Technological clothing and recycled materials. 9 fashion trends you should know about
Miscellaneous / / September 13, 2021
1. Sustainable fashion
People consumeHow the relationship between man and nature is changing 50% more natural resources than the Earth can replace. If this continues, then in the future we will need several planets to satisfy all needs. The problem is that nowadays mankind does not have a single spare place for life. Therefore, cutting-edge companies are embarking on sustainable fashion.
Brands that work on this principle are trying toWhat is Sustainable Fashion? to produce garments that use resources conservatively and minimize harm to the environment. For example, they choose recycled materials or natural fabrics - for example, organic cotton, linen and bamboo. Preference is given to plant materials that do not require a lot of water and chemical fertilizers. By the way, the use of dyes and the application of chemical compounds to ready-made fabrics is also limited. When it comes to materials of animal origin, such as wool or silk, special attention is paid to the ethical management of animals.
In addition, companies are moving away from low-wage and child labor in developing countries. And during production, they try to use renewable energy sources, such as sun and wind.
Sustainable fashion can be contributed bySeven Forms of Sustainable Fashion and consumers. For this it is worth:
- if possible, refuse useless purchases at sales;
- give preference to basic and well-sewn things that will last a long time;
- visit second-hand shops, outlets and vintage shops;
- sew custom-made clothes without encouraging fast fashion;
- hand over obsolete things for recycling.
2. Recycling and disposal
Clothes, shoes and accessories thrown into the trash can go to the landfill, where there are two ways: either they will lie for a long time and decompose, or they will be burned. Both options are not very useful for nature. Instead, things have a chance to get a second life. If you just get bored of them, you can give them to friends or family, sell them online, or take them to collection centers for the needy.
Clothes that are completely worn out can be handed over for recycling to special recycling services or to mass-market stores. Further things have two ways again. The first is to become a building material, a cleaning cloth, insulation, soundproofing or a ballpoint pen, the second is to turn into a new T-shirt or coat and get back on store shelves. The second option is suitable if the item is made from materials without impurities - for example, from pure polyester (you can remelted into high-grade new fiber) or cotton (recycled fibers must be mixed with new ones so that the fabric is durable). Mixed fabrics are more difficult: separating fibers of different origins from each other is not an easy task. But there are technologies for their processing into new textiles.Recycling Revolution - inventing new ways to recycle textiles and are already in use.
Plastic bottles and even ocean debris are also used to make clothing from recycled materials. Recycled plastic is used to make, for example, clothing for sports and leisure, used to create warm fleece trousers and jackets, and make T-shirts. You can distinguish secondary material from primary material by marking on the tag - there will be an icon on it recycling or the inscription "Made from recycled polyester / cotton", usually indicating the percentage of used recyclable materials.
You can even give a second life to things that many of us are used to just throwing away, such as plastic soda bottles. Coca-Cola in Russia turns its used plastic into stylish clothes - in September this year, the company released a collection of clothes made from recycled materials. So, to make a trendy bomber jacket (this one will definitely come in handy in the fall) or a roomy backpack for all occasions, it took, among other materials, five plastic bottles, and a bright long sleeve or belt bag took three bottles. These items can be purchased for special points: to get them, buy Coca-Cola, Fanta or Sprite and register checks on promo website.
Image: Coca-Cola in Russia / Olga Skvortsova / Lifehacker
Image: Coca-Cola in Russia / Olga Skvortsova / Lifehacker
Image: Coca-Cola in Russia / Olga Skvortsova / Lifehacker
The more checks, the more points. For example, for 10 points you get the chance to win a whole set of limited edition clothing. And if you accumulate 15 points, you will take part in the drawing of the main prize - an ecotour to Altai. And yes, don't throw empty bottles with the rest of the waste - it's better to recycle them. If you don't know how to properly separate waste, Coca-Cola will explain what to do. For students, the company will place containers and information stands with a QR code, by clicking on which it will be possible to receive information about separate collection waste. Coca-Cola will also hold lectures at universities from ecosphere professionals, and everyone will be able to find the necessary information on recycling at project website.
I want an eco-bomber!
3. Second-hand
Already in this decade, second-hand can overtakeSecondhand Could Supplant Fast Fashion in a Decade, ThredUp & The RealReal Are Leading the Way the fast fashion industry. Its growing popularity is driven by both the environmental agenda and the desire of people to wear luxury clothes, but not pay full price for them. In addition, in second-hand stores you can find truly unique items that will emphasize the style of the owner.
Even celebrities are not ashamed to buy used clothes. Bayer Kanye West's Greg Ross recalledInside the Secret World of Vintage Fashion Scoutingthat in 2018 he flew to a second-hand warehouse in Seattle and bought $ 1,000 worth of old army clothes. These items are included in the mood board of the Yeezy collection.
You should not be afraid to buy or even just try on second-hand things because they once belonged to other people. Before getting on rails or shelves, clothes, shoes and accessories are not just cleaned, but disinfected: the likelihood of keeping viruses or parasites on things is negligible. By the way, it is precisely because of this procedure that second-hand clothes have a specific smell: so that eliminate it, you can wash your purchase with air conditioning or dry-clean if the item is delicate materials.
And if you're still not ready to go shopping at thrift stores, try outlets and stock centers. There, with big discounts, items from old collections are presented, which for some reason were not sold out during the season and were lying around in brand warehouses. If not for outlets, these clothes could go to a landfill or to an oven.
4. Techwear
Techwear (aka techwear) is made from special materials that provide waterproofness, mobility and comfort. For its manufacture, fleece, microfiber, membrane fabrics, especially durable materials (for example, Dyneema and Kevlar), ripstop are used, as well as graphene, for the development of which Russian scientists receivedThe Nobel Prize in Physics 2010 Nobel Prize.
If earlier climbers and rock climbers used such things, now they have become an integral part of street style. In such clothes, it is not scary to get into the rain, it is breathable and provides many pockets and removable elements for storing things. The idea behind techwear is to make things as comfortable as possible. For this, for example, in places of increased sweating, mesh inserts are used, and during development The designers take into account the ergonomic properties of clothing cuts and shoe shapes so that things do not hinder movement.
Additional comfort technologies can also be used in these garments. For example, heating elements that allow you to replace a bulky down jacket with a light thin jacket with heating, or built-in gadgets: a powerbank in a backpack, a flashlight on a bomber jacket, or even a whole multimedia system on a jacket - a similar thing in the early 2000s releasedPhilips x Levi's ICD +: the vision of Massimo Osti Levi's brand in collaboration with Philips.
5. Biomaterials
There has been no shortage of unusual materials on the market lately. They appear, first of all, to minimize damage to the environment: this way you can reduce the volume of water, necessary for the production of clothing, preserve insect populations and reduce the use of animal materials origin.
So, instead of bird down for stuffing warm clothes, some brands useThe Future of Sustainable Materials: Milkweed Floss fluffy corollas of cotton wool seeds. They make from rose petalsVegan substitutes to traditional raw materials in fashion: ethical rose petal fiber a fabric resembling silk, and a viscose substitute is producedOrange fiber from the orange pulp that remains after squeezing the juice. Suitable for the same purposesAgraloop BioFibre and other plant waste, including banana peel and sugarcane cake. Artificial leather is also sometimes made from plants: pineapple leavesPinatex, cactusDesserto, grape seedsVegea and the skins remaining in the wine production process. For the production of flexible soles are usedThe bloom seaweed.
They also try to make the creation of classic materials, such as cotton, more environmentally friendly and organic, that is, without the use of chemicals, which means, without pollution of soil and air. Another direction in the development of biomaterials is the use of natural dyes. For example, shades of beige and brown createH&M Is Experimenting With Natural Coffee Dyes and “Leather” Made From Wine Waste with the help of coffee, and for dyeing fabrics in other colors they useWe aRe SpinDye a mix of pigments and recycled plastics. Also, for these purposes, they plan to useColorifix bacteria.
While such materials are more expensive than usual, but progress does not stand still. Garments made from biological tissues can also be found in the mass market.
6. Wearable technology
Smartwatches and fitness bracelets have gone from gadgets to fashion accessories that look organic with either a tracksuit or an evening dress. But wearable technologies are not limited to them. For example, the Tommy Hilfiger brand in 2014 producedThis Tommy Hilfiger jacket can charge your smartphone a solar-powered jacket with which you could charge your phone on the go.
Perhaps in the future we will be able to wear clothes that change color depending on the environment and themselves have built-in sensors that measure biometric data. Back in 2013, they collectedRadiate Athletics: The Future of Sports Apparel money to launch smart sportswear that would change color depending on the temperature of the skin and show which muscles are already warmed up, but now nothing has been heard about the project.
Wearable technology can be used not for benefit, but for beauty. So, the LEDs hidden between the layers of fabric make a classic evening dress more spectacular. This Katy Perry, for example, woreKaty Perry Met Costume Institute Gala 2010: Flashing Lights at the MET Gala back in 2010. Claire Danes also appeared in backlit dresses at the ballMet Gala 2016: Claire Danes’s Glow ‑ in ‑ the ‑ Dark Gown Upstaged a Red ‑ Carpet Robot Army in 2016 and ZendayaZendaya Is Cinderella — Complete with Fairy Godmother and Light-Up Ball Gown — at the Met in 2019.
Another beautiful technological trend is clothing and footwear printed on a 3D printer. The designer from the Netherlands Iris van Herpen several times createdIriv Van Herpen Collections couture collections.
7. Self-cleaning clothing
It seems that in the future we will be able not to wash clothes - at least, there are already attempts to invent fabric that cannot be stained. For example, the British startup Unhouse producesUnhoused self-cleaning hoodies. It is not scary to spill coffee on them - the clothes will still remain clean and dry.
Russia plans to use self-cleaning fabricThe production of self-cleaning fabrics for medical devices will be launched in 2021 for the production of medical clothing and masks. The material is impregnated with titanium dioxide nanoparticles. Under the influence of ultraviolet light, such a fabric is able to cleanse not only of dirt, but also of bacteria and viral particles.
Another approach to creating stain-resistant fabrics came up withA self-cleaning fabric that changes color has been created in St. Petersburg SPbU scientists: they used a coating of interference pigments - nanoparticles based on oxides of titanium, iron, aluminum and other metals. The fabric with such a coating cleans itself by exposure to sunlight or rain.
8. Digital fashion
Fashion strives for convenience, and this is expressed not only in comfortable clothes. Today, many shoppers do not want to waste time shopping, but prefer to order online. Thus, in Russia, by the end of 2020, the volume of online sales in rubles increasedOnline market for clothing and footwear by 35% compared to 2019.
Virtual fitting rooms help make the choice easier for buyers. The client can scan his figure using a smartphone camera to imagine how clothes and shoes will look on him, as well as choose the desired size.
But this is not all - the things themselves also becomewhat is digital clothing? virtual. Of course, you can't go out in a digital outfit, but you can create spectacular photos or videos and upload them to social networks. The peculiarity of virtual clothing is its uniqueness. Holographic prints, airy silhouettes, perfectly glossy fabrics without creases spoiling the picture: in the digital version, the designer's imagination is not limited by the properties of materials or the laws of physics.
True, such an outfit can only be worn once, and you cannot try on an outfit on your own without owning a graphic editor. You need to send the designer your full-length photo, and he will “put on” the product over the customer's image and fit it to the figure. In the future, digital clothing can bring tangible benefits to sustainable fashion: brands can show the entire collection in a virtual format, and to sew only popular items or models for sale request.
9. Conscious consumption
Fashion industry is the second largest polluterFast Fashion: The Second Largest Polluter in The World planets after the oil industry. Environmental impacts have exacerbated the proliferation of fast fashion based on mass production and low prices. Cheap items are often made from low-quality fabrics, so they lose their shape after a couple of washings and go to the landfill.
Conscious consumption has come as a counterbalance to fast fashion. Its supporters suggest buying only really necessary things from quality materials. It is assumed that such purchases will delight you for years, and not lie dead on the shelf.
Several rules will help you switch to conscious consumption:
- Disassemble your wardrobe before shopping. Do not go to the store with the goal of "buying at least something", but find out in advance what items you are missing.
- Don't buy an item just because it's cheap.. You will most likely have to pay twice. Pay attention to the quality of the fabric, fittings and seams - the better they are, the longer the item will last in your wardrobe.
- Give preference to basic things. Each season, completely renewing your wardrobe in accordance with the latest fashion word is not only costly, but also harmful to nature. But if there is a universal set of basic clothes, it is easy to refresh it with a couple of trendy items.
- Discard packages. Start a reusable shopper and put everything you buy into it.
Conscious consumption is not only about avoiding unnecessary purchases. Contributing to a cleaner planet is easier than it sounds: for example, make it a rule to use your electricity rationally and turn off your faucet so that water does not go wasted. Finally, try to sort the waste: for example, plastic and glass can be recycled, so it is better to dispose of them separately from organic matter.
To help the planet, The Coca-Cola Company launched the global initiative in 2018 “A world without waste». By 2025, the company wants to switch to fully recyclable packaging, and in another five years - to collect and send for recycling all the containers it produces. Used bottles will be used again: Coca-Cola is going to bring the content of recycled raw materials in packaging to 50%. Since 2016, the Share with Us program has been operating in Russia, which is part of the World Without Waste initiative. Within the framework of the program, various educational activities are carried out in cities (for example, eco-lessons), they install containers for the separate collection of waste, clean the shorelines of reservoirs from garbage. A total of 90,000 tons of packaging waste have already been sent for recycling.
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