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Yes, you have to wear your mittens
December 7th, 2020
I grew up in a part of Minnesota that can have snow on the ground from late October into May. Temperatures have been known to hit minus-30° F. Or colder. When we played outside, we got a lot of exercise just moving at all in our snowsuits, scarves, hats, puffy mittens and snow boots. Playing outside […]
Unprecedented
November 9th, 2020
by Janet Preus We’ve heard that word a lot in the last few months. Unprecedented. More than I would like to, in fact, and now we can add IFAI’s Expo 2020 to the “unprecedented” category. For one thing, it’s continuing over two weeks, so I don’t know about you, but I’m kind of ok with […]
DIY comes to e-textiles
October 12th, 2020
by Janet Preus I’ve written about e-textiles numerous times over the past few years. There’s a reason for that. At first it was my own fascination with a technology which could transform a host of textile products. (I may still have my heated socks that required wires running up my leg, attached to two "D" […]
Beyond masks
May 11th, 2020
by Janet Preus Did you ever imagine that you would wear a mask every single time you stepped out of your house or apartment? Every single time you might interact with people other than the ones at your supper table or on your living room sofa? I still don’t own a reusable mask. My children […]
What water bears and textiles could have in common one day
March 9th, 2020
by Janet Preus I’ve noticed an interesting trend in fiber materials. While there have been amazing new fibers, yarns and fabrics created and manufactured, there has also been renewed interest in natural materials that have been around for a very long time. Not sure anybody knows exactly when cotton balls first became swaths of fabric, […]
The things people come up with!
January 13th, 2020
by Janet Preus That sustainability is a powerful driver for new innovations in textiles is not altogether surprising for those of us who have been observing the industry for several years. What always surprises me, though, is the innovations themselves. The ways researchers and business innovators accomplish new sustainability advances—the research itself, the prototypes, the […]
Really good gets even better
December 16th, 2019
by Janet Preus First of all, if you’re not just a little bit amazed that a textile (a textile!) can protect from fire, hazardous chemicals, high heat and other dangers, you are either so immersed in the protective products industry that it’s routine for you, or you’ve never had the opportunity to take note of […]
Upping the ante
November 11th, 2019
by Janet Preus The trend toward multi-functional capabilities in textiles is pretty well established now. Not all fabrics have to do all things, but the more advanced a textile is, the more likely it is to require more than one functionality. Just to be clear about the terminology. I’m using “functionality” in a broad sense; […]
Nothing ventured, nothing gained
September 9th, 2019
by Janet Preus The medical textiles market is expected to reach $23.3 billion by 2025, according to a release May 29, 2019 from reportlinker.com. Non-implantable goods, the report says, takes the largest share, which is not at all surprising for obvious reasons. What’s a bit surprising is the growth in medical devices, including those that […]
Imagining a new normal in energy
August 12th, 2019
by Janet Preus Every so often I put the “energy” topic on the calendar. I’m fascinated with the idea that textiles of various kinds will be a critical part of new developments, especially for wearables and other small-scale applications, as well as transportable products. Solar energy seemed the most encouraging, with new photovoltaic fabrics and […]