Redistributed & Digital: How can digital finishing technologies be used to enhance non-woven textile materials and contribute towards a model for circular production?
This project seeks to investigate how digital technologies can be used to enhance non-woven materials and contribute towards the development of future systems for material production within a circular economy.
The research builds on a growing global campaign challenging the textile industry to reconsider its established linear production model of ‘take, make, waste’. The rise of a fast fashion model in recent decades has led to a proliferation of waste in landfill, particularly of synthetic based non-biodegradable fabrics. The Slow fashion movement encourages extended use of textile products; kept in cycles of use for longer through repair, reuse and sharing economies.
The research builds on findings from Mistra Future Fashion (http://mistrafuturefashion.com) a Swedish government funded cross-disciplinary project that aims to create systemic sustainable change within the fashion industry. The Centre for Circular Design at University of the Arts London are leading on the Design Theme and are proposing a system of both fast and slow products; whereby fast products are enabled sustainably through slow material systems of reuse and recycling.
Life cycle analysis during Mistra Future Fashion Phase 1 (2011-2015) indicated that significant savings to carbon emissions could be made during textile product manufacture and non-woven materials are being investigated as a low carbon alternative to traditional textile manufacturing methods (knit/weave).
This project will build on this proposal; investigating non-woven material manufacture and possibilities for digital enhancement to extend application opportunities and demonstrate product flexibility.
Redistributed & Digital – project poster