THE INTELLIGENCE OF FABRICS

May 2021

Marina Spadafora

From seaweeds, castor, coffee: in the Eco Labs high tech natural materials are growing

Fashion considerably contributes to planet’s pollution. How can we stop this process through our clothes and reverse it before it becomes impossible? With R&D   
In this way clothes absorbing CO2 are born. This happens through the application of a thin layer of seaweeds on the surface of the fabric, which absorbs CO2 and transforms it in oxygen. Alive clothes which need a specific care to keep the seaweeds healthy and to create the magic of the photosynthesis. An important innovation result of a partnership between London’s Post Carbon Lab and Egon Lab. Another “smart” fabric is the Biogarmentry created thanks to the project of canadian-iranian designer Roya Aghighi with Botany Lab: together they realized an alive and biodegradable fabric where natural fibers are weaved with nano polymers of a particular monocellular seaweed which activates the photosynthesis.

Let’s move form seaweeds to coffee: for sportswear a new technology has been invented in order to cover the fibre with a thin layer of coffee grounds, able to accelerate the process of humidity extraction from the fabric and to make the drying time 200 time quicker than cotton. But benefits do not end here, S.Café^® Yarn absorbs odors and reflects UV damaging rays.

In this moment in time when public health is under attack, textile technology come into our help. Fabrics with smart features have been adopted by the brand Freddy in a renewed partnership with Brugnoli, who patented Br4™, 100% bio based-polyamide fabric (Evo by Fulgar), extracted from castor and combined with D.I.W.O. fabric (dry in, wet out) to create Bio D.I.W.O.^® with the following smart features: elimination of bad odors, high speed drying, bacterio stability and body protection from temperature changes.

If you like skiing you know how much you can suffer winter cold on the slopes.  Now you can buy your ski gear with an embedded monitoring system of internal and external temperature. If the temperature lowers too much, the gear automatically activates a nano carbon system, which is inserted in the jacket, and immediately creates warm.

As heard from recent scandals, the puffers padding is sourced from hurting poor geese. A new fibre has the capacity to lower the body temperature to solve the problem. It is offered by SaltyCo, a startup which has been studied a material able to be used as padding for puffers and pillows. 100% from vegetable source, the fibre is sourced from plants able to tolerate salt water growing in swamps. No freshwater is used, avoiding the use of one the most precious and scarce resources. It is known that the wars of the future will be on water, not oil.

NATURAL FASHION
edited by
MARINA SPADAFORA stylist and green activist, she is coordinator of Fashion Revolution Italy, movement fighting for a fairer and more sustainable fashion system.