developing over the last 10 years of my professional life as a Textile Designer and Maker.

Here are a few links, reports and insights which support the movement of a circular economy and the need for integrating these ideas into current systems of supply and production

Information websites & arcticles


Market research

 Companies working towards building a circular economy and reduce textile waste:

Companies & designers using textile waste

  • Patagonia Worn Wear > “Quality gear that will last and can be passed on.”
  • Christopher Raeburn > “The REMADE ethos in particular has pioneered the reworking of surplus fabrics and garments to create distinctive and functional pieces.”
  • Evernu > “By using existing textile production practices in partnership with leading manufacturers and brands, we’re converting waste into pristine new fiber and beautiful new textiles.”
  • Zero Waste Daniel  > Design Mission: ” to tackle wasteful fashion industry norms by providing customers with kick-ass zero waste alternatives to conventional fashion”.

Companies already creating Textile composites:

 Interior product companies using waste and upcycling materials

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Shareholders: Questions to ask: Who? Where? Who does it benefit? What will they receive?

Click here for the FULL look into the Shareholder list, below are just some initial points

Who?

  • Investors:Those w ho own business or invested in businesses that produce textile waste
  • Governments & governing bodies: requiring solutions for textile waste, landfill and require solutions
  • Manufacturers: who create textile waste through their businesses
  • Fashion brands: who need to streamline their inhouse waste systems
  • Customers: needing reassurance

 


UPPSS: Services

Stages 1: Create a system for recycling directly > from supplier or brand > to the waste recycler > and the product developer

  • Collect and process waste from:
    1. Fashion production factories: offcuts and wastage from the pattern cutting and garment sewing
    2. Textile suppliers and Fashion Brands (swatch samples: attached to card hangers/in reference arch lever files/ in swatch libraries )
  • Both of these would need the following systems and logistics in place
    • in house collection system
      • Fashion producers would have a soecific area taht teh pattern cutter and sewimg machinsts ould dispose of ther offcut waste close to where they are working but accessible by a collection team.
      • It would be clearly labelled not to be mixed with other waste and other fashion accessories like zips and so on. Another waste bin could be provided for any fastening such as this.
      • Textile suppliers would have a unique also, similar to the fashion house, but closer this time to the swatch library or packaging station so as to reduce  time wasted in collecting and storying these.
      • There would also be a collection point specifically for those fabric swatches on plastic and card hangers or those stuck or stapled onto paper sheets.
    • pre-organised collection day and/or delivery to recycling location
      • for both clients, there would be a pre organised date and time of collection, say once per month or so, that would be arranged between those in change of office administration.

*Customer Journey Map pdf 

This map covers 6 potential customers; it is split into donators (customers 1-3) and purchasers or receivers of textile waste( Customers 4-6).

  1. Garment Supplier
  2. Textile Supplier or Exporter
  3. Design House (Fashion or Interiors, maybe even Interior contractors or Haberdasheries)
  4. Individual Textile Student
  5. School, College or University
  6. Industry Professional Company

Stage 2: Sort material at product developer > organise into composition/technique/ final use 

(explained in customer journey map)


UPPSS: Product

Stage 3 : Create a Textile composite made from the waste textiles that fashion industries

What is the use of the composite?

  • The Textile composite it can be used as a simple panel to be left as is, or it can be cut/lasercut/milled/shaped into forms.
  • There is also the possibility with the addition of glycerin to give the board an all over or sections of flexibility and different properties.
  • The Composite can be used for furniture, walls, tables, home accessories, fashion accessories and so forth.

Where can it be sold?

  • As a textile composite, it can be used a sold as is.
  • As a product made from the textile composite, such as the chair I plan to make, it can be sold within showrooms or retailers.

What are its specifications?

  • The main components are a range of waste fabrics and a combiner solution made from a bioplastic
  • As a panel it can be left as is, or it can be cut/lasercut/milled/shaped into forms.
  • Tests will be made to see what properties it holds : strength, weight, sound proof, longevity

What tools and processes are needed to create the textile composite? See here


Research and Development

Research by Topic

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Design

Why a chair?

A chair allows the viewer to see that a material can be completely transformed into another product. It also completes the idea of the metamorphosis from one mateial state to another. I believe a chair can be seen as the ultime useful product that anyone can relate to as it may hold a higher value and connection to more than a smaller fashion or interior accesory.

Final project: Meta Chair MC (. pdf Link)

Click here to view my research documents (.pdf Link)

  • Chair designs
  • Interior Object research
  • Aesthetics

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Implementation 

Initial service idea : These stages and processes I will get through during the next half of the course

Pre Phase

  1. Contacting suppliers and factories to enquire about collection of their waste materials ✅
  2. Collection of their waste material ✅
  3. Sorting materials into
    • Technique kind: woven (design weave or print design or circular (knitted/jersey) ✅
    • Composition kind: cotton, poly, mix …and so on

Phase 1 – R&D with Product tests

  1. Testing Fabric composite solutions
    • Resin ✅
    • Gelatin ✅
    • Agar ✅
    • Cornstarch clay
  2. Test the composites with milling – A few fabric composites have been created and milled already but not all
  3. Design of fabric connection/modular (into larger sheets for creating useable material/composites)
  4. Testing these with milling and lasercut (see Really/Kvadrat specifications booklets for advice on how they recommend doing the processes)

Phase 2 > Product Design

  1. Chair design Research
    • Historical and famous designs ✅
    • Reasons for chair and the ergonomics in conjunction with Human body
  2. Chair design

Phase 3 > Electronics integration design (based on previous work for integration of a Lilypad MP3 for my E-textiles project)

Phase 4 > Implementing the plan & project completion


Next stop: Final project!

NeProuduction

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