Tech-Style
Originally published March 28, 2017 here.
My friend Alex was a model. A legit model in NYC who was so pretty, gay men would profess their love for her. She once told me, when we were both new college grads working our first corporate jobs, that fashion comes from innovation in textiles. That notion always stuck with me because I found it to be fascinating and not obvious at all to a lay(wo)man like myself. Over the years, as I’ve delved deeper into my enchantment with fashion, I’ve found this to be a veritable truth through observation and confirmation from fashion insiders like the extraordinarily talented Creative Director, Miyako Nakamura, who heads design at MM LaFleur.
I recently came across an article in the New Yorker about Bolt Threads and the giant step forward it’s taken with scaling the production of spider silk; a gargantuan, technically complex problem to solve what centuries of inventors have been unable to crack. If spider silk can be scaled for mass production, the functional benefits are clear. Spider silk can be tougher than steel, more tear-resistant than Kevlar. It’s elasticity and light weight render it a potential boon for thousands of practical applications. But what I’m more interested in is the application to fashion design. What does extreme elasticity mean for denim? Can the spider silk be fused into denim fabrics or other heavyweight cottons? If it can be fused with cotton, then what does that mean for the transformation of terry cloth and French terry? Will spider silk revolutionize swimwear? Will it allow designers to create supportive swimwear without the weight or bulk of underwires, paneling, or other methods that add unwanted volume to swimsuits?
Miyako mentioned Premiere Vision’s biannual shows, frequented by designers to gain insight into the latest textile innovations which inspire designers’ creativity. I visited Premiere Vision’s site to learn more about their biannual shows and found this piece about new methods that give sheepskin, leather and other fabrics the worn finish of crackled, ultra-thin paper. I loved the possibility of using these textures to evoke “ the sharp taste of a sunny afternoon in the salty Mediterranean waters” as Premiere Vision puts it. Leather pants have been around for ages, but what could be cooler than leather pants that are thin as crepe, light as air, and offer the worn texture of a pair of pants that have experienced an exciting life? The patina of worn leather — think of a mix of Pantone’s Friar Browns — would have a similar effect as the patina of worn denim, faded in just the right places. Like years of wear through good times are part of what make the pants priceless and perfect. As if the owner of the pants enjoys life and lives it to the fullest. There’s also innovation in the range of colors available for leathers. Pastel colors and bold brights like azure blue and bright pink are in demand. I expect color to be in demand for future collections, especially with the political turmoil brought upon by resurgent populism. Color can offer a mental respite from reality in contrast to how dark neutrals can reinforce the gloom and doom; color may be a fleeting respite, but it’s something.
Excited to see what innovation is showcased in textiles this year and how designers are inspired by them in producing their 2019 collections. I may soon be channeling Debbie Harry and Chryssie Hynde simultaneously, wearing a swimsuit that stops bullets with my new pink leather pants that are airy enough to ride Citibikes in during the NYC summer.
