SUSTAINABLE FASHION MATERIALS AS A POSITIVE VECTOR
Today, the environmental and social crises have led industries to reconsider all production systems with a more conscious, accountable, and transparent oriented approach (Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2017). Talking about sustainability today means referring to a system that is able to recognize and cultivate diversity, acting according to a holistic vision that allows us to live in the present without compromising the future. In this context, the following lecture will focus on the topic of innovative sustainable materials which are a fundamental resource for enabling sustainable design, as well as emerging new business models.
Learning Outcomes
- Define sustainable materials.
- Identify preferred materials.
- Discuss the role of materials as sustainability vectors.
- Choose preferred materials.
- Compare different sustainable materials.
- Propose sustainable material alternatives.
- Select better materials alternatives to business as usual.
MATERIALS & WASTE
The growing awareness about the different issues related to the impact of fashion processes and practices, as presented in the previous lectures, has led to an acceleration in the development of sustainable alternatives in the material field. In particular, this lecture will address how materials are vectors of sustainable solutions for the fashion system with a focus on the relationship between materials and waste: waste materials & materials from waste.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe the main characteristics of materials which are produced from waste.
- Give examples of the different way to recover waste into sustainable materials.
- Compare different ways of recover waste.
- Select alternatives to standard materials.
SENSORS AND ACTUATORS FOR APPLICATION IN SMART TEXTILES
An overview of simple, off-the-shelf sensors which can be used in smart textile projects as well as examples of how to connect them in an electronic circuit. The need and function of microcontroller boards is explained and links to DIY smart textile projects are provided.
Learning Outcomes
- Explain the function of a microcontroller board.
- Select suitable sensors and actuators.
- Create a simple smart garment with sensor and actuator.
EXPLORING 2D & 3D DIGITAL DOMAINS
An introduction to techniques for the digital acquisition of physical materials or to the creation of digital native materials. The lecture will explain how to use these digital and digitalized materials into 3D modeling software for digital photorealistic renderings.
Learning Outcomes
- Understand the 2D & 3D digital domains of fashion in terms of Materials digitalisation and additive production technologies.
- Digitalise a material through mapping, texturing & rendering and to use them in professional renderings.
- Use polygonal modelling and meshing to design wearable interfaces that can be realised by additive production technologies.
SUSTAINABILITY IN SMART TEXTILES
Sustainability in innovative materials and products are challenging as the risks of novel technologies need to be quantitatively assessed. Sustainability in Smart Textiles are considered even more controversial as the analysis can be constrained be the characteristics and lifecycle of the product as well as their dual nature: textile and electronics. In this lecture, sustainability of smart textiles will be addressed through introducing interdisciplinary approaches between science, technology, design, and human sciences.
Learning Outcomes
- Overview the challenges in sustainability of emerging technology and materials.
- Identify the challenges in sustainability for textiles and electronic devices.
- State the challenges in sustainability in Smart Textiles.
- Describe approaches of circular economy for sustainable smart textiles.
- Give examples of design driven approach to achieve sustainability in smart textiles.
- Give examples of material driven approach to achieve sustainability in smart textiles.
- Compare design and material driven approaches in social context.
- Evaluate the meaning of circular economy to achieve sustainability in smart textiles.
- Propose a new approach to further implement sustainability in smart textiles.
THE INTERNET OF THINGS & THING CENTERED DESIGN
This lecture introduces the concept of the Internet of Things and briefly discusses the history of connected wearable technologies. Next it outlines the principles of ‘Posthuman Ethnographies’ and ‘Thing Centred Design’ as approaches to document, understand and analyse the life of a non-human thing and its everyday interactions with humans and other things. Finally the lecture concludes by exploring how this analysis can inform the development of design requirements for an IOT fashion wearable.
Learning Outcomes
- Describe and define the principles of ‘Posthuman Ethnographies’ and ‘Thing Centred Design’.
- Develop design requirements for an IOT fashion wearable.