Innovation In Textile And Apparel:

The innovation is required in every step of the garment manufacturing, due to many reasons,
i.e. sustainability of environments & Manpower, Competitions from industries as clothing is
totally international entity, a dress is design in one country, manufactured in other & sold at
different countries. The design of a garment requires innovation, creativity and artistic and
design talents that incorporate aesthetics and practicalities. The practitioner must apply the
rules and theory of composition including design elements and principles as well as
technique. He or she is often creative and artistic, with a good eye for design and the ability
to create pleasing and functional garments, suitable for their purpose. Different fabrics will
react in various ways to the manufacturing process and these characteristics must be
considered throughout the preparation and production process.

Figure: The “critical path” from fiber production through to garment disposal
Source: Jane McCann (2005), Proceedings of the 2005 Ninth IEEE International
Symposium on Wearable Computers
The fashion industry has been booming with innovative ways to buy clothing, as people
become more willing to pay more for environmentally friendly apparel. Textile industries are
one of biggest contributors towards water wastage & air pollution. Know days Government
Policies as well as people awareness is also driving industries to do innovative research and
ideas for producing more sustainable clothing’s. There are many new eco-friendly fabrics &
Technology is developed as mention below:

1. Innovative Fabric:

Hemp fibers: One of the most versatile natural fibers can be obtained from hemp - hemp
fibers, which are antibacterial, durable and resilient, and work as a natural air-conditioning
system. In addition, hemp is a fast-growing plant that consumes very little water and does not
require herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers or GMO seeds.

Stinging nettle fibers: The common stinging nettle, Utica dioica, is a widely used plant that
is easy to grow. For the production of the fibers, the nettles are harvested in the summer and
the stalks dried well. This removes the sting. After drying, the stalks are broken to separate
the woody parts. Then, the plant is hackled to separate the fibers and to remove the leaf
attachments. After that, the fibers are spun wet and then dried. Twisting them increases tear
resistance. Similar to hemp fibers, stinging nettle fibers are versatile, keep the wearer warm
in winter and cool in summer, and can be grown with far less water and pesticides than
cotton.

Coffee ground fibers: Most coffee drinkers simply throw away coffee ground after making
their coffee. But it is an important raw material that can be used to make coffee ground fibers.
Taiwanese textile company Singtex’s technology combines the post-patented processed
coffee ground with polymer to create master batches before spinning it into yarn. The
resulting coffee yarn is multi-functional and can be used in a variety of products, from
outdoor and sports performance wear to household items used every day.

Pineapple fabric Pinatex: London-based Ananas Anam has developed a natural and non-
woven textile out of pineapple leaves, known as Pinatex which is remarkably similar to
leather. The revolutionary pineapple fabric is made from pineapple leaf fibers.

Banana fibers: Banana fiber is one of the world’s strongest natural fibers. It is made from
the stem of the banana tree and is incredibly durable and biodegradable. The fiber consists of
thick-walled cell tissue, bonded together by natural gums and is mainly composed of
cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin. Banana fiber is similar to natural bamboo fiber, but its
spin ability, fineness and tensile strength are said to be better. Banana fiber can be used to
make a number of different textiles with different weights and thicknesses, based on what
part of the banana stem the fiber was extracted from.

Lotus fibers: Using lotus fabrics and textiles may sound exotic to western ears, but in
countries like Thailand and Myanmar, for example, lotus fibers have been used for special
garments for centuries. Not surprisingly because the manufacturing process produces a
luxurious fabric that feels like a mixture of silk and raw linen that is also stain-resistant, light
weight, soft, silky and extremely breathable.

2. Dying with Air:

Developed in California by Colored, Air Dye works with proprietary dyes that are heat-
transferred from paper to fabric in a one-step process. This can save between seven and 75
gallons of water in the dying of a pound of fabric, save energy, and produces no harmful by-
products. The technology uses 85 percent less energy than traditional dying methods.

3. Digital Printing:
With digital printing, prints are directly applied to fabrics with printers, reducing water usage
by 95 percent, energy reduction of 75 percent, and minimizing textile waste.

4. Plastic Bags and Beer Bottles Finding New Life:

Recycled synthetics, made with everything from plastic bags to beer bottles continue to make
a splash. In much the same way that other materials and bamboo are transformed into thread,
the up cycled synthetics are broken down into a fine particulate, melted, and extruded into
fiber.

5. Hand-Dying:
Sometimes the "latest" innovations are really some of the oldest. A number of smaller fashion
lines are resorting to locally sourced materials and hand dying their garments to create
stunning looks.

6. Online Shopping Tools That Know Your Measurements:

Online retailers deal with a high percentage of returns due to poor fit, material quality
satisfaction, and customer does just not like what they get.

Smart on-line shopping tools are being developed that have the potential to dramatically
reduce returns and minimize shipping energy and waste in the process. My Shape has
developed a patented technology that matches shoppers with items that correspond to their
personal measurements and preferences. In 2009. Their Size less Dressing allows shoppers to
skip the size labels with the assurance that each piece of clothing they purchase will fit and
flatter them.

7. Water-Free Stone Washing:

Levi’s Waterless products are a water-conserving collection that allows the company to use
an average of 28 percent less, and at times as much as 96 percent less water to finish their
jeans. Thus far, the collection has reduced the company’s use of water by more than 172
million liters.
8. Smart Tailoring: Direct Panel on Loom (DPOL) technology, also called Smart Tailoring
was created by Indian designer Siddhartha Upadhyaya as a way to increase fabric
efficiency (by 15 percent) and reduce lead-time (by 50 percent) to manufacture high-end
garments.

By using a computer attached to a loom, data such as color, pattern and size related to the
garment is entered, and the loom cranks out the exact pieces -- which then just need to be
constructed. Weaving, fabric cutting, and patterning happen all at once. Brilliant. Not only
does DPOL minimize immense waste of fabric, it also helps in saving energy and water by 70
to 80 percent.

Source:

https://fashionunited.com/news/business/6-sustainable-textile-innovations-that-will-change-
the-fashion-industry/2017100917734

https://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-fashion/10-awesome-innovations-changing-future-
fashion.html