Jackie Mallon

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Monday, June 12 2017

On the heels of the president’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, as members of his administration continue to demonstrate an immunity to science or knowledge on matters that effect our planet, members of the fashion industry gather at FIT for its annual Summer Institute. Panelists of sustainability mavericks and leaders reveal the latest models to implement which will help our industry become more responsible. The goal of those in attendance is to cherish Mother Earth, while still operating businesses that are successful and profitable. As those in Washington continue to turn in circles and peddle the idea that climate change is a hoax, those in this room press forward with urgency, speaking in terms of recovering, renewing, preserving, never withdrawing. As knowledge is power, and even more so when shared, I will report on the program’s highlights in this three-part series.

“I founded a spacesuit company by accident”

So says Ted Southern of Final Frontier Designs who went from designing costumes and props in NYC to creating spacesuits for NASA. Working in the theatre world involved a lot of what he calls “making water go uphill” which is a fun way of saying he had to solve complicated demands quickly, around building body armor, and working with unusual materials such as inflatables. Along the way he developed an obsession with the anatomy of the human hand, partly due to having two surgeries, and decided to enter NASA’s Astronaut Glove Competition. He won the prize of $100,000 and founded his company. His knowledge of spacesuit engineering––“You’re basically building an entire life support unit on the astronaut’s back” allows him to see performance garments and, more specifically, materials, in a unique way. Fun fact: there were 21 layers in the Apollo spacesuit that went to the moon––so issues of bulk, range of motion, thermal regulation, C02 washout, personal hygiene take concerns of regular performance-wear manufacture to a whole new level.

New Generation Textiles

NASA has a repository of materials (MAPTIS) that he says will be the foundation for new generation textile technology. NASA almost never uses natural materials for multiple logistical reasons (even the astronaut’s basic undershirt is polyester) but he believes there are trade-offs that make the case for using long-lasting synthetics that outperform industrial-farmed cotton.

His forecast of textiles, both natural and synthetic, that will soon be used here on earth is as follows:

“Naturals”

Bolt Thread synthetically produces the natural but extremely expensive spider silk by harnessing proteins found in nature to make fibers. Wood fiber (which has been around since rayon’s invention) is now being transformed into textiles that have the feel of cotton, and at the head of the game is Finnish company Spinnova. Waste coffee grounds are now being woven into a yarn by S. Cafe; fibers made from milk by German company Q Milch. BioCouture is pushing forward in the developing area of growing materials out of bacteria for apparel. Metals such as silver, copper, stainless steel will be incorporated increasingly in apparel, specifically Chromel R, a steel used in astronaut gloves.

Synthetics

Synthetics are also set to be transformed by space-age technology. Hydrophobic down will be used instead of feathers. Southern believes industrial fabrics such as Teflon, common to firefighters’ uniforms for its chemical and toxic resistance, and Kevlar used in bulletproof vests for its anti-puncture qualities, are ripe for innovation in the apparel industry especially when blended with natural materials. We’ll be seeing more of Nomex, a naturally flame-resistant fiber that feels like cotton. New age alternatives to nylon and acrylic (which are essentially from gasoline) are Dyneema, which Levis is already incorporating into its denims for its strength, and Spectra. Fiberglass and carbon fiber when blended with rubber becomes safe on the skin, and has already been used in race car clothing; CNT (Carbon Nano Tubes) are desirable for their conductive properties and strength. We should look out for Graphene and Vectran. Aerogel, not a fiber but can provide an interesting thermal barrier and insulation properties, is being explored by companies Aspen Aerogel and Blueshift. There is also an increasing number of companies focusing on the recycling of synthetics, led by Unifi and Repreve, and Adidas has just its Ocean Waste 3D printed sole shoe.

No Water In Space

If you’ve ever wondered what intriguing challenges still must be met in spacesuit-wear, sustainability is at the heart of the matter there too: As clothes can’t be washed in space when even breath and urine are recycled, Final Frontier Design have proposed to NASA a program called Knit in Space where clothing is actually made via seamless knit technology in space and then disassembled after use. Currently all undergarments and traditional textiles are simply “burnt on entry.”

Make friends with microbes

Daniel Grushkin of Genspace started off completely grassroots as a science journalist playing with microbes in his apartment. This led him to found his company which encourages microbes as a medium for human creativity and to break down the barrier between art/design and science thereby creating a groundswell of creativity. To this end he launched the BioDesign Challenge with the nation’s schools and now seven countries participate. Students work under both fashion and science professors to engineer apparel using bacteria. FIT won last year’s top prize with their spaghetti-like yarn made from algae and fungi which they used to knit garments. While the idea is circular in that you wear a garment then throw it in the back garden and let it decompose back into nature, Grushkin is well aware that the energy required to grow the materials is the challenge to truly closing the loop. “I really believe everything should be cradle to cradle,” he says. “In nature, nothing is wasted and all creativity should take its cue from nature.”

What’s next for 3D printing?

“It’s not 3D printing, it’s additive manufacturing,” explains designer Silvia Heisel, wearing a shirt that was 3D printed with filament made out of recycled corn. “You are adding to, never cutting away as in traditional apparel manufacture, so there is zero waste.” Although she says 3D printing will not replace traditional sewn garments, it should be considered an alternative. It has a much shorter supply chain which can be modified, customized, quantified, in a way that the industry struggles to with its current model.”It’s fully transparent and traceable.”

Adidas will release 100,000 of its Carbon Adidas 4D Futurecraft sneaker next year. A recent Kickstarter campaign by Blackbelt far surpassed financial expectation to create the first 3D printer with conveyor belt for ”mass” production. Along with corn, other materials being recycled for use in 3D printing include sugar, cellulose, molasses. “My shirt took approximately 20 hours to create from beginning to end, “says Heisel,”which might seem like a lot until you realize it would have required 80 hours a short while ago.” She says there has been more development in hard industrial materials rather than soft flexible ones, but that is down to demand from certain Industries. “We’re behind the automobile and medical industries. But eventually, the hope is that you get sick of your clothes, they return to being a tree or a leaf in your back yard.”

Now that would be one small stitch for man, one giant leap for Mother Earth.

By contributing guest editor Jackie Mallon, who is on the teaching faculty of several NYC fashion programmes and is the author of Silk for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion industry.

Photos: finalfrontierdesign.com; genspace.org; heisel.co; adidas.com

Jackie Mallon

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Friday, June 09 2017

On the heels of the president’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, as members of his administration continue to demonstrate an immunity to science or knowledge on matters that effect our planet, members of the fashion industry gather at FIT for its annual Summer Institute. Panelists of sustainability mavericks and leaders reveal the latest models to implement which will help our industry become more responsible. The goal of those in attendance is to cherish Mother Earth, while still operating businesses that are successful and profitable. As those in Washington continue to turn in circles and peddle the idea that climate change is a hoax, those in this room press forward with urgency, speaking in terms of recovering, renewing, preserving, never withdrawing. As knowledge is power, and even more so when shared, I will report on the program’s highlights in this three-part series.

Farm To Fashion

We are what we eat has become an accepted belief, and food is now considered a form of healing from the inside. Lydia Wendt of the California Cloth Foundry, argues that our clothing, which enrobes our largest organ, our skin, is a way to heal from the outside. Not only does our skin, like the earth, absorb everything and therefore needs to be handled with care, but carefully made clothing can be a way to heal our notoriously toxic industry. Wendt worked for years in the fast fashion industry and says, “I was actively contributing to the problems; I was negotiating pennies right out of the suppliers’ and farmers’ pockets. It was a race to the bottom of the market. Eventually I saw the light.”

The Next Big Fashion Movement

She believes that transparency is the next big fashion movement. The California Cloth Foundry works with Californian farmers, who receive sponsorship under the Clean Water Act, and an entirely American supply chain which she lays out like this: Gary Murray grows the cotton in California, Mark and Mike spin it into yarn, Kenny and Caroline scour it in Seattle, Jason dyes it in Maine and May cuts and sews it in California… Although there is still a carbon footprint involved in the transport, Wendt cites an example of a conventionally made pair of jeans that made its way from China to Pakistan, India, Peru, the USA then to Europe, and asks us to consider the difference. “Fast fashion is design for obsolescence, ours is premium product designed to last.” Avoiding conventional dyeing which means no fossil fuels, only plant and protein-based colors still has its challenges at consumer level, and she hopes that color variation and fading will soon be considered a beautiful feature, not a defect. Imminent developments according to Wendt will be hemp is making a return; new threads already being produced from yeast and bacteria, vertical farming eliminating the burden of land use. In the meantime, she throws down the gauntlet to everyone: “Be my competition. That way everyone wins.”

The Cotton Club

Up next is a crowded panel whose members have spearheaded a variety of initiatives, all with one thing in common: to ensure the cotton does not lose market share to synthetics. Cotton is grown in 80 countries and according to Darren Abney from the Better Cotton Initiative, while there is no concrete definition of sustainability and growing methods vary widely worldwide, there is agreement on key points: the importance of pesticide, fertilizer and waste management, soil care, good labor practices, and profitability. “Cotton is a cash crop, it’s a business like any other,” says Abney, and whether conventional or organic, the 1000+ members of BCI, including Gap, Burberry, H&M, are committed to developing the best farming models. Currently BCI works in 24 countries accounting for 12 percent of global cotton production, but its aim is to account for 30 percent by 2020. Its motto is simple: be part of something Better.

Watching A Seed Grow

Brent Crossland of Bayer Crop Science started out growing cotton but when he was approached by a major company to help them develop cotton growth sustainability, he developed his e3 program which has traceability at its core. Farmers voluntarily sign up and from the point of sale of the seed, it can be traced through to the farm and beyond, with all stewards of the seed subject to random third party audits.

It’s That Word Again: Transparency

Eric Henry of TS Design cites January 1st 1994 as a major turning point for the U.S. farming industry, the signing of NAFTA, and now with 98 percent of apparel made overseas, he is passionate that transparency is the key to the future of American production. His company’s “Dirt to Shirt in 600 Miles” philosophy allows him to put a human face beside each part of the process and says consumers need to demand that of their apparel manufacturers. He also predicts the return of hemp as soon as the laws are changed, and that young people, who are already interested in where their clothing comes from, will go elsewhere if companies don’t cater to those needs now.

Cotton Folk in Cahoots

Mark Messura of Cotton Incorporated makes no bones about the choice between cotton or polyester. “Synthetics are not a sustainable option.” Polyester’s non-renewability and links to fracking are briefly mentioned before Messura makes a case for more education by brands and retailers to consumers who are still iunaware of what goes into their clothing. According to a Cotton Inc study, customers still overwhelmingly value price, fit, style, durability, and other factors over environment. Cotton Inc has introduced the practice of bringing retailers and brands to the farms in the same way they routinely visit their factories. “If customers don’t have confidence in cotton,” he says, “they don’t choose another cotton, say from another country, they choose another fibre, usually a synthetic.” In order to stop this happening Cotton Inc created their Cotton Leads program which shares information globally between its 100 partners.

“There are over 700 brands of denim in the US alone, so a lot of our cotton goes into denim,” he says, which leads into an explanation of Cotton Inc’s VSEP Technology which keeps the process of indigo dyeing clean allowing the water to be reused.

Beyond Marketing

“The unfortunate reality is that many companies still use sustainability as a marketing campaign,” says Messura and the other panelists agree unanimously. “It’s actually a terrible thing when a company sells thousands of organic T-shirts on Earth Day” says Wendt, “It should be part of your DNA, contributing to your brand reputation.” LaReah Pepper from Textile Exchange who grew up on a cotton farm and married a farmer couldn’t agree more: “It’s up close and personal for me. Famers don’t grow a crop on a maybe. They respond to clear market signals. They need a solid business model otherwise they can get a five-year contract for growing peanuts which is better for them.”

Mother Nature Vs Crude Oil

The customer no longer knows what she wants as there is just too much out there and she needs guidance, is the opinion of the panel. Pepper says, “We need to change the perception of cotton as the cheap fabric, and market it like we do make-up or luxury items.” Wendt wonders how many consumers even know their favorite polyester T-shirt is made from crude oil, adding, ”Cotton is a luxury fabric. It’s nature.”

Messura concludes by describing the interesting recycling endeavors that have been happening. Cotton Inc created the Blue Jeans Go Green campaign which kept thousands of pairs of jeans from landfill by transforming them into fiberglass insulation. Up ahead, he predicts cotton fabric will replace hard structures, at first, the plastics of your dashboard, then eventually your car.

Check back for part three of the series entitled “Textile Innovations” on Monday June 12.

By contributing guest editor Jackie Mallon, who is on the teaching faculty of several NYC fashion programmes and is the author of Silk for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion industry.

Images: ClothFoundry.com; BetterCotton.org; TSDesigns.com; CottonInc.com; CottonLeads.org

Jackie Mallon

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Thursday, June 08 2017

On the heels of the president’s withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord, as members of his administration continue to demonstrate an immunity to science or knowledge on matters that effect our planet, members of the fashion industry gather at FIT for its annual Summer Institute. Panelists of sustainability mavericks and leaders reveal the latest models to implement which will help our industry become more responsible. The goal of those in attendance is to cherish Mother Earth, while still operating businesses that are successful and profitable. As those in Washington continue to turn in circles and peddle the idea that climate change is a hoax, those in this room press forward with urgency, speaking in terms of recovering, renewing, preserving, never withdrawing. As knowledge is power, and even more so when shared, I will report on the program’s highlights in this three-part series.

Closing the loop

The theme of the day is Circular Fashion, as illustrated using this pretty butterfly diagram developed by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which is when the fashion system can operate in a 100 percent renewable way, and the concept of waste no longer exists. Instead what we currently consider waste is repurposed and becomes a resource, a food, replenishment. Consumption becomes something not to be frowned upon, but desirable again.

Cradle to Cradle

85 percent of textiles post-consumer still end up in landfills. Circular fashion redirects the potential landfill into new products. Annie Gillingsrud, from Fashion Positive describes materials (yarn, dyes, buttons, thread etc) as “ingredients” to be borrowed, and poses the idea of “stewarding and presenting them like a gift to future generations.” A T-shirt today can be disassembled, the garment reduced to fibre again and reassembled into a skirt for a new consumer. This system has led to the trademarked label Cradle To Cradle, a certified gold standard that guarantees the entire process of creating a garment is circular. In her work with the organization Fashion Positive Plus, she tackles the challenge of how to implement this system at scale so that profitability doesn’t suffer, and has encouraged major leadership brands to work together in common sourcing goals. Currently Stella McCartney, H&M, Kering, Marks & Spencer, Maria Cornejo, and Eileen Fisher are on board.

Nudie Jeans

Ruari Mahon, former director of PR and Communications at Nudie, now of Loughlin Joseph Creative Communications, explains that Circular Fashion took off for them by accident when they offered free repairs in their first store in Gothenburg. Now it the nucleus of their brand. “We don’t believe throwaway and jeans are words that belong together.” Their philosophy in four steps: Break In: Don’t over wash your jeans initially but allow them to form to fit. Repair: Come to any of their 25 stores worldwide and have your jeans repaired for free. Re-use: Branding on shopping bags reads “I just got my jeans repaired for free” and a free repair kit is available online plus free shipping which contains patches, thread, buttons so that you can bring your old jeans to life. Recycle: A recent Nudie project involved creating a capsule collection of camper stools and rugs using 2700 pieces of discarded jeans. Although the luxury contemporary denims can cost $180, they are treated as a living breathing organism and imperfections of patching and stitch work often add to the desirability. Nudie carried out 21,000+ repairs in 2015.

The Renewal Workshop

Jeff Denby, founder of The Renewable Workshop seeks to tackle what he calls “The Great Pile-Up” to be found in warehouses and in back of stores throughout the industry. He reminds us that only 20 percent of clothes sent to Good Will is actually saved; 80 percent is tossed, and some countries now ban import of foreign used clothing due to surplus. The Renewal Workshop’s vision is to return the value to recycled clothing. In their Oregon factory, they have a repair facility, (“we call our sewers apparel surgeons”) which reincarnates clothes, with a state-of-the-art Tercel cleaning service which is actually a pressure chamber that uses neither heat nor water to clean deep inside the fibers of the garment. It can treat cashmere, technical fabrics, mix colors, and when the makeover is complete the garments are as good as new, sometimes better, and sold back to the marketplace. Denby says that they calculated within a six-month period they diverted 20,000 pounds of landfill, saved 15,000 gallons of gasoline,100,000 000 gallons of water and 60,000 tons of chemicals. Current brand partners include Prana, Toad & Co, Indigenous, Coyuchi, Thread, Mountain Khakis, and they will be announcing the arrival of two large brands in the fall.

Fisher Found

Fisher Found is an endeavor by Eileen Fisher which since 2009 has taken back 772,000 garments and remade them into desirable new iterations. It also began by accident as an effort by one store to resell perfectly good clothing. “We sell it but then we welcome it back like an old friend,” says Cynthia Power, who believes customers enjoy the emotional aspect of it. “It reminds us of the inherent value of clothing,” she says. In partnership with the CFDA, they created the Eileen Fisher Social Innovations Program which invited three students from Parsons to breath new life into the collected pieces with scale, profitability and beauty in mind. They created a 500-piece collection which was sold in a pop-up store in Brooklyn.

While it used to be considered somewhat unsavory to wear someone else’s cast-offs, now if you do, it is likely that you will be wearing a cleaner, better-made, and more up-to-date design as a result. How’s that for a paradigm shift?

By contributing guest editor Jackie Mallon, who is on the teaching faculty of several NYC fashion programmes and is the author of Silk for the Feed Dogs, a novel set in the international fashion industry.

All images from RenewalWorkshop.com; FashionPositive.org; NudieJeans.com; FisherFound.com