"Next-Generation" Materials

Hi, welcome back. Today I would continue answering the questions just like the previous post. 

I would like to answer 3 questions in this entry. 

1. What is a "good" material?
2. Is it possible to create new materials?
3. What are the examples of "new" materials?

First of all, let's answer question one. There are two types of materials for clothes, natural and synthetic. A good material refers to eco-friendly materials. To summarize an article from Gabriel Farias Iribarren, natural textile fibers an be plant-based and animal-based. There are many kinds of plant-based fibers other than cotton. 

1. Abaca- aka Manila Hemp. It comes from the leave sheaths around the stem of a plant Abaca, a banana specie.
2. Linen- This is the first plant to be grown for fibers, and be woven and knitted for clothing and accessories. It is wrinkled easily because of its elasticity. 
3.  Cotton- It grows in balls around the plant seed. This is the main natural fiber used                       around the world. It could be used in combination with synthetic fibers such as rayon and polyester. 
4. Organic cotton- This the most eco-friendly fiber because no chemical pesticides are used in the course of production. Also, it is not combined with any synthetic materials. 
5. Coir- This is a short fiber extracted from coconut husk. The two types of coir are, brown fiber and white fiber. This is resistant to sunlight and 100% biodegradable. 
6. Hemp- This fiber is from the stem of a plant. This is not only used for clothing, but is used or automotive and construction industries. 
7. Ramie- This is a white fiber with a shine that is similar to silk. It is close to linen in absorption and density. 
8. Sisal- This is a very hard fiber and not elastic to be used for clothing. It is combined with other materials to be mainly used for furniture, automotive and naval industry. 
9. Jute- It is extracted from the stem of a plant named by the same name of Jute. This is one of the strongest fiber. 
10. Kapoc- aka "silk cotton" because of its gloss which resembles silk. 
11. Ramina- It is a fiber from China grass. It is mainly used for household textiles.

And, is it possible to create new materials?- As far as I have researched, it is possible to create new materials combining natural and synthetic materials. Also, new natural fibers such as plant leaves are processed to become a new material. 

To answer the last question regarding examples of new materials, I will summarize a website called Treehugger, "3 Innovative Fabrics That Could Revolutionize Fashion"

In the coming years, the textile world could change dramatically from us seeing cotton and polyester on most of our clothings to something new which we have never seen before. There three examples of the new fibers are...

1. Pinatex- This material needs no water or chemicals to produce because it comes from waste. That is the leftover leaves from pineapple trees. There are about 40,000 tons of leaves getting disposed every year. They are mostly burned or thrown away for it to rot. The fibers can be extracted from pineapple leaves and be turned into non-woven textile. It can be a good alternative to leather. It is strong, lightweight and easy to stitch. 
2. MycoTEX- This is a fabric grown from mushroom mycelium. Mycelium is the vegetative body part for fungi that produce mushrooms, and in some cases some species of fungi that never produce a mushroom. When it is compared to a plant, mycelium is the root system and the mushroom being the flower.  A Dutch designer Aniela Hoitink is the pioneer of this idea of growing a garment from a living thing. A dress was created out of MycoTEX, and it is molded and shaped to fit the wearers body. It does not spinning yarns and weaving cloth. Also it can be easily replaced and repaired. At the end life of mycelium, the garment ca be composted. 
3. Eucalyptus Yarn- A knitting company by the name of Wool& the Gang has launched a new yarn called "Tina Tape Yarn." This new product is made out of Eucalyptus trees. This new fiber only has little research sources yet. 

It will not be so long before we will see these new textiles on our tags!

Farias, G. (2017). Natural Textile Fibers. Gabriel Farias | Producto textil. Prendas. Accesorios. Retrieved 18 July 2021, from https://gabrielfariasiribarren.com/en/natural-textile-fibers/.

3 Innovative Fabrics That Could Revolutionize Fashion. Treehugger. (2020). Retrieved 18 July 2021, from https://www.treehugger.com/innovative-fabrics-could-change-face-fashion-4857877.