by Shanto | May 8, 2021 | Top fashion news |
In this era, to be “out of fashion” is indeed to be out of the world. Why so? Well, we already know the reason. Fashion, which is as old as time and as new as tomorrow, is one of the most powerful forces in our life. It influences every sector of our lifestyle. So, to understand the living, breathing and evolving transformation in fashion industry is a need of the hour!
Although the Fashion Industry is considered to be the most glamorous and dynamic fields in the world, it is also difficult, demanding and unpredictable.
Despite the enchanting interplay of creativity, business hype and marketing wit, everything comes down to the bottom line if the fashion companies can’t get profit up to the mark.
In recent years, the fashion industries have undergone dramatic restructuring. The industry does not resemble the one that existed 20 years ago.
Just as fashion products change, the industry itself keep revolving. However, we have seen fashion retailers competing with each other to provide newly fashion trends revealed by fashion shows and runways.
Here are some factors which are driving the transformation in fashion industry:
Elevation of mass production
Prior to the mid 1980s , success in the fashion industry was dependent on low cost mass production of standard designs that did not change often due to the design restrictions of the factories. Evidently, consumers during that time were less conscious of style and fashion and mostly preferred basic apparel or wearings.
Fashion garments began to be mass produced towards the mid-20th century. People began to have more choices of garments as the bulk of production increased.
At the end of the 20th century, fashion awareness among people raised on the top, and they began to choose comfy as well as stylish clothes for themselves, instead of counting on the trends prevailing in the market.
Fast Fashion
Fast fashion is a very known term that has allowed anyone to dress following the latest trends whether he or she has the least of fashion sense.
Spending a little amount but dressing in a different way has become the norm for most people in the last two decades, and that is the reason driving the success of the “fast fashion” trend.
Customers love to see various products or designs every month and this has led to an increase in the demand for new fashion collections over a smaller span of time. And so, to be profitable in the industry, apparel retailers need to take the ‘speed to market’ approach to make profit on fashion that is not in the stores of their competitors.
By emerging small collections of merchandise, fashion retailers encourage consumers to visit their stores more frequently with the idea of ‘Here Today, Gone Tomorrow’. And it surely indicates a shorter life cycle of a particular design or a garment.
Difference in the styling of apparels. Courtesy: Pinterest.
Technological Impact
There was a time previously when the creation of garments required much time and skill, whereas today they are realised within a matter of minutes.
However, today is a combination of all techniques to have been practiced until now. Such as, some designers love to work with the very ancient spindle techniques for their woven styles, but might use a 3D printer for their footwear or ornaments.
The development of technology gives designers a wide choice of techniques to use and it arises constant opportunities. Moreover-
- Nowadays traditional design methods are being replaced by CAD (Computer-Aided Design), CAM (Computer-Aided Manufacturing) or many other designing platforms which minimizes the time of sketching on paper, draping fabrics on mannequins or having a proper measurement. And so these technologies allow the designers to make any kind of changes required for the desired silhouette or fabric trimmings.
- For having a true-to life garment visualization or virtual sampling, we can now easily use some 3D designing software like CLO, Marvelous Designer, MAYA, TUKA 3D etc. Most of our fashion industries get benefited from these 3D garment simulations; as these have gradually reduced the machinery cost or labour cost.
- High-intensity lasers or computer-guided knives are a great replacement of traditional pattern making system as one can get many layers of fabric all at once. But these technologies are mainly used in making expensive apparels.
Pattern making. Courtesy: Pexels.
The assembling of ancient and modern techniques depicts that designers can choose the most sustainable options, and drive the evolution of fashion towards sustainability.
Online shopping & E-commerce for smoothing the digital transformation in fashion industry
Today’s digital world is more and more interconnected with our fashion industry. Digital platforms are becoming prevalent in the fashion market. Every now and then we can see many new brands are emerging with the development of e-commerce, which allows companies to engage consumers through virtual reality.
- The global pandemic (COVID-19) has transformed the way consumers behave and made it amply clears how technology can be lifted to accumulate sales even when consumers are locked in their homes.
- Another withholding factor to the rise of e-commerce is the availability of smartphones and devices. Moreover, there is a huge upsurge in 4G and 5G adoption, which indicates a developed infrastructure of a country.
- While renowned fashion businesses have already joined the e-commerce bandwagon, small shops or boutiques are now also seen entering the homes of prospective buyers via fashion apps, social media pages and garnering followers. As a result, customisation has evolved; creating one’s own shopping basket, having discounts and loyalty points on shopping sites have now become a rewarding experience.
- During this social media era, the fashion industry is experiencing the increasing role of influencers, as consumers look at their lifestyle as more authentic and attractive than habitual advertisements. Influencers are considered as close to the common people because they are not models and are not forced to make a campaign, but wear what they like and what flaunts their body well; they also show their outfits during regular days or in common. Thus it gets easier for ordinary people or customers to adopt the trend followed by the influencers.
The adoption and popularity of e-commerce have manifested that being digital is the only way forward. As consumers build on their impulses, fashion platforms need to up their game to personalize their offerings to the varied tastes and build predictability within their boundaries, to better purchase experiences.
Customization of a particular attire brings the transformation in fashion industry
Personalization:
Consumers have become more squeamish and more demanding during the last few years. It builds a high expectation for quality products among the consumers. They choose fashion items according to their values and their personal style. To cope up with the expectations, fashion companies have to understand how to offer product that customers will perceive as unique. Many fashion companies have followed this trend by enlightening their product portfolio and becoming more and more “multi-style brands”.
Sometimes the company has to think about what is the difference that makes the product of a brand incomparable for both customers and competitors. A wrong choice can instantly destroy the brand reputation, thus they have to be very careful with the selection.
The fashion industry is one of innovation, vision and diversity. And of course, we do not need a reminder of this, but in the fast pace of life, it can be easy to get caught in the rapid movement of our works with all the deadlines and trends. We need to juggle with our innovative ideas, customer feedback and our internal communications as well as to create beautiful and sustainable garments as quickly as possible, following the brand’s image and values.
By Team Saturnine,
Mentor: Tanvir Ahamed Fahad; Id:2018-1-6-026
Leader: Atkia Faiza; Id: 2019-1-6-020
Executive: Md. Asaduzzaman Ovi; Id:2020-1-6-020
Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Photo References:
- Image 1: Unsplash
- Image 2: Pinterest
- Image 3: Pexels
- Image 4: Pexels
You can also read another of our premium content on Fashion in the 21st century!
If you are interested in architecture and fashion, you can also read Architecture Fabric: The New Use of Textiles as A Building Material
by Shanto | May 3, 2021 | Fashion and sustainability |
It is a common consideration to believe that the ‘small’ amount of unsound household waste each individual produces, creates such a minimum impact on the world. But if you take into detail there are approximately 7.4 billion people in the world, this number becomes horrible. The amount of unsound waste generated and disposed of, in the United States alone, is measured to be
7.6 billion of tons per year! Most of the wastes that are filling our oceans and landfills are enduring for quite a long time. And what is the saddest part? The fashion industry is one of the most wasteful industries. Undoubtedly, in the last 15 years, this glorious industry has doubled its production, but at the same time, the concept of wearing clothing before it is thrown away has declined by 40%.
An average consumer throws away 70 pounds (31.75kgs) of clothing per year! Globally about 13 million tons of textile waste is produced each year. These trends of making waste are not only killing our planet or impacting on public health, but also they are bounding the opportunities for the fashion industry to succeed in the distant future.
The Story of The Rise of The Phoenix- An Invisible Bond with Modern Fashion
According to Greek Mythology, it is said, the glorious ancient bird Phoenix is capable of its rebirth. A Phoenix is said to live only once at a time. When the time comes, unlike any other birds, a Phoenix would die by setting itself on fire, only to produce mysterious ashes. The ashes from where a new Phoenix would be born! Thus, a new and powerful Phoenix regenerated from the silver ashes of its predecessor.
Modern fashion activists can relate to this concept of rebirth and regeneration. The wastes produced from the industry can be depicted as the new definition of ashes and of course, the upcycled creations from these wastes would be our new Phoenix! Nonetheless, the household or textiles wastes can be the opportunity to make new fashion and be the new hope for saving the planet.
10 Fashion Brands to Regenerate New Designs from Waste
Many fashion brands have already been working on waste and designing out of it in an innovative way. Let’s get to know some of these fashion brands and how they challenge waste to create sustainable fashion!
Ecoalf
Ecoalf, a fashion brand of Spain produces clothing and accessories from recycled materials. Their main motto is to use a lesser amount of natural resources and utilize high amount of plastic wastes. Hence, they recover nylon waste (fabric scraps, fishing nets from the oceans and carpets), plastic bottles, cotton, coffee grounds and more to create fabrics and products. But its main target is recycling plastic waste collected from the bottom of the oceans. Ecoalf definitely contributes themselves in the production of garments made out of 100% recovered plastic as they claim, “There is no planet B where we can live in.”
Collina Strada
Collina Strada is a clothing brand created by Hillary Taymour, whose main concern is sustainable fashion while still keeping their individuality. This brand makes brightly colored dresses with unusual designs from deadstock fabrics. It recycles cotton T-shirts, water bottles and prints on deadstock too. Besides, it works for reducing waste, the brand focuses on incorporating innovative new materials such as fabrics made from rose petals which is known as Rose Silk!
Image 2: A vibrant Collina Strada creation for PreFall Season 2021.
Hôtel Vetements
Hotel Vetements is a French-Danish love affair by the Danish Fashion Designer Alexandra Hartman. The journey started with the transformation of high-quality yet old curtains to sophisticated pieces of modern clothing. Moreover, the brand creates upcycling, artisanal apparel not only from forgotten curtains and upholsteries but also from hand-embroideries, linen textiles, tablecloths, cotton sheets from provence and much more. As a result, each garment has their own style of vintage effect. More so, no two items are similar. They support uniqueness and imperfection of each beautiful artifact.
Zero Waste Daniel
Zero Waste Daniel is the first company making 100% zero waste apparel. This company uses pre-consumer waste sourced from New York city’s garment industry and other hard-to-recycle materials to make genderless clothing and accessories with artistic creations. Many of their unisex garments are textile off-cuts produced by the fashion industry. These off-cuts are stored in tiny jars and later used to be used in the making of casual wear garments. The brand, hence, recreates textile by products as well as inspire people to rethink about waste and reduce their impact.
ZWD storage of scraps of fabrics in tiny jars. Courtesy: Vincent Tullo for The New York Times
Iro Iro
Established by Indian daughter of a garment factory owner, Iro Iro is a sustainable design practice where each product gets new life from pre-consumer waste fabric. Then, this fabric is woven by hand outside of Jaipur into a rich textile fabric. Artisans take advantage of this handwoven, upcycled textiles to create ingenious clothing and accessories through zero waste cutting techniques. During the processing, Iro Iro establishes the essence of Indian craftsmanship and tradition.
E.L.V DENIM
Anna Foster, a Stylist and Creative Director, is also the founder of E.L.V. Denim. This brand upcycles unwanted jeans and jackets and transforms them into modern sophisticated pieces of clothing. Their recycling journey starts by taking unwanted jeans from warehouses around the United Kingdom. Then the washing process starts using a local East London launderette called Cleanex run by Korosh Murad. This washing process is vital which removes unnecessary materials from the discarded pieces of denim. Cleanex is well known for using only 7liters of water to wash the fabrics, where a brand new pair of manufactured jeans would require 7000liters! After washing, the denims are measured and sorted for the atelier. All the jeans are cut manually and made by using traditional denim methods. Even the labelling has their concept of sustainability. The labels are made from scraps of unused pieces of leather, ensuring the zero-waste policy! Thus E.L.V. completes their mission of preparing neoteric sustainable dresses without environmental pollution, assuring what the designer, Anna Foster, herself quoted-
“Sustainability is the ultimate part of what I do. We live in a very aesthetic world, so a successful brand has to marry carefully the two of them together.”
Image 4: Anna Foster with waste denims collected throughout UK. Courtesy: elvdenim.com
Doodlage
Kriti Tula is a designer, also the Founder of Doodlage Retail. She and her Doodlage team upcycles industrial waste fabric into wearable fashion, upholstery and accessories. According to the article of Reverse Resources, about 12 million tons of post-consumer textiles are available to be reused and upcycled. Relating to this concept, Doodlage generates pieces from tattered textiles and materials found. Therefore, they hunt for the ragged material first, and enter into the design process second. They collect all sorts and sizes of fabrics, from under 100 meters to very short ones. All the relevant fabrics are then mixed and matched with a follow-up of patching, embroidering and more. This is how Doodlage pieces are restored to life.
Christy dawn
Christy Dawn is the founder of Christy Dawn. She and her husband launched the company. It consists of dresses made with only deadstock fabric. The question is, what is exactly deadstock fabric? Normally, deadstock fabrics are those that are old and unable to be sold. In modern era, deadstock fabrics particularly refers to all those that are left over from other fashion houses. Before they are thrown away in the landfill, Christy Dawn and team, rescues these deadstock fabrics and turn them into dresses. But one of the disadvantages they follow is that, when they use deadstock fabrics, they are limited in the number of dresses they can make, as there are not unlimited amounts of fabric to be used to make a full fashionable garment.
Outerknown
Designer & Surfer John Moore co-founded Outerknown with 11-time world surfing champion Kelly Slater. From their very start, this brand had a challenge to build sustainable products. The brand makes comfortable and casual beach style clothings rooted in longevity and transparency. Over 90% of Outerknown’s products are made from organic, recycled and regenerated fiber and materials. One of their most amazing route to sustainability is the use of Econyl! Econyl is a type of nylon made entirely of wastages. Since Outerknown is highly inspired by beach styles, due to the inspirations collected from the 2 surfer co-founders, this brand collects fish nets to turn them into econyl fibers. It is one of their fascinating ways to clean the ocean!
Famous S.E.A Jeans by Outerknown- an outcome from 98% organic cotton that lasts long. Courtesy: outerknown.com
Insecta
The founders of Insecta are Pamela Magpali and Barbara Mattivy. It’s a Brazilian shoe label that transforms fabrics and prints from vintage clothing into vegan footwear. Not only that, this brand is highly known for their application of plastic bottles in the manufacturing process! Insecta makes awesome fashion lines that includes shoes, desert boots, sandals and Chelsea boots using recycled plastic, unwanted rubber and second-hand textiles materials.
Image 6: A printed Insecta shoe made entirely out of plastic! Courtesy: shopinsecta.com
It is certain, any upcycled textile reduces the chance of negative environmental impact. Anything that is made out of waste, now is a new way of thinking and creating fashion in a different manner indeed, just like a Phoenix would start its life anew!
By Team Bespoke,
Mentor: Tasphia Zaman (TFD 44, ID: 2018-1-6-009)
Leader: Khadiza Sharmin (TFD 45, ID: 2019-1-6-015)
Executive: Nahema Haque Khushe (TFD 46, ID: 2020-1-6-002)
References:
by Shanto | Apr 28, 2021 | Top Trends |
Fashion trends have always been forecast before years to come considering the existing data we have at our hand. But who knew that there will come a pandemic like Corona? So, what about the Fashion Trends 2021? As we all are passing a pandemic situation right now, we can say that it affects our fashion industry too like others. A lot of things have been changed. Some fashion shows were stopped for this pandemic situation. But now we are coping up with this situation. Now the virtual runway shows viewed from our laptop screens give us a taste of the exciting trends on the horizon for 2021. I can say undoubtedly if there was ever a time for a dose of fun, it’s 2021. Neutrals have dominated fashion for the past few seasons, we’re also seeing that reflected in the fashion on the runways. The biggest color trends of 2021 are giving people a sense of hope, optimism, and the refreshment that many are looking for. Rather than a standout hue, we’re seeing saturated shades in a rainbow of colors at Prada. The Pantone Color Institute is choosing bright and soothing colors that takes inspiration from natural elements. This year bright and eye-catching hues are their first choice. The Bright Yellow color refers to evoke hope and optimism after the tumultuous year. The color gives the message of unity, stability and hope. The Deep Teal color is inspired by the calm of the ocean. The Off-White is also steeped in hope and optimism. Its inspiration comes from the pandemic’s craze of baking at home. Fortuna Gold is also their pick ones as it represents the chance happenings and happy coincidences found in life’s moments. They think rich Marigold color will evoke a cozy and friendly vibe. The Powdery Blue is another color that they expect to be big for its calming nature. The Deep Navy color is said to be solid and very intensive and can be used as a great background color. This year the Burnt Red-Orange color is said to have a season less appeal. The French Blue shade will be popular with people who favor the color and are looking for a new shade. The Pastel Green color goes along with the trend of gardening, hiking and other outdoor activities that have become more popular during the pandemic. The Pink-Orang is said to evoke a sense of familiarity and comfort, especially because Coral was a recent Pantone Color of the year. Also, Mint is a refreshing and cleansing color. This year Amethyst Orchid will be popular as far as the prediction. As the Fuchsia color has both warm and cool properties it will be one of the trendy colors. Same goes for Desert Mist. So, we can say that this year will be a colorful and lively year. Another trend that is dominating this year has been Pastel colors. Choose from a boiler suit in cool mint green or an oversized trench coat in soft lavender better yet, try them simultaneously. Among 2021 fashion trends, anyone can pick Bubblegum Pink without any hesitation. Now, let’s have a look on what’s in for 2021. There’s a lot to adopt and skip. The designers ask to adopt sheer, transparent pieces this spring. As our “lockdown life” has been less exciting it’s time for lifting up our mood by wearing color and patterns. Screen-prints can make you feel more artistic. If you are a fan of basics, so Basic Maxis will be one of your cheerleaders. This long line, flattering dresses are the best for comfy. We’ve already seen a glimpse of Warp Skirts in 2020, and in 2021 this trend will comeback with the updated hemline length. Here, oversized Jackets and Blazers with a pair of straight-leg trousers or leather shorts for an ultra-modern style that suit this trend are powder blue, charcoal, and neutrals. Now, Puffed Sleeves are one of those things which are loved by all. In 2021, everyone is adopting Straight Denim Styles and more Relaxed Fitted Jeans and skipping hot pants. Some like Low-Rise Pants as it is so comfortable where some loves Baggy Jeans. It can be little basic, but styling them with different textures and tighter fitting tops will be so cool. Therefore, go all out this season with these beautiful and tangled Folk Inspired Coats. When the temperature starts to drop, you can add some layers of delicate embroidery and lace to keep your outfit hot. The style looks fantastic on every body type. We can try a light brown suit or coat with a mustard turtleneck for the cold season or a sleek tan T-shirt and camel pair of flare pants. This subtle yet flattering combination is the hottest style we can say to try this season. The theme is kept it neutral with Yellow and Camel color styling. Wear White Knee High Boots with a patterned mini dress or skirt, a roll neck, or a funky pair of leggings. It is great for a slouchy style for an effortless feel or keep it sleek and tight for a sexy touch. With that classic and comfortable Ballet Flats are back, and Block Heels gives us extra oomph and height. In this time, Yellow Bags have taken over the runways and the streets. You can choose a small clutch to spice up an outfit or find a mustard tote for your daily needs. Also, an Amber structured handbag with an all-white get-up, or a sleek canary baguette for a night out. At that time, one of the biggest looks we have seen is the Fringing on the bangs. Choose from a leather fringe or shearling- you can rock any season. For a classic look, choose dark hues. But if you want to be unique, take a dip into bold shades. This year 50s and 60s sleek fashion trend is coming back and Head Scarfs is one of them. We can choose from a silky design with floral motif or intricate patterns, or keep it simple with bold colors. This Covid situation gives us another fashion trend and that is Black Face Masks. These masks match almost any outfit. The beauty behind this face-covering is the limitless styling opportunities that comes along it. If you want to stand out among others, add Pop Blue Accessories in your closet. The amaze behind this trend is the unlimited number of options you can try throughout the season. This bright hue will stand out amongst the deeper shades. Add a pop of blue to your monochromatic outfit to update your go-to outfits and rock your key pieces. This is all about 2021 trends, which offered us whimsical escapes into future inspired by designer lockdown daydreams for spring 2021 last Fashion Week. This year is going to be a colorful and hopeful year by our outfits and accessories. By Team Never Passe! Mentor: Priyanka Sarkar Leader: Ria Debnath Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Reference:
Featured photo: Woman In Pink Zip-up Jacket And Blue Denim Jeans · Free Stock Photo (pexels.com) Content: https://www.thetrendspotter.net/fashion-trends-spring-summer-2021/?fbclid=IwAR00c
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Fashion trends of 2022 and Fashion trends of 2023.
Also as you’re interested in trends, we suggest you to read this premium article which features the fashion of the 21st century, its key trends and designers!
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Fashion nails and spa: Trends and where to get one?
by Shanto | Apr 25, 2021 | Fashion and sustainability |
Whenever we are asking which cloth makes you feel comfortable while you are travelling? An answer always passes through your head and you look down to your pair of jeans. Yes, there lies the answer!
Jeans are made of denim fabric a famous fabric for its durability. But have you ever thought weather your jeans are ecofriendly or not? Or have you ever wondered if the fabric was made is a different way to make it strong? May be you have or may be you haven’t. If you have then hope this article will provide you with a best answer!
Why Denim is considered as strong fabric?
Denim were made for gold miners as their fabrics needed to be strong enough and could handle the hazardous work they do. And Levi and Strauss first invented the denim that could hold its shape even after working in the mines or other hazardous work and it didn’t need frequent washing. It started blooming since then, Then it made debut as a film dress and become popular in cowboy movies and western movies.
Special weaving process and rivets to keep it from ripping made it strong than other clothes.
Picture: Factory beside a river. Courtesy: Photo by Linda Finkin on Unsplash
Why is it considered as a non eco friendly fabric?
Talking about denim’s being not an eco-friendly fabric, we can sort the problems in a numerical order and denim has got problem in every step of its way to processing from cotton to
finished fabric. Here are the problems described and I have also described how they can be reduced to minimum.
Cotton Cultivation Process:
Cotton plants need a lot of water to start with and even one of the most pesticide using plants. So they are polluting water and actually consuming a lot of water. Producing just 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cotton can require up to 7,660 gallons of water, depending on where it’s grown. So it’s a huge amount of water. Even workers who are working in the field are exposed to the chemicals that are used as pesticides.
Picture: Cotton. Courtesy: Photo by Amber Martin on Unsplash.
Dying process:
Dying process in the textile factory means dying the fabric with chemicals and colors as coloration process needs various chemicals to make the colors long-lasting. A series of chemicals are used to treat denim fabric and it’s colored with indigo color, a special color that lasts long enough to have the fabric
10/11 wash. 7.5 billion feet of denim fabric is produced every single year and they are repeatedly washed with water. A question may arise so what is the problem! We can use wasted water! But unfortunately we cannot do that as we have used the chemicals once and it has different ratio after one use. So the waters are wasted. It was noticed that Xintang, a town in southern China, the denim capital of word faced a disaster in 2013 . All of its rivers ran deep blue and smelled foul because the denim producers damped all the wasted water in the river.
Washing Process:
Washing denim is a process where a lot of chemical treatment is involved. While researching it was found that denim fabric contains heavy metal which can be disastrous for human life. After the pieces of denim is sewn together it is tossed into a variety of washing machine to gain the color or the faded color according to the trend and design.
So how to overcome this situation? Is there any solution to this problem? As human brain is the most sophisticated one, it has been searching for the solution for decades and a lot of solution has came forward. Let’s talk about that!
Hemp vs Cotton!
Hemp is often considered as a drug which is a miss conception. Levi the legendary brand of denim has found a technology to make hemp feel like cotton. They have blended 30% hemp and 70% cotton in their denim. Hemp produces fibers more than same amount of cotton and they need less amount of water to cultivate.
So it is a legendary step in the world of denim as denim is one of the most environment polluting industry in the world.
Courtesy: Photo by Rick Proctor on Unsplash.
Courtesy: Photo by Hanna Balan on Unsplash. Picture: Hemp vs Cotton.
Laundry system:
As we know the washing process need a lot of water so we need to reduce the amount of water. Some company has been trying to develop the environment. Pakistani denim company named Soorty has been trying to develoo a denim laundry system that is environment friendly and socially conscious. It has already invested to the most expensive wet denim processing plant in Pakistan. Later on they established A spinning space and in house recycling unit to recycle the wasted water.
This Industry needs to work altogether to reduces the effects and that’s why they made a joint effort in 2019 to go the greener way to reduce the pollution. The brands who have signed the commitment, they express their feeling as they are committed to creat a product or multiple products in adherence to the jeans redesign guideliness. Similarly, in fall 2020, Dutch and international brands signed the Denim Deal in Amsterdam, a pledge to reform and recycle jeans. The project, which is an initiative by House of Denim and the Dutch government, was started to create a circular economy and reuse more old denim garments.
Picture: Denim for future! Courtesy: Photo by Albany Capture on Unsplash.
It will continue as a debate topic that weather Denim is a fabric that we should put away or we should continue with it! But as long as I don’t have to wash my denim regularly and is made with latest ways, I am not leaving my most reliable “Friend Dress” Jeans!
Go green! Save the environment and wear jeans which are less hazardous to the environment!
By Team Bucolic Bohemian,
Mentor: Umme Memory Mim (Id: 2018-1-6-012) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Leader: Sabiha Moon Taha (Id: 2019-1-6-006) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Executive: Md. Mahmud Hosen (Id: 2020-1-2-006) Dept: Fabric Engineering
Reference:
If you want to read about a denim brand called Risen Jeans, you can go here! We’ve got you covered!
by Shanto | Apr 20, 2021 | Academic |
From childhood, we dreamt to be invisible like Harry Potter with a magical cloak. But with modern technology & science is that really possible? Let’s check out its origin, adaptation & current scientific updates.
Origin of Invisible Cloak
The invisible cloak is mainly adapted from mythologic terms. It’s mainly a fictional theme which is mainly found in Welsh, German & in some cases probably in Greek myths. According to these myths using certain special cloaks, people can become invisible. However, these myths are mainly found through folklore & storytelling as there is no actual evidence of the existence of these kinds of fabric or cloak before.
Adaptation in fictional Literature & Entertainment
Ancient myths still inspire our art, culture, fashion & entertainment. The invisible cloak inspired a lot of things in the modern era or pre-modern era. A lot of fictional novels are based on these kinds of stuff. In the modern-day several movies & series adapted these mythological terms. Cloaks of Invisibility also existed in Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. The Hobbit series also adapted idea like invisible/magic cloak. The most interesting fact is most of the audience appreciated these mythological terms in entertainment & novel culture. However, getting inspired by fantasy, humans are now trying to create such stuff using modern technology & science.
Scientific Research & Technology
There is been a lot of work happening related to cloaking devices since 2006. Two scientists from Duke University made it possible to render an object invisible for the first time. The cloak was made of “Metamaterial”. It’s generally not found in natural materials. (Although the concept of Metamaterial started in 1967). That special cloak routed microwaves in such a way that makes our eyes emerge as if there is nothing or the object is invisible. However, the research continued more & scientists from Berkeley Lab & University of California added a new dimension to it. They believed that cloaking at optical frequencies is quite possible. At the beginning of 2011, they announced a new cloaking system that was effective in visible lights and can hide macroscopic objects. Natural birefringence of calcite was used in it. When we look at something, we identify its colour because it absorbs all the colour except for the colour that is associated with that object. The wavelength bounces of that object and goes into our eyes which is processed by our brain. So, to deceive our vision an invisibility cloak would have to stop reflecting light back from objects to our eye. By making the wavelengths of light avoid the objects one can do that. Similarly, some cloaking technology can divert wavelengths of light around the edges of an object instead of deflecting them back to our eyes. By this, our brain thinks absent of a certain object. The new cloak created by the University of California doesn’t curve light waves around the object, but reflects and diverts a malformed version of those wavelengths, and thus makes the object undetectable. They used a close-fitting “metasurface” which is made of a light-thin insulator material flecked with gold rectangles that absorb and then emit light waves in a way that eyes can’t identify. The material’s thickness is less than a micrometre as a result it can be wrapped around objects like skin. However, the latest cloaks advantage is that it can cover objects with neat sharp edges, which was proven highly challenging with cloaks in the past.
Problems that Scientists are facing
To create invisible cloaks scientists are facing a lot of problems. One of them is the high dispersive nature of these materials. Besides light passing through them sometimes gets partially absorbed. There is also some issue with movement. The movement of objects may create a problem with invisibility.
Latest Update
Although perfect cloaking is still impossible scientists are trying for its advancement throughout new compound or metal. detectors like microphones, radar or waves and sources such as loudspeakers can still identify object hidden with the latest cloaking tech. But scientists also expect to make perfect cloaking if a particular formula is used to calculate the signals to be fed to the sources. Currently, scientists are working with the metasurface concept in this technology.
Stealth Aircraft by the United States. Courtesy: Image by WikiImages from Pixabay
Current Use & Future Projects:
Although invisible cloaking’s core idea came from myths and fantasy it may be a useful and game-changing revolution for the world, especially in military tactics. Soldiers can disguise themselves with such kind of cloaks during the war. Even probably a whole bunch of arms, camps can be hidden using such technologies. Countries like the United States already working to manufacture stealth aircraft & it has been reported that the British army has also tested something like “Invisible tank”. However, researchers are excited about this new surface as It could eventually open doors to new exciting applications.
By Team Stalwart,
Mentor: Sumita Bhattacharja Joly (2018-1-6-007) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Leader: Shariful Islam Akash (2019-1-6-040) Dept: Textile Fashion & Design
Executive: Nashita Ahmed (2020-1-10-041) Dept: Environmental Science & Engineering
References:
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