We saw this in the turn of the century with the advent of man-made fibres in a quest for affordable alternatives to silk. Although first conceived in 1855, the process from creating Rayon was perfected for commercial use in 1894 and was introduced into production by 1910 to join the litany of new inventions as the next century moved away from candles and horses to combustion engines and electricity powering modern life.

Further innovation was born out of deteriorating trade relations with Japan. Initial research in 1931 started after creating neoprene, and by 1935 Nylon was patented and was introduced into the world three years later to a society looking for another alternative to a fabric associated with luxury but at a better price. In the spirit of creating materials rather than depend on trade (and especially at a time when materials were scarcer to acquire due to the world political climate), further technological experimentation in1942 led to the invention of polyurethane. This paved the way for the creation of Spandex in the late 50s, with its commercial release in 1959. As textile research progressed, search expanded towards looking at better performance materials that could imitate other textures normally found in nature.  The first micro fibre, ultrasuede, was conceived in 1970 and released a couple of years later to a public. Our textile innovations, initially due to finding substitutes in the face of scarcity, now became an exploration of possibilities to add to the convenience of our lives.

Of course we are scratching the surface, and there have been many incarnations since then as we flexed our technical muscles in chemical exploration. Our environmental realities coupled with anticipation of our survival have opened the door to some incredibly innovative textile conception. Mudpie’s discussion group established on LinkedIn featured dialogue where knowledgeable participants brought out some amazing examples of textile research and innovation to marvel at.

Already, in reaction to our depleted ozone textiles have been created with enhanced UV protection; brands such as Uniqulo, LL Bean, Nike and North Face join a growing number that are making such clothing more accessible . Ermenegildo Zegna created a wool called “Cool Effect” that reflects light like white wool despite being in darker shades, reducing temperature significantly for the wearer. Cone Denim is creating recycled denim that incorporates recycled beer bottles, giving the textile a brown patina while strengthening the fibre. Cornell University is expanding on broader applications of nanotechnology with inventions recently demonstrated such as a textile that scrubs toxins out of the air and are researching solar powered fabric for charging personal technology without plugs.

Innovation is also expanding towards new methods of manufacturing. There is a significant amount of exploration in the reduction if not elimination of water in the denim creation process that is increasingly a topic of discussion amongst manufacturers looking for ways to lessen the impact no the environment and reduce resource use. There is development of a material by Dr. Manuel Torres called Fabrican, a washable textile that can be sprayed on the body, giving a new meaning to custom fit.. 3D mapping was used by Continuum Fashion for creating a readymade bikini. Anke Domaske created fashion samples featuring a yarn created from extracted proteins of spoiled milk. Meanwhile, Suzanne Lee has been experimenting with growing fabric out of Kombucha mushrooms Cornell University isn’t limiting research to environmental solutions in their textile exploration. With nanotechnology accelerated, research is well underway towards fabrics that change colour, are stain repellent and fade-proof, and even change molecular composition.

The more fantastical items are years away, but just as we were promised at the turn of this century that we would see huge leaps in technology enter our personal lives and transform our worlds the technology, inspiration from necessity aims to wow us with the same spirit each innovation has done in the past. Hang on to your hats in the coming years; you’ve seen nothing yet!