Development of Technologies and Design

The Effects of Major Developments in Textiles Technology

We have come to expect more from our clothing and other textile products. New textiles are being developed all the time - mostly to try and improve the performance of existing products, therefore to keep the consumer buying new products - maximising sales and profits.

Some Examples of Major Developments Are:

• Fibre production - organic cotton, spider silk, Lyocell, microfibres, nanofibres, non-traditional fibre sources such as leaf hemp and pineapple leaf and banana leaf.
• Yarn production - blended yarns such as lyocell and lycra. Heat treatments on yarn to give texture such as crimping or bulking.
• Fabric production - biomimetics - fabrics that imitate nature:
  • Fastskin by Speedo (fabric for swimwear that acts like a shark skin)
  • Stomatex (fabric that imitates the way the surface of a leaf breathes and regulates temperature)
  • Super Microft (fabric that mimics the…