Trash Fashion And the Challenge of Materials -Science Museum

Challenge of Materials

Thomas Heatherwick - Materials House

The original idea for this piece of work was to incorporate as many different diverse types and variety of material, 213 layers to be precise in this one sculpture, there are AstroTurf,sterling board, rubber flooring, brushing stone,polythene foam, Segovia lace and much more.Even though the title of this is deceiving I Think the artist was trying to represent all the materials you would come across day to day and possibly around your house. I really like this piece and I was amidiatly drawn to it because of the colours and shapes.

I have choosen AstroTurf as a material to explore.

Astro turf

ABOUT THE MATERIAL!



Astro turf is basically a substitute for grass  and completely artificial.It is made by a large amount of needles which insert filaments of fiber into a fabric backing Then a flexible adhesive like polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride is used to bind the fibers to the backing.The backing is usually made from anything, you could use jute, plastic, polyester etc. More high quality artificial turf would use polyester tire cord.The material which make up the grass like shapes are normally Nylon or polypropylene, they are produced in thin sheets that are cut into strips or you can use a mold to produce the shape of the grass.

How is it made?

You blend the materials you are using to acumilate to the synthetic material 'astro turf', than add dyes and chemicals to give it that traditional green coloure and to protect it from the ultraviolet rays from the sun.
once it hits the write consistancy, the thickened liquid is then fed into an extruder,which than is turned into a long, thin strand of material, and than from this they woven into yarn, the yarn would be heated and than ready to be taken to the turfing machine.

HOW DID ASTRO TURF COME TO BE USED AND SO WELL KNOWN?


 Scientists wear asked to develop synthetic playing surfaces for urban spaces that is why You see astro turf  where grass can not grow or  in areas where grass maintenance is impossible or not wanted,however you mostly always find it in sports grounds and playing grounds. Astro turf originally was produced by a textiles company called Chemstrand and its been around since the 1960s, Astro turf is always being improved constantly,by using different materials and experimenting on the boundaries of the material, for instants the newest synthetic turf products have been chemically treated to be resistant to ultraviolet rays.

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MATERIAL!


 Because AstroTurf is quite an unattractive material they are constantly trying to make it more similar to natural grass especially if it is for a display purpose ,and  the materials have been improved to be more wear-resistant,as it is mainly used for a sports purpose it needs to be hard going.
As purpose goes for this material it is, virtually maintenance free,there is also  a drainage system so water don't sit on top of it, which is handy as its a material which is exercised on a lot, the drainage system allows it not to be slippy! At the moment new more economical and environmental needs are being addressed for this material,one being holding tanks underneath the astro turf, so the tank holds the water from the rain and that you distribute it to a place which needs it.

straw waistcoat and dress

I really love this piece how the designer has cleverly manipulated the material into a interesting design it is only till you get closer when you can realise it is straw.


I also looked at a material which is found in motorcycle wear...

Kevlar
Kevlar is an aramid,an aramid comes from the nylon family. Most Common nylons,do not have very good structural properties, however Kevlar has poly para-phenyleneterephthalamide in it, so the para-aramid together are much more strong, The aramid ring gives Kevlar thermal stability, while the para structure gives it high strength, so that's why things like body armour and motorbike clothing is constructed with Kevlar.

Trash Fashion -

I felt like trash fashion was about creating new, innovative environmentally friendly approaches to recycling and making clothes, looking at less waste, more productivity and efficiency.

 

Cocktail frock

by Berber Soepboe
I really liked this piece it immediately caught my attention !
This versatile piece is not made with any stitching, but by just clicking and shaping to how you want it to look you can re invent the style of this garment ever time you use it!

'The woven wonder '

By Siddhartha Upadhyaya

Woven wonder

The thing that I really love about this piece and what drew me to it was that it is waste and time efficient,Upadhyaya has created a piece of technology that combines weaving the material, making the pattern for the material and material cutting,saving time and its environmentally friendly, woven together instead of the traditional pattern cutting. There is roughly 15% of material which is waisted from when you cut your pattern, by weaving it together there is a 0% waste because the material is not cut,creating a more precise, Eco-friendly way of fashion design, which is a huge change and approach for the fashion industry, however a the benefit will be massive.

Upadhyaya is reducing the amount of material he uses, therefore cutting down on the energy used to produce the material,he talks about how there are many toxic chemicals found in the making of a material and by constructing a garment from his method you would save around 80% more water than by doing it the traditional way.I love this approach to fashion, it really excites me and I  wonder how far this can go, personally the 0% waste of cuts I think is incredible and would love to wear one of his pieces to see what it felt like and how it differs from a traditional garment.

Suzanne Lee

'Biocouture'

I found this piece very weird, I wanted to touch it and put it on, to see what it felt like I was completely fascinated with it and the idea that it had been grown from a bacteria.Its so organic and it makes me think of the word "healthy",it feel to me it is a really minimal approach and you don't use what you don't need making it very environmentally friendly.I would have to say it is one of the most inspiring piece of fashion for me.The garment is formed up of millions of  bacterial cellulose growths from sweet green tea all harvested in Suzanne Lee's bath tub. I feel this idea could really be taken forward and developed more, I don't know how it would work when mass producing garments as they wouldn't turn out all the same, they would be slightly altered every time,and would it last long enough and be able to endure every day life wear and tare?

Sandy Black 

Technology

made to measure garment!

This piece is really interesting because it is the first I have ever heard of a craft such as knitting and 3D technology used in unison,two very different things combined to produce a garment. Sandy Black focus's on 3 dimensional aspects of design, her approach to design is more of a mathematical one, which is a  really interesting direction for textiles and fashion, she uses a 3 dimensional body scanner to take the measurements of the body and feeds them into the software which is linked up to a knitting machine and controls it, the garment will be made to measure and there are no offcuts and no seams, making it more Eco-friendly. I think that if this product does save time and waste that it would be successful in a big cooperation however you loose the personal relationship with the garment when being produced by technology and becomes quite impersonal. I like her concept it is really bringing fashion forward, in a innovative new way.



Kate Goldsworthy

Kate goldsworthy's work has a very intricate, delicate feel to it, she constructed her garment by using  laser beams to cut and embellish into  her dress. she uses 100% recycled polyester,and concentrates on not using any harm full chemicals, which means its very easy to recycle back into the system, making it environmentally friendly.

I really like this piece it immediately caught my eye!