Wool, as a fiber and as a fashion element, clothing, london, fashion, designer, england, news

Scientist discover photochromatic wool

Australian researchers have developed woollen clothing that changes colour in the sun and blocks harmful UV rays. While other researchers have already developed colour-changing cotton and glass, this is the first time such photochromatic technology has been applied to wool. Tong Cheng, a PhD student from Deakin University , has created a polymer that is mixed with the photochromatic dye to trap its pigments. The polymer-dye mix is then used to colour the wool.

The polymer also absorbs harmful UV rays and increases the fabric's sun protection factor. When the dyed fabric is exposed to sunlight, the dye molecules change structure, changing the appearance of the dyed wool. The researchers have so far developed white fabric that turns blue or red. According to supervising researcher Dr Rex Brady, the tiny pores are the key to the achievement. "Tong Cheng had to ensure that the pores in the polymer were just the right size. If they were too large for example, the dye would seep out."

The colour-change process also has to be swift, to ensure speedy sun protection, which the researchers say they have achieved in 2-3 seconds. Cheng says the treated wool product looks and feels like other wool products. "It is impossible to notice the difference between normal wool fabric and fabric coated with the polymer. The fabric maintains its softness and drape and the colour is preserved when washed," she says.

The technology has the potential for both novelty fashion and function in the future. Cheng says she's looking forward to seeing woollen t-shirts that only reveal their patterns when worn outside or under certain lighting. But she says swatches of fabric could also be produced and held out in the sun each morning to determine if sun protection cream and clothing are required. The research has been funded by the China-Australia Wool Innovation Network.

26 July 2007

Gatti sells Orwell

Massimo Gatti is to sell his cashmere business, Orwell, to fashion group Mariella Burani. According to just-style.com, the Italian entrepreneur has signed a letter of intent concerning the sale. In turn, Gatti will buy a stake in Mariella Burani through his financial business, Sunrise.

Italian designer, Olmes Carretti, recently joined Orwell as creative director of the brand's first men's wear range. The new line was is part of the company's re-launch and global expansion plan.

16 June 2005

Cashmere Craze

With winter winds looming and temperatures dropping to subzero levels, there is nothing better to keep you warm in the most fashionable sense, as a luxurious piece of cashmere. Still associated with being exclusive, expensive and chic, the cashmere-wearer becomes accustomed to its light touch; anything else, however fine its gauge, feels rough and weighty.

Retailers in London would report that whenever there was a rise in the price of cashmere (an inevitably regular occurrant with a scarce, hard-to-produce commodity) customers would rarely trade down to a simple wool-concoction. Perhaps they may ration to purchasing fewer sweaters, but frankly, it really is a matter of nothing but the best for the habitual cashmere-wearer.

And the best cashmere, as we know it, comes from Scotland; from the Victorian mills along the banks of the Tweed. Or so we thought. The goats that produce the world's most precious fiber aren't found in Scotland, however, they graze on the high plateaux of China and Mongolia. Beautiful cashmere is a lot less expensive these days when it is not making a detour to Scotland or Italy, but coming straight from its origins. And since the last day of 2004, when the quota set on the import of Chinese cashmere into the European Union was lifted, there will be even more coming your way.

But will this cheaper cashmere be of a quality to challenge the luxury product so beloved of the rich and of fashion editors? And how can one tell what's worth buying? The maxim that you get what you pay for is not the simple answer. Some of the worst-quality cashmere products carry the most inflated price tags and vice versa. Rather, it should be safe to trust in pedigree, a label with a reputation to protect, which includes the great up-market fashion names. The chances are, however, that if you examine garments closely you will discover the badge of irreproachability: Made in Scotland.

While China may boast the best quality cashmere, in design it still lags behind. But that too is set to change with a flood of Chinese students studying fashion design in western colleges, they are home-bound once they graduate to work in their own industry. The quantum leap of what will happen in the future of cashmere is to be seen. One thing is certain, however, is that everyone will have the chance to be in on the habit.

5 January 2005

PETA bans merino wool

Animal rights activists People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are campaigning against of the use of Australian merino wool. Thanks to PETA's efforts, US retailer Abercrombie & Fitch has already rid its collections of Australian wool garments.

The group is planning protests at four US-based Australian consulates and the Australian Embassy in Washington D.C. over the next month. PETA is demanding the halt of export of live animals and the process of mulesing, which entails cutting the loose flesh from the hindquarters of a lamb.

The Australian industry body Australian Wool Innovation launched legal action against the group after it boycotted Abercrombie & Fitch, in a bid to stop PETA from pressuring retailers.

6 December 2004

Planning wool's comeback

We are being inundated with advancements in the development of intelligent clothing that enhance the wearer's comfort. Natural materials are being combined with synthetics to provide optimal wear. Now wool is being mixed with synthetic materials in order to develop intelligent fabrics, like carpets that change colour or materials that respond to the environment by growing thicker as the temperature drops.

Thermafleece insulation is being used increasingly in building projects from council estates to single homes, and by the National Trust for renovation. This growing market, which has expanded by 10% this year alone, is fuelled by fears surrounding fibre glass insulations. To this end a new GBP6 million wool research centre at Dinas Mawddwy is being planned.

These new developments are bound to revive an ailing wool industry, which has seen sales decline and prices drop. Sheep breeders have suffered as a result, but new investments promise a brighter future.

A new testing laboratory at Cibyn Industrial Estate in the outskirts of Wales in Caernarfon has been founded by the British Wool Marketing Board (BWMB), which will certainly breathe new life into the UK wool industry. The testing laboratory is a joint venture with New Zealand's Wool Testing Authority (WTA). The enterprise has been funded by a grant provided by the WDA. The new facility, which is worth GBP1.2 million, offers quality assessment of all wool produced in the northern hemisphere. Wales was a logical choice for the location, due to its extensive sheep farming facilities.

22 November 2004

Wool industry looking for new talent

Wool -- as a fiber and as a fashion element -- has suffered from an out-of-date image. It needed a visual restyling and a new way to present itself to the world. Starting with this premise, an ambitious and imposing talent scout search was launched: the European Wool Awards (EWA). EWA is a biannual competition promoted by Interlaine (the European committee of wool producers), sponsored by the EU, and intended to encourage student creativity in the world of wool.

The initiative involves more than 1,000 institutions and universities in 30 countries. Awaiting the winners are 70,000 euros in prize money, internships, and access to movers and shakers in the world. Nine trophies can be won in two focus areas: fashion and design; concept and innovation. There are two stages of selection and the final awards ceremony will take place in Paris on June 18, 2003

"This project¹s mission is to promote wool in an innovative way, making it timely and pro-active," said Luciano Donatelli, president of Interlaine and promoter of the initiative. "The EWA will help young people rediscover the qualities of this fiber that make it so eco-oriented and in tune with today."