Reflective, dissolvent, electrical, purifying, sensitive to movement and, in some cases, even bulletproof: the last generation tissues could easily be sci-fi.
Prada
For the men’s autumn parade, the Italian Maison presented heavy jersey jackets using polyamide (fabric usually used for fencing) for a higher density.
Moncler
The well-known brand of outerwear has created an outer fabric in ultralight nylon weighing only 40 g per metre (compared to Egyptian cotton, which can be 800 g per metre) and is windproof (price from £450).
While for the ski wear line they have made a specially coated waterproof tweed.
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
The Italian home of men’s clothing has launched the new line “Zero Weight”, that is a fabric for clothes and gym suits that weighs 145g per metre.
Anna Zegna, the director of the image of Ermenegildo Zegna, says: “We are living a new era. People drive the global lifestyle and need fabrics that can adapt to all conditions “.
He also introduced “Cool Effect“, a fabric made of Australian wool that allows dark colors to replicate the properties of white and reflect the infrared rays of the sun, thus reducing body temperature up to 10 ° Celsius.
Uniqlo
This spring will launch a collection of garments with UV-proof material, underwear designed to support posture and a range of summer jackets in moisture-regulating material (all starting from £7.99).
The Brand, already well placed on the market as far as “smart” fabrics, has had a resoous success with its HeatTech Underwear (starting from £9.99), made with a mix of Pro Rayon, a cellulose fibre and milk protein fibers that convert the moisture generated by the body into heat by controlling also the odor using anti-bacterial agents.
According to the Japanese brand, the HeatTech range represents 25 annual sales.
High-tech fabrics have become a strong point for brands.
In England:
Last September, London designer Manel Torres unveiled the first spray-on head in the world in collaboration with Imperial College London.
The special fabric of Torres is sprayed on the skin and solidifies once stratified, after which it can be removed (maintaining its shape) to become real fabric, reusable and washable.
The spray, currently marketed under the name of Fabrican, is made with “short fibers” mixed with solvents and polymers, which make them easy to spray and wire (seamless, a bit like felt).
“It has enormous potential in both the fashion and medical fields, as the fabric is sterile,” says Torres, adding that a couture French and an Italian luxury fashion label have contacted the company for a collaboration.
The London Brand Cute Circuit was founded four years ago by Francesca Rosolla, former designer for Valentino and Esprit.
The company made a stir for having made the illuminated dance dress of the singer Katy Perry for the Met Costume Institute Gala of 2010 in New York (the dress, with LED lights intertwined with the fibers, changed color every time Perry touched a sensor) .
He also introduced motion-sensitive self-enlightening t-shirts and a mobile suit made from tissue that serves as a receptor. The company has a new collection of LED fabric dresses ready to go out in the spring.
“Fashion is expressive, but I like the idea of using technology to make it even more,” says Rosolla. “I like to create clothes with magical powers”
The “Hug” T-shirt of the company (which in 2006 won the invention of Time magazine of the year in which it was presented as a prototype) will also be on sale this year through its website: Anyone who has the Bluetooth can send to the wearer a “virtual embrace” wireless From any part of the world: the shirt contracts and heats to replicate the sensation of a hug.
There are endless possibilities to be adopted to the “wearable technology”, IN whose DNA we find progress, art, engineering and design, applications that are not limited to the production process alone but become an integral part of the product itself.
Details
SOURCE Financial Times
