In looking at textile-led design applications, the performance

sportswear sector, for both apparel and equipment, has always been

an early adopter of fibre and textile innovations. The functional clothing

layering system (made up of wicking base, insulating mid, and outer protective layers) has become

increasingly stylish with enhanced functionality through garment

engineering that has incorporated laser cutting, heat bonding, and

the ‘body mapping’ of zones of woven, knitted and nonwoven

textile structures with the addition of coatings, laminates and recent

innovations in integrated smart technologies. However, in contrast to

the refined, lightweight sophistication of man-made products, there is

new emphasis on natural fibres, or those with a natural handle, partly in

response to the cross over between active sports and less extreme urban lifestyle requirements. Jane McCann

has recently been investigating the more technical uses of natural fibres.

The sportswear sector has major sustainability challenges to address associated with the impact of chemicals and carbon footprint on the environment, as well as ethical concerns linked to the global textile and garment production chain. In order to cut down waste both in garment sourcing, and in garment use and end-of-life, there is growing emphasis on the recycling and reuse of manmade fibres as well as a debate around the ‘home-coming’ of production to locations nearer to market. In visiting Techtextil, in Frankfurt, in Spring 2015, I became aware of the importance of the textile sector dedicated to the recycling of natural fibres. In particular, flax fibre, primarily produced in the low countries of northern Europe, it has a relatively positive environmental story in terms of production and low carbon footprint. I discovered that flax fibre, in composite materials, is suitable for a range of applications from sports equipment (surf boards, helmets and tennis racquets) to furniture and automotive components. It was timely for me to become aware of the flax composite sector while curating an exhibition, ‘Linen Futures’, as I had the on-going concern that textiles, associated with craft, continue to be perceived predominantly as a female domain.

My discovery of this sector of flax fibre composite materials, new to a fashion designer, presented an exciting opportunity to begin to raise awareness within the public of the value and scope of wider applications for textile fibres and materials. My investigation into alternative end-uses, beyond the catwalk fashion and elite homeware sectors, has been to draw attention to the fact that textiles are all around us and key to our everyday lives. I began by meeting with the UK based technical fibre expert from the CELC, The European Confederation of Linen and Hemp. Under the brand ‘Masters of Linen’ this trade organisation publishes attractive design-led journals that present the scope for quite varied end-uses of linen and flax that span traditional textiles as well as composite materials. These journals embrace fashion, interiors, furniture, lighting and, most recently, sports equipment.

In addition, the CELC has produced recent literature that communicates a clear message on the relatively positive environmental story associated with flax fibre in terms of its cultivation and processing. They state that, flax fibres are green by nature. But, as a 100% renewable raw material, these sustainable fibres are also perfectly recyclable, biodegradable and

compostable. Furthermore, they are at the same time exceptionally strong yet very lightweight. The CELC tells us that 80% of the world’s flax is grown in a wide coastal band, the low countries,

91. Textifood Exhibition, motorised tricycle 2. Materials from Flaxcomposites

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Flax fibre beyond the catwalk

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1. Nicolas Malaquin, Flaxcomposites 2. Artist Christien Meindertsma’s biodegradable flax composite chair3. Seen at ISPO flax fibre incorporated in Nordica skis10

of Western Europe stretching from the South of Normandy in Northern France, through Belgium and the Netherlands: from Caen to Amsterdam. Flax is recognised as the only plant textile fibre originating in Europe thanks to a unique combination: a natural, damp ocean climate, flax’s low thermal density, a rich soil and the experience of flax growers. My search into this world of composites led me to visit northern France and Holland, to follow up design-led innovation linked to flax fibre.

Nicolas Malaquin, of Flaxcomposites in Tourqoing, near Lille, originally from the linen yarn industry, has recently attracted incubation funding to experiment and perfect composite processing. As reported in a press interview with La Voix du Nord, Nicolas states that “Du Lin, il en veut partout” (For Linen, he wants everything). In showing me his prototypes, Nicolas explained the positive attributes of flax fibre, both from an environmental perspective as well as from the scope for design applications. He showed examples of the encapsulation of woven and printed linens within laminates, the bonding of linen weaves to PLA spacer constructions and linen wovens used in sandwich constructions either side of a cork inner layer. He assured me that the ‘resin’ element of the assembly may be bioplastic, PLA (polylactic acid), a biodegradable thermoplastic aliphatic polyester commonly derived from corn starch. Nicolas’s Flaxcomposite prototypes, developed with industry partners, include potential applications for furniture (a table), the automotive industry (car dash board), sports equipment (a tennis racquet), boats (a catamaran), and lighting.

TextifoodFollowing my visit to the flax composite

incubator unit, Nicolas and I found that flax composite exhibits were included in an exhibition, Textifood, at the Museum of Natural History, Lille. This exhibition, curated by Caroline David, offered an interesting diversion into developments that illustrated the qualities of other little-known fabrics made from fibres from the non-edible bi-products of plant or animal sources, such as citrus fruits, pineapple, banana, coconut, nettle, coffee, rice, soy, corn, beet, flax, lotus, seaweed, mushrooms, wine, beer and shellfish. Textifood, was the most recent of the Futurotextiles exhibitions, it was in response to the theme set for Expo 2015 in Milan ‘Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life’. The exhibition was originally designed by lille3000 for the France/Lille Europe Pavilion, in Milan.

Lille3000 had called on artists, designers and stylists, aware of the need for an intelligent and sustainable use of the planet’s resources, to present creations that incorporated such fibres, often derived from the by-products of crop production. This exhibition featured examples of flax fibre composite materials as; a wall covering, a sports helmet, a baby’s carrycot, a motorised tricycle, and a violin.

Flax chair

In Amsterdam, I followed a lead to recent work by the artist Christien Meindertsma. It was she who previously, in 2009, led the collaborative Flax Project, that involved the design development

of a series of products from locally produced flax, with the process recorded from the sowing of the seed to the manufacture of the end product. One resulting textile, a subtle modern damask, represented a map of the flax fields involved in the cultivation, while woven labels, along the edge of the cloth, acknowledged those involved from cultivation, to processing the fibre to weaving the resulting cloth. Since then Christien has been involved in the development of a biodegradable flax composite chair, working with the Amsterdam based design group Label/Breed. This project was also in cooperation with Enkev, a leading processor of natural (organic) fibres for end-uses that include mattresses, horticulture, automotive, packaging industries, and filtration. The prototype chair is currently exhibited at the Beurs Van Berlage Gallery, situated in the old stock exchange in central Amsterdam, as part of the Berlage, Godfather of Dutch Design exhibition.

Label/Breed is a recent initiative established by the designer Stijn Roodnat and the engineer, Toon Stilma. In sharing a passion for the way things are made, their belief is that the Netherlands manufacturing industry has the ability to create beautiful interior objects with the collaboration of talented designers. Their mission is ‘to create opportunities for Dutch designers and manufacturers to connect, and get the most out of their combined efforts in creating beautifully crafted products.’ They recognise that designers need initial time to immerse themselves within a company to understand the language, culture and processes that will inform them in how to create new approaches to alternative products. Stilma explained that they have selected five designers to bring together with five manufacturers, “so that unique concepts using imaginative and unconventional fabrication processes can find their form”. The collaboration is supported throughout, from the inception of design, until a final, perfect product is realised and released to the public. This is the context within which Christien Miendtertsma has been developing the flax chair.

Flax fibre beyond the catwalk

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111. Materials from Flaxcomposites2. Materials from Composites Evolution

Other collaborations have included a carbon fibre chair made within the aeronautic industry and individual units making up a glazed brick bench made within the brick industry. In terms of flax fibre, the technical jargon associated with quite a different range of materials and processes involved in composite developments can be quite daunting, especially for a designer coming from a traditional fashion and textile background. However, the performance sports sector, often demands that innovators work in a cross-disciplinary team. Label/Breed had indicated that one of the materials involved in the flax chair project was a flax /PLA weave sourced in the UK. In meeting at the international sports industry fair, ISPO, in Munich, Germany, with a representative from Composites Evolution, it was explained to me that Biotex Flax and Biotex Jute reinforcements are lighter than either carbon or glass fibres. Biotex Jute can be used to replace random glass fibre mats, giving a lighter product with equivalent performance and cost, while Biotex Flax can be used to replace the centre layers in a carbon laminate, reducing costs and weight with no reduction in panel bending stiffness.

Future product innovationLabel/Breed’s initiative in adopting design-

led, cross-disciplinary collaboration, bringing together designers with industry leaders, has led to the creation of a new generation of composite materials in innovative product applications. This approach has enabled the sharing of specialist language, skills and expertise that has provided designers with a realistic overview of a breadth of opportunities associated with such materials. I believe that this initial investigation into new uses for flax fibre in composite materials, where prototype development is emerging for end-uses that include furniture, sports equipment, boats, automotive components and musical instruments, has contributed to setting the scene for future product innovation where textile driven design may be perceived to be as relevant a discipline for male as for female practitioners. It is also hoped that lay consumers will become more aware of the value of textiles, that has been eroded through disposable fast fashion, through the emergence of a wider range of innovative and enduring design applications.

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Revology concept chair launches at JEC World

A New Zealand design-tech start-up revealed the design of its first creation, the Revology concept chair at JEC World in early March on its stand and also in the Sustainable Planet area. A reinterpretation of the legendary 1850 bistro chair, it is another example of a chair made out of flax-fibre (tubes) and bio-based materials.

Using composite materials for the chair has the advantage of making it lightweight, versatile and strong, with an elegant design. Revology CEO Alex Guichard, echos Jane’s thoughts: “Composites are used in the aviation industry and luxury sectors, so they tend to be seen as materials that are too technical or inaccessible. With Revology, we want to show that they are also materials that we can introduce into our everyday world. We want to make them attainable for the general public: sustainable design, high-end product but reasonably priced!” Revology uses a flax fibre composite for its strength, mechanical tests having demonstrated its superior mechanical properties and impact resistance. It outperforms fibreglass composites in fatigue tests, and has an impressive strength/weight ratio, with a density that is even better than carbon fibre.