Garments that monitor their wearer's health or sports performance are one of the futuristic projects going on at the Textile and Design Laboratory (T+DL).
The T+DL which is in its fifth year of operation has become a centre for education, product development and research for the fashion and textiles industries.
It regularly brings together research groups that combine the expertise of lab staff and academic staff, to assist with industry projects and staff and student research work. In just four years, that research has already traversed some fascinating territory.
The "Transform BioHarness" group worked with industry partner Zephyr Technology towards achieving real world monitoring of human performance and condition via clothing knitted with conductive yarns and fitted with sensors, while the Wholegarment Knit Design group is encouraging research and experimentation with specialised knit designs for medical, sport, fashion and accessory applications.
Using technology like the inkjet printer as a creative tool rather than just a production process is the focus of the Textile and Design Lab's Printing group, and the Body Scanning and Sizing group investigated new shape information technologies, looking at what changing body shape profiles mean for manufacturing and innovation.
The work being done by T+DL research groups benefit industry partners, but it also positively influences the AUT curriculum, helping the university to offer a fashion education that reflects modern concepts of creativity and production.
AUT students as well as those from other tertiary organisations have been quick to recognise the benefits of working with the T+DL. While completing her fashion degree, Nadeesha Godamunne produced a highly acclaimed collection of dresses by digitally printing hand drawn artwork onto fabric, going on to win the Mittlemoda prize at the 2008 Dunedin iD Awards , entry to the Mittelmoda Awards in Italy, and the Supreme Award at Westfield Style Pasifika 2009.
As well as offering a unique resource for the education sector, the T+DL has continued to build capability within the New Zealand apparel and textile sectors, giving industry partners access to its printing and knitting technologies. This strategy has resulted in numerous New Zealand knitwear companies investing in similar technology following their engagement with the T+DL.
Fashion and interior designers, product developers, clothing labels, stage and screen production companies and retailers continually work with the lab to create unique pieces, test products, pre-production work and samples. Emerging designers, as well as established labels such as Icebreaker, Huffer and Lonely Hearts Club have all partnered with the T+DL.
One recent application of the digital printing technology was to create costumes for Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones. As costume designer Kate Hawley commented, "The T+DL helped to create an authentic sense of period for the film and its characters".
Initially funded by a Tertiary Education Commission grant under the Government's Innovation and Pilot Initiative scheme, the lab's operation centres around two pieces of cutting edge technology - a Shima Seiki inkjet textile printer and two Shima Seiki Whole Garment® knitwear machines that produce seamless knitted garments and other three dimensional products.
"Knowledge sharing is a key objective for the T+DL", says manager, Peter Heslop. The lab offers induction workshops, short courses, master classes, symposia, one-to-one support and technical consultancy and regularly hosts overseas experts with similar interests.
Recent visitors have included J.R. Campbell from the Glasgow School of Art's Centre for Advanced Textiles, who was a guest researcher and keynote speaker in 2009, and Kerry King of US based Textile and Clothing Technology Corporation (TC) ², researcher and keynote speaker at the 2010 Digital Strategies Symposium.
As the T+DL looks to the future, the focus will remain on research and development, particularly smart materials, medical and healthcare applications, sportswear, wool based products and e-commerce models.
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Students, researchers and industry players use technology at AUT's Textile + Design Laboratory to experiment and develop the clothing of tomorrow.
Garments that monitor their wearer's health or sports performance are one of the futuristic projects going on at the Textile and Design Laboratory (T+DL).
The T+DL which is in its fifth year of operation has become a centre for education, product development and research for the fashion and textiles industries.
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