Textile Innovation 🎋🍍🌱

"Changes call for Innovation, and innovation leads to progress", by Li Keqiang

We live in a world of constant change, growth, and technology is pioneering every step of the way to a better future. Now i've talked plenty on vegan fashion and plant-based fashion. Whether it was on my Eco-Tip Tuesday posts or general conversation at events I attended and video streamed. But I wanted to tell my story more on here about some of the wonderful things happening for sustainable fashion. Focused more on fun alternatives with textiles.

Towards the end of last year I was introduced to company called Eco-Sessions. It's a global platform that happens almost every month, typically a panel of some sort talking about sustainability in a variety of aspects. I knew it was something I had to get involved with so I can constantly be in the know of our industry and meet some fabulous like-minded people. I was supposed to attend an Eco-Sessions about clean beauty but just couldn't make the time at that moment. However, I managed to make the next panel event at the Soho House in West Hollywood about Innovation in Textiles. I knew this was going to sit very well with me.

After an hour of some very informative education and panel audience engagement, I got to hear about new ways of fabrications. With some research and self-education here are some great textiles happening:

1. Industrial hemp—Hemp is rapidly renewable, requires little or no pesticides, grows without fertilizer, requires minimum attention, doesn’t deplete soil nutrients and is easy to harvest.

2. Recycled polyester—This fiber is made from cast-off polyester fabric and soda bottles, resulting in a carbon footprint that is 75 percent lower than virgin polyester. Recycled polyester contains toxic antimony, but some companies are working on removing it from their fabrics.

3. Tencel—Tencel is made from natural cellulose wood pulp and is fully biodegradable. It uses Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood pulp and less-toxic chemicals in a closed-loop process.

4. Bamboo—Bamboo is a hardy, highly renewable grass and is generally grown with few chemical inputs. The fabric also has natural antibacterial properties, breathes and is biodegradable. However, toxic chemicals may be used to turn the plant into fabric. The Federal Trade Commission mandates that companies using this process label their products bamboo-based rayon.

5. Pineapple- Piñatex is different from piña, where fibres are combined with silk or polyester, will be found in shops, but initial prototypes show that, just like leather, it can be used to manufacture goods including shoes and handbags. Mostly made from fibre leaves and byproduct of of the pineapple harvest.

There were also some great take aways, in a sense of how can sustainable fashion sustain itself in the industry today.

One of the panelists, Kristine Upesleja of Madison-Innovative Materials said "we need to bring value on how things are made and who makes them. Making transparent to consumers." Transparency is becoming more and more a topic and it helps keep the public know what is truly happening. It helps make a connection even more to the brand.

There was also talks of making the desire for newness in a different perspective. As we can see these fantastic innovative textiles are paving the way for sustainable fashion everywhere. This "newness" makes our segment of the industry remain relevant, in other words - sustainable.

Lastly, education and awareness! If we want change to happen then we need to let the public know what conscious ethical fashion is all about. By educating designers and brands the benefits of this new fashion, we can eventually go into a new world. A more sustainable world.