Page 80 - TEXtalks November/December 2021

80 81
Battery-free communication: Smart

textiles of the future

Smart textiles are one of the areas that provide added value to textile materials. It is a sector that has been
developed with new technologies, new fibers, and textile materials. The battery or power required for electron-
ics is a big problem which the researchers have solved. A charging-free sensor could open a new horizon of
research in smart textiles.
Researchers at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) have integrated advanced metamaterials into flexible
textiles to create a system capable of battery-free communication between articles of clothing and nearby
devices. Amirhossein Hajiaghajani, a UCI Ph.D. student in electrical engineering and computer science, said
the invention enables wearers to digitally interact with nearby electronic devices and make secure payments
with a single touch or swipe of a sleeve. The near-field communications protocol has enabled the growth in
applications such as wireless device charging and powering of battery-free sensors. However, a drawback of
NFC has been its limited range of only a couple of inches. The medical applications are countless such as
freeing hospital staff from applying numerous patient sensors, as they can all be integrated into metamateri-
al-equipped gowns.

New capsule collection powered by

bacteria-based dyes from Colorifix
Triarchy Pangaia has announced a new capsule collection and plant byproducts. The microorganisms divide

launches powered by bacteria-based dyes in response to every 20 minutes, resulting in a large quantity of

synthetic dye run-off. PANGAIA is a
colorful dye liquor within one or two days. The
direct-to-consumer materials science company
prepared color is then placed directly into standard
dye machines, requiring no additional specialist
bringing breakthrough textile innovations and patents
sustainable into the world through everyday lifestyle products. equipment or toxic chemicals. In conventional
For the dyeing of the capsule collection, Pangaia has
dyeing, many harsh chemicals, heavy metals, and
salts are introduced at the fixing stage to create a
turned to a UK-based Colorifix. Colorifix is the first
denim company to use a biological process to produce, permanent bond between color and fiber. Colorifix’s
engineered microorganisms can concentrate the
deposit, and fix pigments onto textiles.
nutrient salts and metals already present in water to
levels that facilitate this dye-fabric interaction with
Colorifix minimizes the environmental impact of
industrial dyeing by replacing chemistry with biology
at every step in the process, from creating the dyes zero added substances.
to their fixation on fabrics. The first step is to find a The new 365 capsule collection from Pangaia
Los Angeles-based sustainable denim label Triarchy denim fabrication from a blend of Naia Renew,” features hooded jumpers and tracksuit trousers.
has teamed up with Danish model Josephine Skriver created by using 66% organic cotton, 22% Tencel color created by an organism in nature, whether an Items include pink and blue shades that use the
to debut a collaborative capsule of sustainable and 12% Naia fiber for the collaboration. The brand animal, plant, insect, or microbe. Via online DNA Colorifix process. The range marks Pangaia’s latest
denim styles. The eight-piece capsule ranges from will open up the exclusive, sustainable fabrication for sequencing (never a physical specimen), the attempt to bring innovation and fashion together. The
denim jackets and shirts (a cropped top and other denim brands to use in a year after the launch. company pinpoints the exact genes that lead to the 365 collections are made with responsibly sourced,
camping shirt) to relaxed and two-tone jeans, a pair The capsule incorporates sustainable wash practices pigment production and then translates that DNA recycled, and organic cotton mix. Its premium,
of shorts, and an overall style ranging from $165 to and a second sustainable denim fabrication code into our microorganism. The resulting thicker, heavier weight fabric is brushed on the inside
$495. The Triarchy x Josephine Skriver capsule is consisting of 83% recycled content. In 2020, Triarchy engineered microorganism can produce the pigment and perfect for days the wearer wants something
now available on the brand’s e-commerce. In launched their first collection using bio-stretch denim, just as it is produced in nature. softer and cozier. Therefore, the sustainable
December 2021, it is going to be launched with a plastic-free alternative that achieves the exact fit collection is a way forward to reduce the
Bergdorf Goodman and Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, and elasticity that customers look for in traditional The next step is to grow the color via fermentation. environmental effects of conventional dyeing as it
Shopbop, and Holt Renfrew. stretch jeans. While many brands use recycled The same way beer is brewed, the microorganisms reduces water consumption by 49%, electricity
polyester to create more sustainable denim, grow on renewable feedstocks such as sugar, yeast, consumption by 35%, and CO2 emissions by 31%
Triarchy designed its own “proprietary sustainable bio-stretch takes this to the next level.

November/December 2021 November/December 2021