Synthetic to Smart Synthetic to Smart: Textile Integration with Technology Michael Meeder London, 2009 Considering design as a bridge

between art and science, this paper seeks to

illuminate the many ways in which innovations within textile design has affected and continues to affect the way we view the world, our bodies, and our place as a society in the world. The synthetic textile industry has advanced in leaps and bounds over the past century, literally weaving its way into our bodies, helping to create the fabric of our society, and shaping our identities. This paper will recapitulate the technological revolutions within textile innovation and the effects they have had and could have on society as well as the designer. Contemporary textile designers contributions shall be discussed, as their work demonstrates contemporary and innovative design trends, as pointed out by Blaine Brownell in Transmaterial (2006). These types of innovations will take textile design to entirely new levels, forcing us to rethink the traditional boundaries between natural and man-made, self and society, science and design, technology and fashion. Current journals, articles, critical essays, interviews, films, and other literature related to textiles and technology will be reviewed. Textile applications from the medical, fashion, military, artistic, and theoretical, futuristic worlds compose the spectrum below. Ways in which these worlds overlap are too numerous to fully account for, though the role of textile designer shall be continuously questioned, especially that of the (near) future. More explicitly, this paper addresses the general question: What will the textile designer of the future need to consider? How will future textile designers accomplish their goals? A study commissioned by DuPont at the turn of the millennium notes: the spheres of chemistry and high fashion are drawing ever closer together, redefining the boundaries of what is wearable, (OConnor, 2005, p. 54). Human agents, not spheres, are actively pushing these boundaries. They are the designers and scientists. Drawing from science fiction,

Synthetic to Smart chemistry, and information technology, the current designer of today is actively involved with breaking down the barriers between science and design.

Sounding like science fiction, the concept of second skin has literally grown on design. One can already see its popularity in contemporary architecture, cosmetic surgery, biotechnology, furniture, fashion, and on (Lupton, 2004). Perhaps, as humans and designers, we want to bring art to life and wrap a biological cover over inanimate objects. Regardless of reason, the primacy of the skeleton has given way to the primacy of skin (Lupton, 2004, p. 31). Yet, by donning second skins ourselvesgarments (protection) and modes of expression (fashion)there is an implied lack. We, as humans, feel the need to augment ourselves with extensions, in order to survive. JG Ballard observed that, with humans, there is a recognition that nature has endowed us with one skin too few, that a fully sentient being should wear its nervous system externally (Ballard, 1997, p. 278). He was talking about fashion, but many electronic textile designers use the term second skin to describe the interface of a wearable computational device. This humanist terminology dates back to the organicism of the 1940s and 1950s, where organic forms and materials provided designers with a humanist vocabulary, which affirmed societys place within the natural world (Lupton 29). The humanist vocabulary in design integrates man with machine, biology with design. Designed by nature, skin is itself a knowledge-gathering device that is both living and dead (Lupton 29). The idea that our own skin and bodies are lacking certain capabilities is fascinating when talking about the future of textiles and wearable technology. As inert materials can only go so far, we as humans will continue to demand more from these second skins. Integration with technology, wearable technology, is the rapidly plausible solution. This paper shows how, in the process of integrating technology with textiles, imaginations are free to run wild, artists can explore new means of conveyance, and multi-disciplinary fields can be integrated. As new materials become available, the range of unprecedented possibilities becomes fathomless.

Synthetic to Smart As technological advancements in textiles enable new materials, we can see

several promising design trends. With regard to skin: surfaces have acquired depth, becoming dense, complex structures equipped with their own identities and behaviors (Lupton, p. 31). Such depth can be associated with another of Brownells trends: multidimensional design. Visually speaking: materials with enhanced texture and richness are more visually interesting (Brownell, p. 8). The second skin concept can be applied in other areas of textile design, as this augmented dimensionality will likely be a growing movement (Brownell, p. 8). This can already be seen in such innovations as Shashi Caans Translation carpet series, which blends ancient art and new synthetics to create texture. Considering hard flooring trendy, Caan refused to get on the cool wagon and asked [i]s it possible, instead, to make a product thats really meaningful, really responsive, and solves a lot of problems? (Mosher, 2005, p. 2). Caans goal was to push the design envelope incrementally and provide and incentive [for flooring companies] to work with design in the future (Mosher, p. 2). Having won a Best-of NeoCon award (2005), Caan was successful. In rethinking the role of carpet, Caans woven work, translates the characteristics of hard surface architectural components into soft surface flooring (Mosher, p. 1). Using an enhanced metallic polymer, the Invista Antron fiber, and resetting the pile heights to unconventional measures (Mosher, p. 1) Caan and a team of technicians created a weave that can approximate 3-dimensional textures of undulating glass, steel girders, rebars, and concrete (Mosher, p. 1). The use of clean and metallic yarns gives the rug depth as well as an evolving and unique look, as its appearance changes throughout the day. The success of this (here, textile) designer could not have been accomplished alone. Caan admits that the technicians really knew how to produce carpets on a mass scale (Mosher, p. 2). An equally innovative process by Suzanne Tick (in 2000), though in reverse, transforms the soft properties of the textile into a sturdy new building material. By

Synthetic to Smart embedding the fabric in a high-performance resin, this effectively [extends] the range of textiles into the building materials market and [launches] an entirely new

material product category (Suzanne Tick, n.d.). KnollTextiles produces the material, called Imago, which can be used in panels, screens, wallcovering, tabletops, and window treatments (Brownell, p. 113). Textile is associated with flexibility, protectiveness, and now structure, too. Here we see, literally: the primacy of the skeleton giving way to the primacy of the skin (Lupton, p. 31). Brownell (2006) defines the re-purposing of material elements as convention-defying (p. 8). Another example of the skin becoming the skeleton is seen in Ticks lamp designs, which are woven with monofilament (fiberoptics), which give both structural support and light to the object. This could also be a demonstration of the growing desire to bring art to life (Brownell, p. 7), another fascinating property of repurposing elements in contemporary design. Repurposing materials within textiles is broadranging, form lamps to skirts, the new and unconventional trend parallels the growing movement of ecologically-aware people, designers included. Amateurs are stepping to the plate as well, as seen in current techno-fashion shows. A recent fashion show demonstrating current efforts to bring fashion and technology together offers the seemingly novel idea: Its about time we made our clothing work for us, dontcha think? (Seamless, 2008). Any fibrous material can be made into cloth, as humans have done for thousands of years. Making clothing work for us is not a new concept to humans. The plant matter is literally beaten into submission (OConnor, 2005, p. 45). Clothing and tents shelter from us the elements, warmth and protection. In this light, making clothing work for us has existed as long as people have been wearing clothes. Man-made fibers, on the other hand, are fundamentally different than their natural counterparts. They are made to order rather than simply found (OConnor 45). Synthetic fibers are not made up of natural (animal, plant) materials. Synthetics have an implicit purpose. At first, the scenario was to determine whether or not

Synthetic to Smart man-made materials would bring the promised utopia (p. 18). The discovery and introduction of the first synthetic fibers to the mass market shows how a betterliving-through-chemistry line of thinking first gained traction. The promise of improvements to lifestyle has been a chemically and socially constructed feature of synthetic fabrics from their beginnings. The history of synthetic fibers, as first

introduced to the mass market, serves as a backdrop to the field of smart fibers and textiles today. DuPont produced the first major ultraperforming fibers. As Blaine Brownell explains in Transmaterial, ultraperforming materials are stronger, lighter, more durable and more flexible than their conventional counterparts, (Brownell, p. 8). Quite without design in mind, viscose Rayon, was invented in the first half of the 20th century. The designer had little or no role to play in the early stages of synthetics (Handley, p. 18). The story of the versatile and cheap semi-synthetic fiberknown as Rayonshows how meaning is required for the introduction of new materials to industry and the public. As a cheaper alternative to the artificial silk coming from Europe, DuPont hoped that their first semi-synthetic product, initially called FiberSilk, would be easily accepted among the New England textile mills. What they discovered was the opposite: the mills rejected the notion of synthetics, associating their cheapness with a lower grade of material (OConnor, 2005, para. 49). They also considered the synthetic origin of the material to be an abomination compared to the long-standing reputation and tradition of fine silk. Alongside this explanation is the fact that the textiles industry is founded on ancient traditions with an in-built resistance to change, largely for the practical reason of the enormous cost involved in changing plants that the weaving and knitting of new fibers necessitates, as well as the disruption to work patterns and labor relations (Handley, 1996, p. 10). These could have been other reasons the mills rejected the new, semi-synthetic textile fibers at first. DuPont realized that more effort was required to launch their product. The

Synthetic to Smart mill managers declared synthetic fibers to be a fly-by-night novelty and chastised the DuPont salesmen for wasting their time with a product, which was artificial and therefore ridiculous (OConnor, 2005, p. 49). DuPont quickly found that they were selling more than a technological development and needed to come up with what OConnor describes as the production of meaning (p. 51). Consumers needed reasons to use the new product. Changes do not happen merely because they are technologically feasible. They occur because people find them useful (Farren & Hutchison, 2004, p. 299). DuPont decided to change course. By polling 10,000

women, an emerging significant population for the 1920s, DuPont found that women wanted more than just another silk but new kinds of materials, which were resistant to soiling, easy to clean and care for, held their shape, were durable but also soft, comfortable in warm weather, smart in appearance and reasonably priced (OConnor, p. 50). No natural fiber possessed these qualities, yet manufacturers as well as consumers remained resistant to the idea of artificial fibers. The company finally got a boost when the product was renamed Rayon (ray for its shine and on as in cotton) in 1924 (para. 50). Quickly, manufacturers and the public opened up to consider Rayon as a fiber in its own right, like cotton (p. 50). Along with the new name, the company also found itself promoting a new way of living altogether. They couldnt just sell synthetics, they had to sell the modern lifestyle (cultural change) of the 1920s (para. 51). DuPonts usage of customer surveys and extensive promotional campaigning for Rayon became a pattern the textile departments marketing branch used when introducing its many other synthetic fibers. DuPonts relentless approach to promoting its new fibers as part of the new modern lifestyle with which they were a part (p. 51) included (by the 1950s) in-store demonstrations, fashion shows, trade show exhibitions, sponsorship at events, talks at womens clubs by DuPont representatives, and promotion on radio and the new medium, television (para. 51). The same process was repeated for each new fiber: Nylon, Acrylics, Spandex/Lycra, and Dacron alike (p. 51). The pattern of meaning production was not

Synthetic to Smart unidirectional, as consumers were invited to give their opinions and thereby help construct meaning as well (para. 52). Included in this process is a lag in technologic discoveries to meet the publics demands. For example, when women in the 1920s were polled and requested fabrics that would wash and dry easily and not require

ironing, the company wasnt able to provide this until the 1950s introduction of Wash n Wear. The miracle of Wash n Wear presented humans with something in all 3,000 years of existence or so that had never been possible (Whirlpool Corporation, 1958). The advent of the electric washing machine, coupled with new chemical processes in synthetic fabrics, created limited care garments (Whirlpool, 1958). Washing and drying cycles on the Whirlpool laundry machines matched the necessary and strict temperatures required for Wash n Wear synthetics (Dacron, for instance). Washing temperatures from 100 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, along with a lubricating detergent, allowed the fibers to move easily and shift back into their original form (Whirlpool, 1958). These textiles, Nylon, Rayon, Dacron and Orlon, the new ultraperforming materials in their own right, could retain their original shape and size. Only by heating them at very high temperatures could one alter their shape, and once they cooled down, that change in shape would remain. This led to strict temperature controls as seen with the advent of new electronic washing machines. Wash n Wear offered shrink-resistant, wrinkle-free garments with a wash and dry cycle under an hour (Whirlpool, 1958). What before took hours to hand-wash and drip-dry became a minor nuisance to consumers of the 1950s (Whirlpool, 1958). Being marketed mostly to women, the Wash n Wear campaign solidified the social roles of a 1950s America. This is particularly odd because Wash n Wear offered the same convenience to any male consumer, however the marketing direction was targeted at females, who also had more of a say when it came to home purchases. For instance, The Wonderful World of Wash n Wear promotional film shows only women doing the laundry. The male host hands the laundry to the

Synthetic to Smart

woman, who then places the garments in the washing machine. Now that theyre all in, says host Jeffrey Lynn. Oops! He places more garments in the basket, and offering no help, he makes the joke: Well, almost all in (Whirlpool, 1958). The female dutifully takes the garments from the basket and places them into the machine with the others. Textiles always have been seen as a womans worktheir creation, taking care of, selecting, and storing. In the future, this could change, as perhaps self-cleaning fabrics will be available. This promotional video was part of the massive effort to educate the public to the benefits of Wash n Wear. During the twenty-year lag between the consumer polls in the 1920s, there was a shift in consumers needs and social values. Women in the 1950s were not the independentminded moderns of the 1920s, and they felt compelled to take up housework and laundry. They disdained the short-cuts of a speedier laundry session, but DuPonts angle adapted. The company realized it wasnt selling synthetics anymore, or the modern life of the 1920s, but more free time for its customers to enjoy the material possessions associated with a new culture of leisure in the 1950s (OConnor, p. 52). In clicking with the consumers value for free time, suddenly, Nylon, polyester, acrylics, polyolefins, and polyurethanes (Spandex, Lycra) were all the rage (Thomas, n.d.). The housewifes freedom from household drudgery was eased. The 1960s saw the true skyrocketing of synthetic textiles. Literallythey were being used in the new and excitingly futuristic Space Age. Synthetics appeared on the French couture runways in Paris during the mid-sixties, thanks to Pierre Cardin and Andre Courreges finally taking the hint from hip, happening London. For the first time, designers were playing a significant role in the world of synthetics. Polyester became a fashion rage in the 1970s, being taken up by the Pop movement and associated with youth culture, progressiveness, and overall unconventional. Then it saw a decline in the latter half of the decade. For one, it didnt breathe like cotton, and the resulting sweatiness of the user made it undesirable. Also leading to its societal downfall was Polyesters portrayal as the

Synthetic to Smart embodiment of the excesses of disco, as seen in the white polyester suit John Travolta sported in Saturday Night Fever (Schnakenberg, 2002). Polyester and the synthetics family was banished to the blend (Handley, 1996). The blends polycotton, acrylic wool and mixed knitsmade clothing cheap as well as more wearable.

DuPont never finished a fiber; they were continually making improvements to the processes and formulas (OConnor, p. 51). Chemists concentrated on improving all the man made fibers and by the 1980s, new variations [that] produced luxury look fabrics hit the marketplace (Thomas, n.d.). During the 1990s, the buzzword was microfibers, which are simply fibers that measure less than one denier (Thomas, n.d.). Microfibers of Polyester created the material known as polar-fleece. As it had in the 1950s, the utility of Polyester begat fashionability as polar-fleece hit the shelves and the runway (Schnakenberg, n.d.). Polyesters stigma vanished, its manmade origins unimportant in the face of its overarching utility (Lupton, 2002, p. 235). The 1990s also saw many technologic advancements coming out of Japanese labs, which were immediately shown off by Japanese fashion designers on runways. Garnering clout in Europe, Japan advanced to the leader of the fashion packan unprecedented achievement that would not have happened without the new microfibers from Japanese labs. By the 1990s, the designer has achieved a significant role in the use and introduction of new fibers to the mass market. While it remains today the work of scientists to discover and harness powers at the molecular level, it is the designers who incorporate their usage, making them desirable for mass-market consumption. Finally, synthetics had become the chosen route for the fashion adventurer (Handley, 1996, p. 399). While new textile fibers are invented in labs by scientists, these multi-hat wearers are also aware of how the fiber will look, feel, drape, and dye. The methods of fiber production are continuously modified for these factors. Natural-feeling properties are possibly the highest of concern, next to smart design, versatility, strength, durability, and affordability.

Synthetic to Smart As suggested in the introduction, fashion has only one option: to go techno. In the past century, almost every fabric, silhouette, style and color has been

10

produced (Handley, 1996, p. 399). Fashion, and wearable garments of the future, must continue to go places that have not been seen before (Handley, 1996). Handley assumes that the only place to go that is not a revisit is towards some form of futuristic multi-functional fashion (Handley, 1996, p. 399). In 1996, Handley noted the need for the softening of circuit boards and circuits for techno-progress to work with textiles. Yet the similarity, the structural alikeness, of fabric construction actually would complement the technology: fiber weaving is similar to a grid of pixels, for example. The merging of clothing and chemistry continues, thanks to scientific hard-edged progress, which takes time. Conductive yarns, thermo-chromic ink, and fabric switchesthe soft computation elements of smart textile design have emerged thanks to design groups like International Fashion Machines (IFM) and XS (Extra-Soft) Labs. From Wash n Wear to Wearables, technology is contributing to the rapidly unfolding list of applications to be used with the latest textiles. The promises of smart clothing remain mostly speculative at this stage, but will one day become reality. We can see the progress by charting the popularity of wearable technology. On searching for the phrase wearable technology in 1996, only 10,000 results came back, the majority of them of erotic nature (Handley, 1996). Thirteen years later, in 2009, wearable technology returns 145,000 results. Wearables, the shortened and newer version of the phrase, turns back 2,500,000. Instead of erotic toys, we see clothing that integrates Bluetooth systems like mobile phones and mp3 players. A wearable light therapy device by Philips Tech aids those with a specific syndrome. Augmented Reality glasses by Sony and an air guitar shirt by CSIRO suggest both silliness and severity. On a list titled, The Top 21 Wearable Technologies several are Military-related (Science Ahead, 2007). If the first wave of textile revolution was synthetics, the second wave will be

Synthetic to Smart

11

electronic (Handley, 1996, p. 18). Innovative scientific approaches and discoveries are leading us into an age of smart fabrics. A smart material can be defined not by providing autonomous computational power, but rather [as] products which are inherently smart by design (Brownell, 2006, p. 9). Wearables, inherently smart by design, can be considered smart garments if there are textiles present. For instance, a head-mounted eye-camera (Steve Manns invention) is a wearable, but not a smart garment. Smart textiles are not solely electrical; a smart fabric could mean self-cleaning or water-resistant. Both of these properties have not yet been discovered, but scientists are very close. A 2008 November article in NewScientist which describes an exciting innovation using silicone nanofilaments as a coating on polyester (Evans, 2009). The most water-repellant clothing-appropriate material ever created, was developed by Swiss chemists (Evans, 2009). The scientists created a structure of spiky of 40nanometre-wide silicone filaments, which, like a fakir sitting on a bed of nails, lead researcher Seeger says, the water comes to rest on top (Evans, 2009). Any shift greater than two-degrees causes the drops to roll off the fabric. A similar combination of water-repelling substances and tiny nanostructures is responsible for many natural examples of extreme water resistance, such as the surface of Lotus leaves (Evans, 2009). The silicone nanofilaments trap a layer of air between them, creating a permanent air layer. These plastrons, as they are called, are seen in nature. Plastrons allow water-living insects and spiders to breathe underwater. Science, being inspired by nature, has started the field of biomimicry in their research and discovery process. Although the new discoverythe silicone nanofilaments on polyesteris durable, it didnt pass a critical test. The recombinant material did not survive a cycle in a washing machine. Ironic indeed, but Seeger remains poised, postulating: "the era of self-cleaning clothes may be closer than we think" (Evans, 2009). Science will be the guiding light for the future of textiles. A self-cleaning textile that is waterproof could also be used with electronic

Synthetic to Smart components, thereby eliminating the question But will it wash?

12

Designers and scientists should use the plastron, having achieved successfully in nature numerous times, as a model. Contemporary research by material scientists has focused on natural polymers, rather than synthetic polymers (Bachmann, 2004, p. 91). Natural polymers have, through eons of evolution, attained remarkable levels of strength and efficiency, compared to chemically synthesized polymers like nylon (p. 91). Spider silk is made from the strongest known protein fibers and has been researched by private and public laboratories, attracting high-profile investors such as NASA, and the defense and aerospace industries globally, (p. 92). DuPonts Experimental Research Facility focuses on the silk of golden orb spider. For a while, researchers had been trying to isolate the DNA of its silk protein structure so that they could make a synthetic bio-steel based on this model. However, DuPont currently is not working on this. A bio-steel remains a much sought-after development. Potential uses for a lightweight bio-steel include the medical field as well as textile and apparel industries (Bachmann, p. 92). Still working with the golden orb spider is Nexia Laboratories, who has patented their Bio-Steel formula and is currently seeking the applications for which it is to be used. Research and development of a bio-steel by way of spider silk is a fascinating account of how the field of biomimicry can contribute to future textile innovation. The future will no doubt see similar efforts based on inspiration from nature, which has evolved over millions of years to produce the best-suited technology of its own. Whats interesting to consider is the effect a spider silk-derived textile might have on its users concept of identity. Utilitarian applications (medical, protective armor) of the textile that is, anytime the textile is made for second skin purposes and worn by the user would give the user perhaps a stronger connection to the natural world and respect for nature as well. This is assuming the user knows how the bio-steel came to be. Therefore, it is important for the future textile designers to keep connected the origins of new materials, especially if they are from nature, to

Synthetic to Smart

13

the objects they design. Today spiders are viewed quite negatively by humans; they are afraid of them, kill them, make war with them (Arachnophobia, 1990). Any future textiles have with bio-steel could work to portray the spider, and the whole of nature it represents, in a respectable and more equal way. By placing a spider-esque logo on the garments tag, for instance, a subtle reminder to the user would be sent: this garment was made possible by the miraculous and beautiful (web) creations of an arachnid. Perhaps biomimicry will provide us with a generation that sees themselves more connected to nature, and not at war with much of its creatures. The difference that textile designers and manufacturers can make in the future is of a large cultural significance. The creative blend of the multidisciplinary approach is presented in the future of textile design: technology is pushing design further and further towards a collaborative activity (Handley, 1996, p. 15) and has generated partnerships between technologists and designers (p. 15). The result is a new hybrid species of designerpart artist, part technologist, part chemist, part computer scientist (p. 357). Handley (1996) has proven a reliable source, for thirteen years have passed, and designers like Joanne Berzowska have matriculated, who has earned a BA in Pure Math and a BFA in Design Arts. Her MS from Massachusetts Institute of Technology came from her work entitled Computational Expressionism. Recently, Berzowska was selected for the Maclean's 2006 Honour Roll as one of thirty nine Canadians who make the world a better place to live in. She is perhaps the best contemporary portrayal of a smart textile designer: she has something to say as an artist, yet is fully engaged in collaborative work. Joanna Berzowska advises: [d]esigners of electronic textiles need to focus on personal expression, and the social, cultural, and economic history of textiles, (Berzowska, 2004, p. 72). This way, clothing carries meaning, discovery, even knowledge. Advancements like photochromic ink, thermochromic ink, light-emitting components, miniature speakers, and conductive yarns used together with input devices such as soft fabric switches, variable

Synthetic to Smart

14

resistors, and capacitive sensors make up the construction of her reactive garments (Berzowska, 2004, p. 67). For example, her Touch Dress Series includes feathery dresses use LEDs and touch pads, and another dress she calls the spotty dress which have thermographic spots. The dresses respond to touch; spotty dresses change color from the body heat of another, feather dresses light up in the place they are touched. She designed three of each so that when worn together, you start seeing a social development, (Moore, n.d.). They [the three users] were at first shy because they werent really used to touching each other, but as the day went on they really developed this wonderful choreography of physical intimacy and touch So thats how Im trying to bring the body back into wearable technology. (Moore, n.d.)

A lot of it is kind of funny conceptual work, she says in an interview. XS labs truly project fashion into the future: We can think of clothing as a second skin that allows us to construct meaning in interaction with the world. One application of reactive fashion is to enable the idea of changing our skin, our identity and our cultural context. [italics their own] (XS Labs, n.d.) Transformational materials undergo a physical metamorphosis based on environmental stimuliautomatically or user-driven (Brownell, p. 9). They create interesting phenomenological effects and simply make [the user] view the world differently, (9). One such example is the Skorpions series by Di Mainstone and J. Berzowska at XS Labs: SKORPIONS are a set of kinetic electronic garments that move and change on the body in slow, organic motions. They have anthropomorphic qualities and can be imagined as parasites that inhabit the skin of the host. They breathe and pulse, controlled by their own internal programming. They are not interactive artifacts insofar as their programming does not respond to simplistic sensor data. They have intentionality; they are programmed to live, to exist, to subsist. They are living behavioral kinetic sculptures that exploit characteristics such as control, anticipation, and unpredictability. They have their own personalities, their own fears and desires. SKORPIONS reference the history of garments as instruments of pain and desire. They hurt you and distort your body the same way as corsets and foot binding. They emphasize our lack of control over our garments and our digital technologies. Our clothes shift and change in ways that we do not anticipate.

Synthetic to Smart Our electronics malfunction and become obsolete.

15

SKORPIONS shift and modulate personal and social space by imposing physical constraints on the body. They alter behavior, by hiding or revealing hidden layers, inviting others inside the protective shells of fabric, by erecting breathable walls, or tearing themselves open to divulge hidden secrets. (XS Labs, n.d.) The Skorpions series is comprised of five such transformational designs. Here, the full text quote is included in the discussion to convey the conceptual and artistic degree to which the designers have thought out their reactive garment. The author believes that the Skorpions achieve the multidimensional properties described by Brownell. Not speaking visually, but the enhanced texture and richness of the garments concept. Indeed each of the five Skorpions garments is unique in form and character, giving a depth and augmented dimensionality that Brownell uses to describe such multidimensional innovative trends. By using Nitinol, a shapememory alloy, the garments feature achieve organic movements. The expense of Nitinol prohibits it from hitting the market, yet it remains another fascinating innovation. As they breathe and pulse, the Nitinol which makes this possible is being repurposed, a trend in design innovation that Brownell (2006) states: [shows] the growing desire to bring art to life (p. 7). No better example could exist. Repurposing occurs frequently in the realm of reactive garments. Seamless is an annual runway fashion event featuring innovative and experimental works in computational apparel design, interactive clothing, and technology-based fashion (Seamless, n.d.) Each project interprets the conceptual goal of a seamless relationship between technology and fashion. These are real clothes that inspire and provoke (Wright, 2006). Christine Liu and Nicholas Knouf, graduate students in media arts and sciences, collaborated with the Boston Museum of Science, to gather and present original couture by students from MIT, Rhode Island School of Design, Parsons School of Design and New York University. According to Liu: All the technology is really there, the genius behind it is finding the application and the way its integrated into the garment, the aesthetics of it, the

Synthetic to Smart

16

motivations behind it, and thats what were looking for, this sort of composite poetry.(Liu, 2008) Collaboration has been the key to many such fashion shows. Commitment to collaboration is important. Shashi Caan warns: Collaboration must be more than a given lip service (Caan, 2002). For this to happen, she says a process of coming together must be honed. The more progressive our technologies become, the greater our need remains to not only understand ourselves, but also our human community (Caan, 2002). Indeed the only way the textile designer of the future, or perhaps restated, the best way the textile designer of the future will accomplish their goals is through collaboration. Today, the figure of the sole textile weaver or knitter has become as obsolete, as the popular image of an old woman knitting in a rocking chair suggests. By opening the gates of communication on a global level the Internet allows, textile designers can cooperatively create together, gaining skills knowledge and perhaps showing work in other places. One such example is the account given by Elaine Polvinen in the pages of Textile (2004) titled: International Collaborative Digital Decorative Design Project. The articles author documents the process of three textile designers (herself included) from three different geographic locations who made a joint commitment to work together to develop an exhibition that combines overlapping interests in art, design, ancient Chinese artifacts, fabric design and technology (Polvinen, 2004, p. 37). For Polvinen, the effort was a learning process which led to a cultural, scholarly, and aesthetic interchange of ideas and visions, culminating with a cross-cultural exhibition (p. 37). The outcome bore fruit, as the author herself gained an integration and expansion of skills that resulted in something that would have been improbable individually (p. 54). Polvinens account is a professional reminder to practice and hone the skill of true collaboration with other designers, artists, and workers in related fields. The successful textile designer of the future will be actively engaged in global-sized collaborations, yet active locally

Synthetic to Smart with others in a physical meeting space to trade hands-on skills. True, of the heart collaborations existwhat Caan might call our spirit to share our knowledge and our passions (Caan, 2002). Numerous craft magazines (zines), do-it-yourself (diy), and fashion hacking workshops are sprouting up all

17

over the continent, as well as the Web (via blogs and YouTube). Electronic garments, like blogs, are the place where hip and nerdy collide. The attention and turnout at these collective events is hard to tell, but the convergence of fashion with technology is indisputably alive. Little Sister has a Big Brother. The U.S. Military and Defense Department are actively looking for new fibers to better protect its soldiers and give them a leg up on the battlefield. Vast sums of money are poured into research and discovery by the military. In 2002, the Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies was created at MIT, with a U.S. Army grant of $50 million (Samuel, 2002). The money is going towards fabrics that can morph to improve camouflage, stiffen to provide splints for broken limbs and store energy that can be tapped later to increase the wearers strength (Samuel, 2002). The average US soldier carries 140 pounds of armor and equipment into battle, so Army bosses wanted to lighten this burden by redesigning from the atomic scale up, which led to funding for the new institute (Samuel, 2002). The new suits of armor will utilize the many existing nanotechnologies that already show potential. Wars will now more than ever be won in a test tube, and perhaps on the loom more than the battlefield. Kevlar, which is five times stronger than steel on an equal weight basis, has been adopted by the Military for use in body armor (bullet resistant vests and face masks) since the 1980s. Its other applications are: motorcyclist safety clothing, rope and cable, replacing asbestos in brake pads, and paraglider suspension lines. Recently, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology used Kevlar as a base textile for an experiment in electricity-generating clothing from low-frequency vibrations. Weaving zinc oxide nanowires into the Kevlar, the scientists estimate that

Synthetic to Smart their nanoclothing can put out eighty milliwatts of power per square meter of

18

fabric. The fabric could be made into power-generating tents for soldiers offers one article (Hopkin, 2008). Kevlar is the strongest man-made fiber. Current research by the Military, DuPont, and other labs has focused extensively on developing a similar fiber as strong as Kevlar, by looking to nature for inspiration. Among NASA, DuPont, and the U.S. Defense Department, the medical field has similarly benefitted from textile research. Textiles have advanced to become materials unmatchable in surgery for their less-invasive and versatile properties (Bachmann, 2004, para. 95). Secant, the medical division of Prodesco, produces vascular grafts, hernia mesh, biodegradable sutures, neurotubes, adhesion barriers, hemostatic dressings, replacement ligaments and tendons, and minimally invasive surgical implants (p. 94). Textiles for use in the medical realm are less invasive, lightweight solutions and structures that the human body is less likely to reject (p. 95). A knit structure, for its strength and flexibility, is used as a guide for the surgeon in attaching the valve, a bio-mechanical heart valve. A woven or braided structure would be too rigid for this application, (p. 95). Secant also produces synthetic veinsa braided structure used for its strength and flexibility (p. 95). If a vein gets severed, the braid is inserted between the damaged parts. Once it has healed, the synthetic vein disintegrates. These textiles are produced in laboratories eerily reminiscent of textile studios (p. 95), reminding one of the popular conception of Frankenstein, in which man and machine come together, via electricity, to enact life. The cyborg idea has been discussed as a Space Age cultural invention, a technologically augmented human, that has not disappeared since its origins in 1960. Adam Swift (2004) discusses the relationship between the space age phenomenon and the creation of the cyborg: the most celebrated figure of twentieth-century culture (p. 109). What he terms cyborg style make up the collective, shared elements that are common to all twenty-first century cyborgs (109). The everyday

Synthetic to Smart

19

cyborg (p. 110) is always on the go and athletic; is in constant communication with work or family; cannot live without certain stuff like music and accessories; needs to feel comfortable and ergonomically supported; has a disruptive lifestyle and needs to know where they are in space and time and to look the part in a multitude of roles; selectively consumes; is alert and always prepared (para. 110). Fashion and design responds with accessories and clothing that offer: a protective shell/shield, multipurpose functionality, ease of mobility, adaptability, compartments, durability, unobtrusive ubiquitousness through textiles and designs that are reflective and retro-reflective [camouflage], powered [electricity], smart and networked, socially responsible, [and] integrated (p. 111). This list is lengthy but well thought out, and the future textile designer should pay attention to the needs of their user, which have been borne from the cyborg idea. It seems the cyborg idea will exist and grow as long as humans increasingly rely on technology. While Swifts present day cyborg has strictly utilitarian needs, the desire to be expressive is oddly left out. Is this the death of fashion? Will mans second skin be nothing to say of his personality, like the exogenous suit of the astronaut? A fascinating interview between two female artists, Jake Moore and Joanna Berzowska see the second skin in a much different light. Ronna Haraways (1960) work The Cyborg Manifesto launched a feminist school of thought called cyborg theory. Moore and Berzowska push aside utilitarian applications of smart textiles and discusses feminine interpretations of the cyborg and how wearables can be used in playful, expressive, meaningful, and communicative ways. Moores The primary definition of cyborg was of an assisted body but it has come to mean integratedlike the approach of a built-in ear, (Moore, n.d.). There are many schools in cyborg culture. Steve Mann believes a computer should be worn, externally, like an exoskeleton. To Berzowska, this translates to the idea of a building built for one (Moore, n.d.), which is a very political thing and a very protective structure kind of thing (Moore, n.d). A building

Synthetic to Smart

20

for one body harkens back to Le Courbusiers idiom, a machine for living, which ties into the prevailing view that the body is a limited thing that must somehow be assisted. Human beings, using objects to survive and conquer, rely on the world of things, merging their own identities with the objects they use (Lupton, 2002, p. 33). As a result, when humans rely on technology, as in wearing it for increased reliance, their identity becomes extended to include the exogenous apparatus. Skin is the surface where bodies and products merge (33). New developments such as zerodegree coats and fiber blends that enhance circulation and muscle recovery play on the cyborg idea, as these fibers augment the human body to a degree influencing the users survival. These products suggest a culture where danger and disaster coexist with leisure and entertainment (Lupton 32). The danger and disaster is a new addition to the Western culture of leisure discussed in the above, with respect to the marketing of synthetics. The idea of an exoskeleton, a protective fortress built for one, is a new theme in fashion. The urban warrior and hazmat suits of our contemporary world suggest this very coexistence. To Jake Moore, the second skin is/can be a mutable rather than fortress building (Moore, n.d.). Lupton (2002) echoes Moores view, going as far as saying: Mutability has replaced permanence (p. 31). Fortresses are outdated, giving way to the urban nomad or cyborg always on the go, always adapting, ready for any scenario. Feminine interpretations of the fluidity of identity parallel the possibilities of the fluid architecture of the Internet. The cyborg does not seek a solitary identity: one is too few, and two is only one possibility, (Haraway, 1991). In cyber-land, one has no gender, as traditional conceptions of masculine and feminine space have no place. To Moore, this is a liberating front. Will the future of fashion transmit this possibility? One possible suggestion is the base garment concept. The base garment concept is a speculation about the future. It offers more evidence of a mutable second skin than the idea of physically wearing hardware (like Steve Mann). Anne Farren and Andrew Hutchison (2004) discuss the base

Synthetic to Smart

21

garment: Such a garment, say a pair of trousers, would have a base color of black (Farren and Hutchison, p. 295). The user could determine the color of the garment by a control switch he/she is also wearing: a pocket or button, even software from the users mobile phone could communicate this via Bluetooth. To the textile designer of the future, the base garment concept opens the door to innovative and experimental work that could be distributed[in] a few kilobytes of information (p. 297). This would allow the cyborg/urban-nomad to be ready for any occasion. A formal meeting and informal lunch could be attended in separate outfits at the touch of a button. Identities would not have to be tied up in the garments of the user; the businessman could attend his daughters soccer game in shorts upon his command. The user could change the garments color, pattern, and the creative options for textiles designers open up, including patterns that animate (p. 295). Such fluidity and mutability seem very much in keeping with the more expressive and feminine conceptions of cyborg theory and certainly in keeping with Luptons (2002) mutable concept of (second) skin. Opening up the design process to the user would also be a setback to the designer, as one could upload their own designs, pictures, text even to their base garments, effectively side-stepping any designer altogether. With the further assumption that fabrics may one day be able to change size, the fashion designer may risk his job as well. This connection does make threats to the very identity of the craft and business of garment and fashion design, (Farren and Hutchison, 2004, p. 299). A base garment that is generic enough for both men and women, the onesize concept, could have a gender-neutralizing effect. This could be a vision of the physical manifestation of the mutability of identity. To the designer, there could be serious advantages to the base garment. Seasons could become days, and new designs would be necessary; the designer would be constantly in work. However, bootleg or pirated designhacked fashionmay ruin the designers luck. This brings the question around to Does the integration of technology into

Synthetic to Smart the garment result in us becoming tethered to the Internet? This is also frightening. To the designer, it means the possibility of copyright violations, lost profit, and by the designs available for download free on the web: loss of function

22

altogether. To the user, being tethered to the global network via electric garment brings about questions dealing with privacy. Surveillance, as Berzowska puts it is, so seductiveand driven by fear, this bizarre culture of(Moore, 2005). There will one day be a future where digital displays are thin, cheap, and flexiblewhen electronically programmable paper comes into its own as a material (Lupton, 2002, p. 150). This quote was taken from a hypothetical garment design called BLU (2000) and BLU (2001) in the form of a digital prototype. Designers Tad Toulis and PierreYves DuBois at Lunar Design in San Francisco envision a users jacket with a built-in GPS and an advertising surface (p. 150). Could the concept of the base garment just as easily function like the BLU jacket? Will the initial quest for synthetic utopia at the start of the 20th Century turn into a surveillance society driven by a culture of fear, like Orwells 1984 foretold? Authors such as Quinn (2002) and OMahoney (2002) point out the need for fashion, communications, and information technology to forge mutually beneficial alliances (as cited in Farren and Hutchison, 2004, p. 300). The successful textile designer should be skilled in of each these areas. From the utopian dream of DuPonts early years to the dystopian tones of tomorrows BLU jacket, the role of the designer is chief in the creation of meaningful, responsive, and helpful design. Walking the line between connected and tethered would be difficult but something the designer will have to deal with eventually. Brownells (2006) list of innovative trends should serve as a guide for the textile designers of the future. They should be creative and meaning-oriented. Putting advertisements on clothing is hardly creative, and placing technologic components for mere effect has no meaning. The designer should not forget that they are designing for humans, and so the human elements (touch, imagination, communication, and play) should not be forgotten, but balanced with pragmatic-

Synthetic to Smart minded design. Staying aware of the latest scientific discoveries, connected with

23

others in the field with similar interests, and efficacious problem solving will be the designers strengths. Most importantly, the textile designer of the future should not forget that they are dealing with the human form and remember to think of the body as well as the mind.