The (t)exodus of European spinning, weaving, and knitting manufacturers slowly began in the 70s: customers moved away, prices fell, and companies were shaken by crises. Those who were not overwhelmed by globalisation right into the 90s were eventually brought to their knees by the world economic crisis in 2008. Nevertheless, European fibres are now ‘growing’ ... Read more...
Bicycle spokes are usually made from stainless steel, aluminium or titanium. But a company from Chemnitz is taking a different path – and weaving ultra-light braided spokes from polyester fibres. Ronny Eckert Read more...
Almost everyone has slept in a tent under the stars at some time or other (in more or less comfort). But who would think of pitching their sleeping place in a museum, a cinema, or even on a bunker? This is exactly what the start-up company ‘sleeperoo’ is doing. Ronny Eckert Read more...
At Techtextil 2017, a new kind of knitted material made from basalt, which affords protection against underwater fouling on the piling for wind turbines and bridges, took home the ‘Techtextil Innovation Award’ in the ‘New Applications’ category. What became of it? Ronny Eckert Read more...
Searing temperatures and a bone dry atmosphere – the summer of 2018 in Europe was intense. There are, however, countries, where drought is normal. Morocco, for instance. Because of climate change, it has now become so hot and dry there that what little water there is has become very scarce indeed. As a result, textile ... Read more...
Apples can be peeled, chopped, pierced (by an arrow), eaten, drunk, spooned up, thrown, juggled, coloured, hung up, and so on … the list is endless. Most recently, the healthy fruit can also be worn as apple leather bags. Ronny Eckert Read more...
The whole world knows what silence sounds like because of the song, ‘The Sound of Silence‘, by Simon & Garfunkel. This was a mega hit which made it onto the list of the 500 best songs of all time and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. But it is not just silence that ... Read more...
