TECHNOLOGY
Fashion has made leaps and bounds in technological innovation throughout all aspects of the industry. From the latest in textile innovation to the boom of AI-powered shopping platforms, we’ve created informative summaries and rounded up a list of some companies that have embraced the latest technologies to improve the way we create and experience fashion.
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Material Innovations
Material innovation has become an exciting trend to follow in the fashion industry, as patent filings in textile innovation have skyrocketed in recent years while large fashion brands have rapidly adopted new technologies. Though many innovations reside in sustainable reengineering and manufacturing, we have also witnessed radical aesthetic experimentation from the integration of technology like 3D CAD and printing with the design process. Fashion material innovation has even created new functionalities for apparel, as e-clothing is being developed for use in the healthcare industry.
E-Fabric
E-textiles/smart textiles ("soft circuits") can be embedded into a patient gown to help physicians measure temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure before they even enter the room. The LOOMIA Electronic Layer (LEL) enables monitoring and data buses for easy communication between patient and physician.
Sustainable Textiles
There have been major advances in synthetic and reengineered fibres following the changing demands of consumers that want to shop for more environmentally friendly and ethically sourced clothing. The development of these sustainable materials has allowed for words like bio-fabricated leather, biodegradable textiles, closed-loop recycling and e-textiles to enter the manufacturing mainstream, leading to increased aesthetic experimentation by designers.
Bolt Threads
Bolt Threads is a material solutions company that has worked with companies like Kering, adidas, lululemon, and Stella McCartney to create cutting-edge, sustainable fabrics. They have invented textiles like Mylo, a material that looks and feels like animal leather but is made from mycelium in mushrooms.
Desserto
With the purpose of creating an alternative to animal leather, Adrián López Velarde and Marte Cázarez, both hailing from Mexico, developed a vegan alternative to leather made with nopal(cactus!), named Desserto®. Desserto® is a highly sustainable plant-based material that has the technical specifications required by fashion, leather goods, luxury packaging, and furniture industries, while also being partially biodegradable and cruelty-free.
Flocus
Flocus is a textile brand producing yarn blends and filling made with Kapok, a naturally regenerative and environmentally friendly plant that Flocus claims to be the most sustainable fibre in the market, leaving no human footprint behind. Flocus unveils a host of additional kapok products including yarns, fabrics, and insulation materials, for many other applications.
Ananas Anam
Piñatex® is made of fibre from the waste leaves of the pineapple plant. These leaves are a by-product from existing pineapple harvest, so the raw material requires no additional environmental resources to produce. The use of pineapple leaf fibre, an agricultural waste product, provides the opportunity to build a scalable commercial industry for developing farming communities, with minimal environmental impact.
Algalife
Algalife formulates eco-positive, scalable solutions for manufacturing fibers and dyeing fabrics. So far, they've developed 100% biodegradable threads from algae and cellulose, as well as Algadye 3.0, an algae-based dye formulation that can be applied on all types of fabrics; synthetic, natural, and protein-based.
Manufacturing Innovations
Some of the most exciting fashion technological innovations have come from fashion manufacturing, which has been changing how the entire industry works. Some key technological trends include the increased presence of optimized in-house supply chains, automation leading to efficient made-to-order reproduction cycles, and 3D printing allowing brands to create products tailored to the customers tastes and needs in a speedy and timely manner.
Supply Chain Optimization
Many companies have made the entire manufacturing process “in-house” to increase speed and supply chain efficiency. Things like materials sourcing, creative and technical design, samples, production and shipping under the same roof. Automation improves productivity as well as the quality of fashion products by minimizing human intervention and preventing manufacturing mistakes.
Machine Learning and Data Analysis
Machine Learning is transforming the way the manufacturing industry collects information, performs skilled labor, and predicts consumer behaviour. Tommy Hilfiger, for example announced a partnership with IBM and FIT to develop an AI System to determine this kind of data to optimise production, sales and also reduce cost and waste.
3D Design and Printing
Brands like Iris Van Herpen (pictured above) are exploring how 3D printing can help them produce goods on-demand and create new avenues for customization. There are also new 3D rendering technologies like CLO and EFI Optitex which allow brands to edit designs in the moment and instantly review changes.
Blockchain
Blockchain is one of the fastest-growing sectors in tech, and with its ability to prove exclusivity and prevent counterfeiting, many luxury companies are beginning to integrate blockchain digital identities with their products and supply chains. Current blockchain applications in the luxury industry are proving authenticity, anonymously communicating with customers after a sale, sharing supply chain information(tracking handmade goods or worker wellbeing), and even transferring the ownership of digital clothing.
Identification
Paris-based non-profit Arianee has developed a blockchain-based protocol that creates a digital identity for valuable goods, such as bags, sneakers and watches. The brand and the customer can communicate while allowing the owner to remain anonymous — even if the object changes hands.