Video Fashion News joins Summer Rayne Oakes on a journey through the Estethica exhibit at London Fashion Week to get the first glimpse at the latest trends in sustainable fashion design.
Video Fashion News joins Summer Rayne Oakes on a journey through the Estethica exhibit at London Fashion Week to get the first glimpse at the latest trends in sustainable fashion design.
All fabrics are not created equally.
Take bamboo fiber as an example. Before the 2009 FTC bamboo backlash, the fabric, (which was principally being sold in bamboo viscose form), was being marketed in most cases as “bacteriostatic, biodegradable, natural, hypoallergenic and breathable.” Before getting into some of the descriptors, however, let’s talk about the processing techniques.
There still is some discrepancy and misunderstanding on how bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens), the plant, is processed into a fiber or fabric. This has been due to unclear processing techniques and in some cases – “proprietary processing” muddled with snappy marketing leftovers circa 2008. Bamboo is largely processed as a regenerated cellulosic rayon fiber (Figure 1), which uses solvents and other chemicals to break down and bleach the woody fiber. A less common, more costly practice is a mechanical process combined with enzymes that create bamboo linen (Figure 2), which has fabric properties more akin to a traditional bast fiber like flax or hemp.
All fabrics are not created equally.
Take bamboo fiber as an example. Before the 2009 FTC bamboo backlash, the fabric, (which was principally being sold in bamboo viscose form), was being marketed in most cases as “bacteriostatic, biodegradable, natural, hypoallergenic and breathable.” Before getting into some of the descriptors, however, let’s talk about the processing techniques.
There still is some discrepancy and misunderstanding on how bamboo (Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens), the plant, is processed into a fiber or fabric. This has been due to unclear processing techniques and in some cases – “proprietary processing” muddled with snappy marketing leftovers circa 2008. Bamboo is largely processed as a regenerated cellulosic rayon fiber (Figure 1), which uses solvents and other chemicals to break down and bleach the woody fiber. A less common, more costly practice is a mechanical process combined with enzymes that create bamboo linen (Figure 2), which has fabric properties more akin to a traditional bast fiber like flax or hemp.
Rayon processing, though chemical in nature, has improved over the years. It has been documented that some manufacturers use a lyocell-type process (closed-loop rayon processing in which chemicals are recycled), but closer analysis needs to be assessed for each manufacturer. Additionally, it is important to consider that the facility has appropriate wastewater treatment facilities and worker health and safety standards.
There has been some discrepancy on how bamboo is processed…due to unclear processing techniques…muddled with snappy marketing leftovers circa 2008.
If you sell clothing, linens, or other textile products, you’re responsible for making truthful disclosures about the fiber content. If your product isn’t made directly of bamboo fiber (i.e., bamboo linen) — but is a manufactured fiber for which bamboo was the plant source (i.e., rayon or viscose) — it should be labeled and advertised using the proper generic name for the fiber, such as “rayon”, “bamboo rayon” or “rayon made from bamboo.”
Bamboo’s natural porosity as a plant has given it a unique ability to absorb and wick away moisture. Multiple testing laboratories, both international and abroad, show positive results, though it is important to note that these tests will vary on how fabric is manufactured and processed. We encourage suppliers and designers to run independent third-party tests on moisture-vapor transmission and other performance features.
One of the popular properties in bamboo-based fabric that designers and manufacturers alike were praising was an undisclosed “antimicrobial agent,” often referred to as “bamboo kun.” It is largely known now that after rayon processing all bacteriostatic activity is no longer present.
For years, however, the hunt for the mysterious “bamboo kun” was on. Internet sites praised its properties but no one questioned what it actually was or where it came from. In bamboo plant extract studies, 2,6-dimethoxy-p-benzoquinone was isolated and identified. This is most likely the bactericide colloquially known as “bamboo kun.” This particular quinone is clearly naturally-occurring in the plant prior to processing. Various sources show evidence that if bamboo is burned into charcoal and spun into the rayon fiber during final processing, the antimicrobial properties are still retained, but further studies are encouraged to confirm those reports.*
It is unclear but the quinone may be the reason why some still tout bamboo fabric as “hypoallergenic.” If this is the case, it is not advisable to promote bamboo fabric as such considering that the benzoquinone derivative has been shown to cause allergic skin reactions in guinea pigs and humans. Though there have been no reported incidences regarding allergies to bamboo-based clothes and only 2% to 5% of the population will develop an allergic sensitivity to one or more compounds found in plants, effects of the chemical on the body should be taken into account if shown to be present.
*Note: Antimicrobial properties, if they are to be used as a marketing angle, should be validated by a certified, independent third party testing facility.
Tune in next Friday, April 29th for Oh So MOSO Series 1.3: The Market – Inter- and Intra-market demands, claims and standards. See what’s in store in the coming weeks here.
And let us know if you’d like for us to set up a group webinar on this Series of Textile Talk: Oh So Moso.
In the latest episode of The Green Room, BBMG’s Mitch Baranowski chats with Source4Style Co-founder/CEO, Summer Rayne Oakes about the vision behind Source4Style and what to expect on the platform in the coming months.
In the latest episode of The Green Room, BBMG’s Mitch Baranowski chats with Source4Style Co-founder/CEO, Summer Rayne Oakes about the vision behind Source4Style and what to expect on the platform in the coming months.
We’re on the hunt for three talented interns who can join the Source4Style team this Summer 2011.
Positions include: Social Media Intern, A Journalism (Research/Writing) Intern, and a Product Design/Partnership Coordinator Intern. Individuals applying must exhibit responsibility, inventiveness, and ultimately feel comfortable working with minimal management and direction from the core team. Each intern will be given project requirements at the start and be expected to complete those requirements throughout the internship.
Please provide your Resume and Career History Application. Career History Applications can be downloaded from links below. Follow directions and submit to email at the end of the Application.
Career History Applications:
We are seeking an intern skilled in social media and has an interest or basic understanding in sustainable design concepts. Intern must be a self-starter and be comfortable operating independently or with minimal management and direction from Source4Style team.
Expectations and Deliverables include: Strategy and management of Facebook and Twitter accounts; liaising between communications associate and blog editor.
Web Blog (Research/Writing) Intern
We are seeking an intern skilled in writing/researching and an interest or understanding in sustainable design concepts. Intern must be a self-starter and be comfortable operating independently or with minimal management and direction from Source4Style team.
Deliverables include: One to two well-researched articles per week; One interview per week; Two “Top List” articles per week; one summary/review article; and one art/fashion/design/trend piece per week.
Product Design/Partnership Coordinator Intern
This is an exciting, hands-on project revolving around the creation of product packaging and a textile recycling program for Source4Style. We are seeking an intern skilled and interested in product design and partnership coordination. Intern must be a self-starter and feel comfortable working with minimal management. Project will be brainstormed upon start of internship and intern is expected to rise to the occasion and add insights to program along the way.
Deliverables include: A physical product; partnerships in and around Brooklyn area to help make packaging; and partnership with a textile recycler. Other deliverables will be determined throughout the project.
Good luck and hope to be working with you this summer!
We’re on the hunt for three talented interns who can join the Source4Style team this Summer 2011.
Positions include: Social Media Intern, A Journalism (Research/Writing) Intern, and a Product Design/Partnership Coordinator Intern. Individuals applying must exhibit responsibility, inventiveness, and ultimately feel comfortable working with minimal management and direction from the core team. Each intern will be given project requirements at the start and be expected to complete those requirements throughout the internship.
Please provide your Resume and Career History Application. Career History Applications can be downloaded from links below. Follow directions and submit to email at the end of the Application.
Career History Applications:
We are seeking an intern skilled in social media and has an interest or basic understanding in sustainable design concepts. Intern must be a self-starter and be comfortable operating independently or with minimal management and direction from Source4Style team.
Expectations and Deliverables include: Strategy and management of Facebook and Twitter accounts; liaising between communications associate and blog editor.
Web Blog (Research/Writing) Intern
We are seeking an intern skilled in writing/researching and an interest or understanding in sustainable design concepts. Intern must be a self-starter and be comfortable operating independently or with minimal management and direction from Source4Style team.
Deliverables include: One to two well-researched articles per week; One interview per week; Two “Top List” articles per week; one summary/review article; and one art/fashion/design/trend piece per week.
Product Design/Partnership Coordinator Intern
This is an exciting, hands-on project revolving around the creation of product packaging and a textile recycling program for Source4Style. We are seeking an intern skilled and interested in product design and partnership coordination. Intern must be a self-starter and feel comfortable working with minimal management. Project will be brainstormed upon start of internship and intern is expected to rise to the occasion and add insights to program along the way.
Deliverables include: A physical product; partnerships in and around Brooklyn area to help make packaging; and partnership with a textile recycler. Other deliverables will be determined throughout the project.
Good luck and hope to be working with you this summer!
Moso’s quick growth and versatility have brought it into the international spotlight. Within the last decade, international agencies put Moso as a “high priority” plant for research after acknowledgement of its commercial value and that resources for scientific study are severely limited.
Hailed as the most important bamboo species in China as well as the third most important plant species for timber production, Moso has become big business. The Chinese government has moved to increase the acreage of the plant to address both consumer demand and timber resource deficiency.
The increase in forest area is not necessarily ecologically benign. Mixed Moso forests are often converted to pure Moso plantations (homogenous stands of bamboo). Compared to a pure Moso plantation, traditionally mixed forest trees grown on sloping mountain areas where felling (cutting of trees) results in soil erosion. Standard management techniques for plantations consist of two brush cuttings per year to clear the forest floor and topsoil tillage every one or two years. This can result in both soil erosion and a rapid depletion of soil nutrients in which the area must be eventually fertilized to avoid deterioration, though that is not at all ecologically or economically feasible. Plantations that employ better sustainable management and harvesting techniques to maximize efficiency and minimize eventual ecological degradation should be encouraged. Continue Reading
Moso’s quick growth and versatility have brought it into the international spotlight. Within the last decade, international agencies put Moso as a “high priority” plant for research after acknowledgement of its commercial value and that resources for scientific study are severely limited.
Hailed as the most important bamboo species in China as well as the third most important plant species for timber production, Moso has become big business. The Chinese government has moved to increase the acreage of the plant to address both consumer demand and timber resource deficiency.
The increase in forest area is not necessarily ecologically benign. Mixed Moso forests are often converted to pure Moso plantations (homogenous stands of bamboo). Compared to a pure Moso plantation, traditionally mixed forest trees grown on sloping mountain areas where felling (cutting of trees) results in soil erosion. Standard management techniques for plantations consist of two brush cuttings per year to clear the forest floor and topsoil tillage every one or two years. This can result in both soil erosion and a rapid depletion of soil nutrients in which the area must be eventually fertilized to avoid deterioration, though that is not at all ecologically or economically feasible. Plantations that employ better sustainable management and harvesting techniques to maximize efficiency and minimize eventual ecological degradation should be encouraged.
Moso’s “eco-friendly” positioning in the market has been centered on its properties as:
- A natural (nonsynthetic) fiber
- A quick growth plant (it is a grass after all), and
- A “renewable” plant after its three to five year harvesting period.
(Oh So Moso – Series 1.3 will discuss Moso’s eco-friendly positioning in the market).
Trade in bamboo-based products in developing nations like China and India is being positioned as a sustainable development strategy for rural communities. The Philippines, Republic of Korea, Malaysia and even some African nations have also begun looking to bamboo as both a cash crop and a means to alleviate areas that have been overlogged.
Whether this becomes a viable tactic is highly questionable. Poor management will result in degradation. Fair labor standards and practices while harvesting the plant are largely undisclosed or at least not entirely transparent. Much of the bamboo currently used is harvested by those living at or below subsistence level and mainly by women and children.
Bamboo is the single most important forest product used by the rural communities in several countries of the Asia-Pacific region. It is also an important source of cash income for the rural poor. Bamboo is a labor-intensive, multipurpose commodity. This is particularly why bamboo-based development can lead to the creation of new jobs and income generation, especially for women in rural communities.
China is by far the largest supplier, producer and manufacturer of bamboo-based products, a vertically-integrated system that has been building steam for nearly two decades. In a research report from the Economist Intelligence Unit, China is predicted to close the gap in economic size with the U.S. by 2020. Labor-intensive production, such as bamboo extraction and manufacturing, will continue to shift to low cost labor, though average wages are not expected to rise dramatically.
With the second largest reserve of bamboo after China, India has also recently become interested in the plant’s economic promise, referring to it as the new “green gold.” The Indian government has plans for implementation of a $115 million project that will promote bamboo cultivation and trade through a National Mission on Bamboo Trade and Technology Development. Currently India takes advantage of only 1/10 of its bamboo producing potential. Maximizing production of bamboo in India was expected to create eight million jobs and lift five million families out of poverty and earn $3.6 billion in 2007, though recent numbers have not been found to be verified. Projections are expected to reach $5.7 billion by 2015.
These numbers remain optimistic reports and the reference to “green” gold is speculative. The vital method to channel the raw material to a finished product and into an end user market is still considered largely absent. Current reports show the person extracting the plant only gets 20% of the cost, 19% is given to the trade commission, and 61% goes directly to transportation. Additionally, most bamboo in India is being extracted from at least 60-70% of protected forest areas.
Tune in next Friday, April 22nd for Oh So MOSO Series 1.2: The Textile – Challenges, Quality, Processing, and Technical Properties. See what’s in store in the coming weeks here.
This month is devoted to a 3-part series on bamboo fiber.
It’s known as Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens to the nerds, Moso to the hipsters, Mao Zhu to the showoffs, and “hairy bamboo” to the smart asses, but to the conscious clotheshorses, bamboo was being hailed as one of the finest sustainable fibers on the market. With more than 2.5 billion people eating, sleeping, sitting, wearing and doing who knows what else with bamboo, it is no wonder why it had quickly become the Clark Kent-turns-Superman of the green world.
From designers taking a “weave-it or leave it” philosophy to entire nations praising it as the next “green gold,” it is no surprise that bamboo has shed its sobriquet of “poor man’s timber.” Some garmentos were even claiming that it would take over the textile industry as the #1 fiber (watch out cotton!) When something this big enters the green scene, scientific scrutiny can be as crippling as Kryptonite.
This month is devoted to a 3-part series on bamboo fiber.
It’s known as Phyllostachys heterocycla pubescens to the nerds, Moso to the hipsters, Mao Zhu to the showoffs, and “hairy bamboo” to the smart asses, but to the conscious clotheshorses, bamboo was being hailed as one of the finest sustainable fibers on the market. With more than 2.5 billion people eating, sleeping, sitting, wearing and doing who knows what else with bamboo, it is no wonder why it had quickly become the Clark Kent-turns-Superman of the green world.
From designers taking a “weave-it or leave it” philosophy to entire nations praising it as the next “green gold,” it is no surprise that bamboo has shed its sobriquet of “poor man’s timber.” Some garmentos were even claiming that it would take over the textile industry as the #1 fiber (watch out cotton!) When something this big enters the green scene, scientific scrutiny can be as crippling as Kryptonite.
Bamboo provides vital biological and ecological functions that extend into the economic and cultural fabric for many people in the developing world. Being able to define what sustainability is to a designer or what sustainability is to whole communities without undermining cultural and moral values is going to be a true challenge. How we define and market “sustainability” for design lines or trade talks will surprisingly find us asking the same types of questions. After all, if sustainable design and sustainable development is really the humble goal and not just hype, then we need to listen to the science over the deafening bombination of green buzz.
S4 prefaces these queries by delving deeper into the issues in this three part series on MOSO.
Every Friday at 3PM we’ll launch a new part to the series.
Series 1.1 will address the “Big Picture” by covering bamboo use, forest management and sustainable economic development (April 15, 3PM EST).
Series 1.2 takes bamboo down to a design level. Topics will include: textile challenges, quality, processing, and technical properties (April 22, 3PM EST).
Series 1.3 will demonstrate more clearly how the macrolevel converges with consumer market trends, introducting inter- and intra-market demands, marketing claims and standards. Plus: A photo bonus feature showcasing how the textile has been used in design (April 29, 3PM EST).
If you have any questions about bamboo fiber, be sure to tune in here and send your questions our way. If there is sufficient interest, we’ll do a 30-minute informative and interactive live-streaming session on Friday (May 6, 2011).
Charm the fashion industry’s pants off with Envirotextile’s Dyed Silk Hemp Charmeuse, offered in an array of trend right jewel tones, including: Plum, Blue Topaz, Autumn, Espresso and Sand and of course, black.
To follow Source4Style’s daily Textile Tweets and Trends, Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Charm the fashion industry’s pants off with Envirotextile’s Dyed Silk Hemp Charmeuse, offered in an array of trend right jewel tones, including: Plum, Blue Topaz, Autumn, Espresso and Sand and of course, black.
To follow Source4Style’s daily Textile Tweets and Trends, Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
