New/alternative textile fibres in fashion

[tricotineacetat]

There´s been an increasingly growing amount of new fibres in fashion lately that are mostly 100% organic, some of them I am already aware of, others I have never heard of in a textile context.

A.P.C. just unleashed a line of knitwear in Soja and Cashmere, a yarn that had some of the softest of touch I have ever felt and Anne Valérie Hash´s S/S 2006 had pants in a 100% bamboo fibre that had similar attributes as linen, but with a softer grip and easier care.

Most of these new materials had been explained as very economically friendly since they can be re-produced more easily than cotton and because they are by-products of other industries. On the other hand, I heard that fibres as bamboo and tencel are more breathable lasting than most cotton yarns.

I would like to take this opportunity and start a discussion on fashion textile development - if anybody is in the know, I am looking for any feedback (both from consumers and textile/industry insiders).

 

[softgrey]

great topic tric.....

here is a thread on Panda Snack...
a company that uses only fabric made of bamboo....!!!

http://www.thefashionspot.com/forums/f60/panda-snack-top-made-bamboo-35742.html?highlight=panda

excerpt from the wwd article...

Knupp said the bamboo fabric washes the same way as cotton, but as an added bonus, there is no odor from sweating.
"The fabric is odorless and 99.5 percent resistant to bacteria," he said.

 

[indie]

some of Nato Niidomes clothes he designed for marimekko made from bamboo fibre .. (s/s05)

(fashionfinlad.com)

I think bamboo fibre sounds intresting and has lots of advantages..

 

[Lena]

bamboo is getting huge at the moment

corn and crab (yes thats right crab) fibers
were also rising at the recent expofil tradefair in Paris

 

[mishahoi]

wow, bamboo fiber! sounds fantastic... i dont have much to contribute yet, but i must say i hope someone else here knows more about cutting edge fabrics because i find it utterly fascinating. next week is the textiles exhibition here in tokyo, perhaps there will be something interesting there i can report on

 

[susie_bubble]

I would love to know more about this stuff. It all sounds fascinating. I would love to know how bamboo fibres actually feel against your skin though.....

 

[Spacemiu]

I'm very into this, organixc and alternative.

I saw a very soft blanket made form recycled tires.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

I believe the term for Bamboo fiber is Ramie. At least I know ramie comes from Bamboo. It's becoming quite popular as an alternative to linen and cotton in the textile industry (I just finished a course on textiles). You should check your tags, most of you probably own something that has bamboo in it already.

It's quite amazing what is being developed. A synthetic fiber made from corn starch is being developed as a an alternative to Nylon and Polyester (both of which have a poor effect on the enviroment).


Cooper Hewitt had an exhibition called "Extreme Textiles", my local contemporary arts center was lucky enough to be first location to host it as it begins to travel around.


Central St. Martins has a program dedicated to textile research and development called "Future of Textiles".

 

[softgrey]

i'm pretty sure ramie is not the same as bamboo....

though ramie is also a plant based fibre...it is definitely not new...
actually...
i hardly ever see ramie anymore...
i used to see it all the time in the eighties...
as an alternative to linen...

i had forgotten all about it actually...
is it making a comeback?...
...

 

[tricotineacetat]

The new S/S 2006 collection from Y´s has a good amount of pieces made up in Ramie, Nicolas Andreas has haad fabrics this summer that were made entirely in Ramie woven as a twill to replace cotton as well as a Floral Jacquard that is labeled as 100% Fibrana... what the hell is Fibrana??

 

[sea of stitches]

Ramie and Bamboo are not the same, although both are regenerated cellulose fibers. Bamboo can be processed "green" which is why a lot of people are stoked on it. But there is also Bamboo Viscose which is processed with chemicals. It's also pretty soft, which hemp isn't always (although personally, I think it's a "greener" fiber). Ramie isn't very strong, maybe that's why it's fallen from popularity? Sorry, I don't know what Fibrana is...

 

[Caomhsmum]

I first came across bamboo in cloth diapers/nappies. It's very soft to the touch and now I'm interested in finding a source of bamboo fabric supplier / manufacturer to produce clothing items for my online shop. Can anyone recommend such a source?

Thank you.

Oh yes. I bought my brother a bamboo fibre t-shirt (70%bamboo and 30% organic cotton) for Christmas from here www.bambooclothing.co.uk and he loves it.

 

[BaroqueRockstar]

ingeo

 

[DJCNOR]

There is a company that supplies weavers with a good number of the new fibers, things like silk/steel, bamboo, pine, soya, many others. The descriptions of the yarns they sell are very useful for understanding the properties of fabrics made from such materials.

Their website is www.habutextiles.com