Fashion design has rapidly become a digital process where textiles are simulated as soft, conformable materials on a digital body. The embodied experience and physical interaction with the textile have been replaced by screen-based media, resulting in a gap in understanding between physical and digital textile material. Consequently, understanding digitized textile properties and characteristics has become challenging for practitioners. This research investigates fashion designers’ implicit understanding when selecting textiles, specifically how interactions with physical textiles influence design considerations. Twenty digital fashion designers interacted with ten physical textile materials via tangible and scientific drape measurements, reflecting upon their design considerations. In digital environments, a tangible understanding of material properties is vital, and scientific drape measurements add significant understanding to digital design. The research advances our understanding of integrating digital tools in textile and soft material practices, where a postphenomenological approach is employed to help formulate the design considerations in selecting materials.
DOCUMENT
Fashion and textile practice transitioned over the past decade from a physically engaged design practice into a screen-based design practice with textiles simulated on digital bodies. Digital designers use tangible interaction with textiles for post-phenomenological design considerations. Our research indicates a complementary relationship between tangible interaction and drape observation, which allows for new approaches when considering textile materials. The drape observation based on drape measurement methods developed in textile science equips designers with a deeper material understanding. As the flat textile is placed in the scientific setup, the deformation and the designer's experience co-shape design considerations. The physical-to-digital paradigm shift disconnects designers from the tangible interaction with the textile. Fashion designers' approach contrasts with textile science methods to measure textile properties (needed to simulate textiles) and drape. Equipping designers with this understanding of textile technology requires interdisciplinary developments to make combined tangible drape tools accessible in physical and digital design spaces. Understanding design considerations in physical-digital practices and material drape, utilizing simulated textile properties, is essential for this endeavor. Cross-disciplinary understanding of textiles and similar soft materials between fashion designers, design researchers, textile and computer researchers, and cultural heritage researchers seems valuable in reducing measurement hurdles and creating tools to increase relationships between the physical and digital textiles and improving visual analyses and assessment of textiles. Our reflection to sharpen the post-phenomenological lens and cross-disciplinary collaborations of our past and future research contributes to understanding physical-digital textile design considerations and required cross-disciplinary interaction.
MULTIFILE
The short-term aim of this R&D project (financed by the Centre of Expertise Creative Industries) is to develop a virtually simulated textile database that renders 3D visual representations of these fabrics. The idea is for this database to be open source and be able to interface with 3D design applications such as those of Lectra. The textile database will include a number of different digital datasets per textile that contain information about the fabric’s drape, weight, flexibility etc., to virtually render prototypes in a 3D simulated environment. As such, in building garments via a 3D software design application, designers will be able to see how a garment changes as new textiles are applied, and how textiles behave when constructed as different garments. This will take place on 3D avatars, which may be bespoke body scans, and will allow for coordinated and precise fitting and grading.
DOCUMENT
The main challenge for the Dutch and European textile and clothing sector is to make a paradigm shift from labour intensive industry to knowledge based industry. This shift is essential for gaining a competitive edge and to develop innovative products and eco-friendly processes. A promising technology to achieve this is digital printing. This future oriented process is aimed to achieve high energy, water, and chemical savings and therefore a drastic reduction of waste. The technology breakthrough is based on a novel Eco-friendly flexible digital process. The basic components of Inkjet printers are hardware, software, inks and the substrate, which in this case is a textile.Inkjet processes can be divided in two main categories, image printing and functional printing. Image printing is already a mature technology and commercially available. The biggest advantages of inkjet printing over screen printing techniques is ease of operation, cost savings and most importantly ability to handle smaller volume (mass customisation). The functional printing is still in the research and development stage. It offers immense possibilities to bring various functional and nano-materials on textile surface on demand in a continuous process at atmospheric conditions and room temperature. Additionally functionality can be delivered at specific location on the textile with a possibility to apply more than one functionality either side by side or layer by layer. Inkjet processes could replace conventional high temperature and wet textile processes. Digital micro-disposal of fluids is expected to alter textile economics in terms of production speeds and on demand production.Nevertheless inkjet printing/finishing on textiles surfaces with different functional formulations is a major challenge. This is because of the close interaction between ink properties and chemistry, the piezo inkjets and the textile substrate. A typical process involves the development of stable jettable colloidal functional inks that will be delivered on well prepared textile substrate, followed by proper curing/fixation.The case we discuss in the manuscript is the development of a smart textile based heatable pair of trousers especially designed for people with disabilities. The inkjet printed textile samples were prepared and compared with conductive samples produced with well-established techniques such as weaving, knitting, nonwoven techniques and embroidering.
MULTIFILE
Interactive design is an emerging trend in dementia care environments. This article describes a research project aiming at the design and development of novel spatial objects with narrative attributes that incorporate embedded technology and textiles to support the wellbeing of people living with dementia. In collaboration with people with dementia, this interdisciplinary research project focuses on the question of how innovative spatial objects can be incorporated into dementia long-term care settings, transforming the space into a comforting and playful narrative environment that can enhance self-esteem while also facilitating communication between people living with dementia, family, and staff members. The research methodologies applied are qualitative, including Action Research. Participatory design methods with the experts by experience—the people with dementia—and health professionals have been used to inform the study. Early findings from this research are presented as design solutions comprising a series of spatial object prototypes with embedded technology and textiles. The prototypes were evaluated primarily by researchers, health professionals, academics, and design practitioners in terms of functionality, aesthetics, and their potential to stimulate engagement. The research is ongoing, and the aim is to evaluate the prototypes by using ethnographic and sensory ethnography methods and, consequently, further develop them through co-design workshops with people living with dementia.
MULTIFILE
The problem with investments in digital technology arise when much wanted and needed small companies and entrepreneurs have to invest in costly device the benefits of which are largely unforeseen, or unpredictable. An example of this is the use of 3D whole garment knitwear machines, there not only the machine itself is costly, not only the outcomes unpredictable in terms of sale, but also and mostly the development of knowledge necessary to create and translate fashion into informatic tools is more unique than rare. In the specific case of fashion as a creative industry, unpredictability of outcomes poses serious problems to making joint investments. So how can multiple small companies best share such investments and benefits from these? Mostly in the context of local production (eco)systems, this is a fundamental question to be answered. In this paper we further elaborate on the question using the pivotal framework as developed by Ostrom E [1] and further elaborated by Bridoux F, et al. [2]. We discuss three possible collaborative frameworks in the specific context of fashion and textiles production.In the paper we look at the case of a shared 3D whole-garment knitwear machine to test and further develop this framework of collaboration. The paper ads to theoretical knowledge where we do contribute to adding insights from the creative industry into existing knowledge of collaborative efforts, or the literature on shared ownership, which is mainly applied e.g. in the context of finance of real estate ownership. The practical relevance lies in the applicability of the model to implement and foster the use of technologies carrying a high financial risk, to promote local, communitybased ecosystems of production (and consumption).
MULTIFILE
Schön describes the way a designer engages with their materials as a “conversation”. In clothing design this typically involves tangible and situated actions such as draping, ripping, and cutting—actions that evoke responses from the fabric at hand. Dynamic fabrics—surface- changing fabrics that combine digital and physical states— are still novel fashion-design materials. When working with the digital, intangible qualities of these fabrics, how does a dialogue unfold for designers accustomed to working physically with fabrics? In this paper we examine the design process of Phem, a collection of garments that use dynamic fabrics that function similarly to augmented reality. We reflect upon the improvisations required to satisfy a productive dialogue with the digital forms of these materials. We conclude with a discussion that proposes revisiting Schön’s notion of a conversation in the context of digital forms, and use Ingold’s perspectives on making to inform this inquiry.
DOCUMENT
Given the complexity of teaching, continuing teacher professional development (CPD) is essential for maintaining and enhancing teaching effectiveness, and bridging the gap between ever-evolving theory and practice. Technological advancements have opened new opportunities for digital tools to support CPD. However, the successful integration of such digital tools into practice poses challenges. It requires adherence to CPD prerequisites and acknowledgment of the complexity of the professional development process. This study explored the applicability of the developed digital PE teacher professional development TARGET-tool in a secondary school PE context. We examined the perceived usability of this tool and gained insights into the process of teachers’ professional development as a result of using the tool. Ten PE teachers from different schools implemented the TARGET- tool within their PE context for a period of 4 to 6 weeks. Individual semi-structured inter- views and the System Usability Scale provided insights into the perceived usability and the process of teacher professional development. The TARGET-tool demonstrated its potential as an effective tool for supporting teachers’ professional development. Future tool improve- ments were identified to further optimize the perceived usability, such as simplifying com- plex features, providing additional support and resources, and improving (data) presenta- tions. Using the Interconnected Model of Professional Growth as a theoretical basis, it was demonstrated how the use of the TARGET-tool engages teachers as active and reflective participants in their professional development and induces changes within the external domain, the domain of practice, the domain of consequences, and the personal domain.
DOCUMENT
Heritage communication is more and more integrating digital media, which help to offer a wider and deeper understanding of heritage and its values. In particular, intangible cultural heritage (ICH) can find in information and communication technologies a powerful ally to share its facets and different dimensions, through multimedia technologies (especially videos), storytelling, and several other applications like mixed realities and artificial intelligence. Such media can help not only to provide access to information and knowledge, but also to enrich the experience of people exposed to such heritage, and to promote a deep connection between the heritage itself and interested persons. This paper presents the process through which goals and needs to communicate and promote Indonesian Batik textile heritage, which has been inscribed by UNESCO among the Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2009, have been collected and transformed into the design of digital communication outlets, namely a website and a mobile app. Such process has encompassed an extensive analysis of the presence itself of Batik in digital media through benchmarking, as well as the elicitation of needs and requirements of relevant stakeholders and target audiences, through in-depth interviews and surveys. The design has been done ensuring at every step that it was considering and integrating, as much as possible, the results of the previous analyses. While presenting the iWareBatik case, which has been successfully implemented and launched, with the support of the highest Indonesian cultural-related institutions, the paper describes in detail the used methodology, hence providing an itinerary, which can be adopted by other similar projects.
LINK
The textiles and apparel industry is a major contributor to economic development while at the same time being one of the most polluting industries due to its lengthy supply chain and resource intensive production operations. To address these sustainability challenges, digitalization is seen as one of the potential solutions. Using the lens of sustainability and digitalization in Supply Chain Management (SCM), this paper analyses the sustainability and digitalization status of Dutch textile and apparel firms. We used a mixed methodology of quantitative text mining of 94 Dutch textile and apparel firms as well as qualitative thematic and coding analysis of experts’ views and opinions on sustainability and digitalization in the Dutch textiles and apparel industry. Quantitative analysis of website data shows that Dutch textile and apparel firms predominantly communicate the environmental, to a lesser extent social, and least of all economic sustainability factors. Keyword analysis also shows that the use of technological keyword indicators is less prominent, while certain technologies such as IoT, sensors and blockchain correlate mostly to environmental sustainability factors. Moreover, qualitative analysis reveals that to address sustainability via digitalization, it is important to link sustainability goals to Key Performance Indicators, which requires data for traceability. We recommend firms to: (1) re-evaluate their business models and assess the extent traceability can be incorporated in their sustainability strategy; (2) enhance stakeholder collaboration within and outside the supply chain to utilize traceability; and (3) proactively use traceability information to improve transparency and accountability to meet legal requirements and address greenwashing. This study contributes to literature by showing the importance of traceability for (a) linking sustainability and digitalization in SCM, b) achieving the ultimate goals of transparency and accountability, and c) predicting demand and supply to address overproduction and waste in the textiles and apparel sector.
MULTIFILE
