Nowadays, talking about sustainability and the future of the fashion industry without talking about textile technology is a mistake. The innovations and improvements in the sector have shown that there is the possibility of a more conscious, technological, and intelligent future for our clothes.
As much as we’ve been taking short and careful steps, the fashion sector is – little by little – opening to the adoption of new technologies. Therefore, linking this advancement in innovation with the need to develop businesses that are better for the environment, new technologies are emerging.
It is a fact that textile technology is not so popular yet. However, companies like Remeant give an air of hope to those who dream of seeing a fashion industry with less impact on the environment.
However, for us to understand the importance of having impactful innovations in the apparel sector, we’ll first learn textile technology.
Keep reading to learn more!
The Consequences of our Current Reality
Whether in landfills or floating in oceans around the world, the pieces we discard leave our homes, but they don’t leave our planet. What we mean is, even if you got rid of that outfit you didn’t like anymore, it ended up somewhere else.
More precisely, many end up being incinerated, others simply discarded. Either way, both of these processes are extremely harmful to the environment.
Conscious consumption says a lot about the decrease in the purchase of new items. And if we are going to decrease the purchase, we need to keep in mind the importance of acquiring quality and durable parts.
However, we shouldn’t be concerned only about the discard. The production is – obviously – a huge problem.
According to World Resource Institute, it takes 2,700 liters of water to make one cotton shirt. Yes, one single tee!
Well, let’s use math to give us a better picture. As stated by The World Counts, 27 million tons of cotton are produced every year worldwide. That means: our society produces what corresponds to 27 T-shirts for every single individual in the world.
In this case, we’ve only mentioned one type of material that fabrics used to produce garments. But we also have lycra, wool, silk, viscose, Tencel, linen, among others.
Therefore, as we account for the impact that all of those materials have on our nature, we will understand that change needs to be urgent. Hence, scientists and researchers have been investing in the production of alternative materials.
Textile Technology: A Drop Of Hope in a Polluted Ocean
Summing it up, textile technology is a division of engineering where the principles of scientific techniques are utilized for manufacturing and development in all types of yarns and textile fabric from textile fibers.
The researchers combine science to create new options of textile that can contribute to solving some of the industry’s problems. In other words, the combination of chemistry and physics gives scientists the possibility of creating alternative materials there are more resistant and eco-conscious.
Meet Remeant: The Stylish and Technological Textile
“The sky is the limit” – those were Elinor Nathaniel’s words when asked about what we can do with Remeant’s textile.
Along with her husband, Nathaniel creates a colorful, strong, and vegan material. Its malleability and diversification, allow brands to use the creation in the way they want. Be it bags, accessories, shoes, coats, blouses… creativity is at the discretion of the designer while technology is on Remeant’s side.
The waterproof material is highly durable and is easy to clean. It looks and feels like leather. Furthermore, its craft characteristic has a touch of singularity, making them unique. That means each one is an exclusive piece being different from one another.
The Creation of the Material
Remember when we were talking about textile pollution. Well, as you may know, pollution goes far beyond clothing disposal. Among the various materials of concern, plastic ranks top 3 on the list of materials that take the longest to degrade.
Hence, as we were saying, it’s not just because you don’t see the trash anymore that it has vanished from our planet. According to Our World in Data, in 2010, global plastic waste was at 275 million tonnes. Furthermore, 8 million tonnes – 3% of global annual plastics waste – entered the ocean (through multiple outlets, including rivers).
That was why Remeant and its innovative textile was born. Their material is based on recycled plastic. By doing this, we see the golden pot at the end of the rainbow: the marriage of fashion and innovation that we keep talking about.
With their innovative methods, Remeant is the first company to find a way to upcycle packaging waste, which until now has simply been left to decompose. The company turns recycled fabrics into fashion and upholstery, allowing it to create new collections of high-quality and well-designed products.
Check out our article about inclusivity in the modeling world. After all, we need to question: is there real inclusivity, or is it just a new sales speech?
