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"In order to make the fabrics in my designs eco-friendly, I use nano-technology to print on cotton fabrics. With sustainability, conservation of water is extremely important. In printing and dyeing textiles, water is essential, and lots of it. I find this nano-printing technique extremely valuable because it does not require water for rinsing. It is a pigment-based process that works on a nano-partical level. These colorants, developed by Yuhan-Kimberly, do not require the fabrics to have any special coating or treatment to prepare them for printing. It uses a dry heat curing process. Because it works on the nano level, it produces a very thin coating of colour on the surface of the fabric, which does not dramatically change the hand of the fabric; the fabric stays soft. As current research has discovered, this process has best results with cotton and cotton rich blend fabrics."
Colourful designs - but are they sustainable?
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The SDC is once again calling undergraduate talent in fashion and textile design around the world to enter for the SDC Colour Design Award 2009. With regional heats to be held in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Pakistan, South Africa, UK and USA, this global competition will see each country finalist taking part in the grand final judging. A final shortlist of three students will then be invited to Goa, India for the announcement of the global winner on 26 June 2009.
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The competition brief calls for the creative, imaginative and original use of colour in either fashion or textiles. A new aspect for this year’s competition is the requirement to incorporate sustainable thinking into the designs. The issue of sustainability, while not new, still requires investigation and development particularly in regards to the textile industry, and so it is hoped that by incorporating this element into the design competition, participants will be able to contribute both to their own learning and to the wider global debate taking place.
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Although sustainability is a new aspect for this year's competition, it is clear it is something that students are already considering; in fact, a 2008 competition finalist Casey Bianco from Virginia Commonwealth University, USA (you can see Casey and her designs pictured in this post) had this to say on the matter:
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"In order to make the fabrics in my designs eco-friendly, I use nano-technology to print on cotton fabrics. With sustainability, conservation of water is extremely important. In printing and dyeing textiles, water is essential, and lots of it. I find this nano-printing technique extremely valuable because it does not require water for rinsing. It is a pigment-based process that works on a nano-partical level. These colorants, developed by Yuhan-Kimberly, do not require the fabrics to have any special coating or treatment to prepare them for printing. It uses a dry heat curing process. Because it works on the nano level, it produces a very thin coating of colour on the surface of the fabric, which does not dramatically change the hand of the fabric; the fabric stays soft. As current research has discovered, this process has best results with cotton and cotton rich blend fabrics." -
Entries for the 2009 competition are already being considered for the heat in the USA, with the finalist being the winner of the product design category in the AATCC’s design competition. Entries are now being prepared for submission in all SDC regionals and affiliates worldwide. Details of the various regional judging events include:
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Pakistan: 14 March in Lahore and Karachi
India: 28 March in Mumbai
South Africa: 20 March in Durban
Australia: 7 April in Melbourne
Hong Kong: 24 April in Kowloon
China: by 30 April in Beijing
Bangladesh: tbc
Sri Lanka: tbc
UK Midlands Region: 4 March in Loughborough
India: 28 March in Mumbai
South Africa: 20 March in Durban
Australia: 7 April in Melbourne
Hong Kong: 24 April in Kowloon
China: by 30 April in Beijing
Bangladesh: tbc
Sri Lanka: tbc
UK Midlands Region: 4 March in Loughborough
UK London Region: 10 March in London
UK Northern Ireland Region: 7 March in Belfast
UK North of England Region: 12 March in Bradford
UK Scottish Region: tbc, in Edinburgh
UK West of England and South Wales Region: tbc, in Tiverton
UK Northern Ireland Region: 7 March in Belfast
UK North of England Region: 12 March in Bradford
UK Scottish Region: tbc, in Edinburgh
UK West of England and South Wales Region: tbc, in Tiverton
UK final: 24 April in Bradford
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The global winner will receive the SDC Colour Design Award, with a cash prize of £1000, plus a trophy and a prize for the winning college. For more details, and to download all the relevant documents, visit: www.sdc.org.uk/members/competitions.htm
*Deadline for submission of entry forms - end of February 2009*
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by CMcN
