Fabric Shopping!

Okay I'm a little late in posting up my Fabric's from sample collecting, but I've been moving house and not had the internet until now... But as they say - Better Late Than Never.

Having never really gone sample collecting before design development or research development - it was really useful for me to do so this time round. With my fabrics in mind, I will now have a clearer picture, and a broader mind scope when it comes to my design development. I went fabric shopping with the colours and textures already set out in my head (See Previous Post) but I ended up changing my colour palette completely to Icey & Rich Blues, Silver Greys & Pale Golds - Colours that didn't really cross my mind before I found these incredible samples. Anyway... Here They Are!

First Up - The Cloth House:

Dove Grey/Teal Blue Neoprene = £23 p/m - 150cm Width

Midnight Blue Silk Velvet = £30 p/m

Deep Black Viscose Velvet = £28 p/m

Royal Blue Moleskin = £16 p/m - 150cm Width

The Berwick Cloth Shop:

Silver Grey Viscose Velvet = £25 p/m - 140cm Width

Sea Blue Moiré Cotton = £32.50 p/m

Silver Grey Chiffon = £25 p/m - 135cm Width

The Silk Society:

Biscuit Gold Silk = £69 p/m - 140cm Width

Rich Gold Silk = £11.95p/m - 112cm Width

Metallic Gold Weaved Organza = £12.95 p/m - 115cm Width

The Textile King:

Royal Blue Tonic (Wool & Viscose) = £30 p/m - 150cm Width

Navy Blue Lining = £4.50 p/m - 150cm Width

And Last But By No Means Least - Borovick's Fabric:

Brown Leather = £4 p/square m

I now have a solid idea on what my colour story is... Yay!

(More Information To Follow)

Concept, Textures & Colours

Right, so I had to come up with an initial concept for the collection. I've included the images I posted in my inspiration section, as well as adding some work from a designer I recently found whilst on a rummage to see what designers have used metals - And I came across the genius that is Manuel Albarran - I'll post up some images of his work a bit later on - But first...

CONCEPT BOARD:

I Call It: GUARDIANS OF THE FALLEN EARTH

Dirty pastel colours meet dulled metallic hues with accents of deep, heavy blacks to create a dark and sinister feel to these holy protectors.

TEXTURE & COLOUR BOARD:

Textures include metals, leather, silk, satin, feathers and velvet to create a heavy, yet feminine feel.

Fabric Research

Okay - So www.net-a-porter.com seems to be the only website selling Kane's clothing... An astonishing amount too... Wait for it... A whole 10 items!

> 6 Viscose T-shirts

> 2 Silk Dresses

> 1 Leather jacket

> 1 Silk Jacket

Thrilling.

Let's start with a Viscose T-shirt:

95% Viscose - 5% Lycra

Viscose

Viscose is a viscous organic liquid used to make rayon and cellophane. Viscose is becoming synonymous with rayon, a soft material commonly used in shirt, coats, jackets, and other outer wear.

Dissolving pulp from wood or cotton fibres is treated with sodium hydroxide, then mixed with carbon disulfide to form cellulose xanthate, which is dissolved in more sodium hydroxide. The resulting viscose is extruded into an acid bath, either through a slit to make cellophane, or through a spinneret to make rayon. The acid converts the viscose back into cellulose.

Viscose Under a Microscope

Lycra

Spandex, Lycra or elastane, is a synthetic fibre known for its exceptional elasticity. It is stronger and more durable than rubber, its major non-synthetic competitor. It is a polyurethane-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1959 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia. When first introduced, it revolutionized many areas of the clothing industry. Spandex is not derived from the chemical name of the fibre, as are most manufactured fibres; but an anagram of the word expands. Spandex is the preferred name in North America; in many European countries it is referred to as "elastane".

Spandex fibres are produced in four different ways, including melt extrusion, reaction spinning, solution dry spinning, and solution wet spinning. All of these methods include the initial step of reacting monomers to produce a prepolymer. Once the prepolymer is formed, it is reacted further in various ways and drawn out to produce a long fibre. The solution dry spinning method is used to produce over 94.5% of the world's spandex fibres.

Apparel and clothing articles where stretch is desired, generally for comfort and fit, such as:

• athletic, aerobic, and exercise apparel

• wetsuits

• swimsuits/bathing suits

• competitive swimwear

• netball bodysuits

• bra straps and side panels

• ski pants

• disco jeans

• gloves

• slacks

• hosiery

• leggings

• socks

• diapers

• skinny jeans

• belts

• underwear

• zentai

• dance belts worn by male ballet dancers and others.

Spandex Under a Microscope

Next Up Is A Silk Dress:

Silk

Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from cocoons made by the larvaeof the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity (sericulture). The shimmering appearance of silk is due to the triangular prism-like structure of the silk fiber which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles thus producing different colors.

Silks are produced by several other insects, but only the silk of moth caterpillars has been used for textile manufacture. There has been some research into other silks, which differ at the molecular level. Silks are mainly produced by the larvae of insects that complete metamorphosis, but also by some adult insects such as webspinners. Silk production is especially common in the Hymenoptera (bees, wasps, and ants), and is sometimes used in nest construction. Other types of arthropod produce silk, most notably various arachnids such as spiders (see spider silk).

Physical properties

Silk fibers from the Bombyx mori silkworm have a triangular cross section with rounded corners, 5-10 μm wide. The fibroin-heavy chain is composed mostly of beta-sheets, due to a 59-mer aminoacid repeat sequence GAGAGSGAAG[SGAGAG]₈Y with some variations. The flat surfaces of the fibrils reflect light at many angles, giving silk a natural shine. The cross-section from other silkworms can vary in shape and diameter: crescent-like for Anaphe and elongated wedge for tussah. Silkworm fibers are naturally extruded from two silkworm glands as a pair of primary filaments (brin) which are stuck together, with sericin proteins acting like glue, to form a bave. Bave diameters for tussah silk can reach 65 μm. See cited reference for cross-sectional SEM photographs.^[15]

Silk has a smooth, soft texture that is not slippery, unlike many synthetic fibers. Its denier is 4.5 g/d when dry and 2.8-4.0 g/d when moist.

Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers but loses up to 20% of its strength when wet. It has a good moisture regain of 11%. Itselasticity is moderate to poor: if elongated even a small amount, it remains stretched. It can be weakened if exposed to too much sunlight. It may also be attacked by insects, especially if left dirty.

Silk is a poor conductor of electricity and thus susceptible to static cling.

Unwashed silk chiffon may shrink up to 8% due to a relaxation of the fiber macrostructure. So silk should either be pre-washed prior to garment construction, or dry cleaned. Dry cleaningmay still shrink the chiffon up to 4%. Occasionally, this shrinkage can be reversed by a gentle steaming with a press cloth. There is almost no gradual shrinkage nor shrinkage due to molecular-level deformation.

Chemical properties

Silk is made up of the amino acids Gly-Ser-Gly-Ala and forms Beta pleated sheets. H-bonds form between chains, and side chains form above and below the plane of the H-bond network.

The high proportion (50%) of glycine, which is a small amino acid, allows tight packing and the fibers are strong and resistant to stretching. The tensile strength is due to the many interseeded hydrogen bonds. Since the protein forms a Beta sheet, when stretched the force is applied to these strong bonds and they do not break.

Silk is resistant to most mineral acids, except for sulfuric acid which dissolves it. It is yellowed by perspiration.

Uses

Silk's good absorbency makes it comfortable to wear in warm weather

and while active. Its low conductivity keeps warm air close to the skin during cold weather. It is often used for clothing such as shirts, ties, blouses, formal dresses, high fashion clothes, negligees, pyjamas, robes, skirtsuits, sun dresses and kimonos.

Silk's elegant, soft luster and beautiful drape makes it perfect for many furnishing applications. It is used for upholstery, wall coverings, window treatments (if blended with another fiber), rugs, bedding and wall hangings.

While on the decline now, due to artificial fibers, silk has had many industrial and commercial uses; parachutes, bicycle tires, comforter filling andartillery gunpowder bags.

From the blackpowder era, until roughly World War I, early bulletproof vests were made from silk.

A special manufacturing process which removes the outer irritant sericin coating of the silk makes it suitable as non-absorbable surgical sutures. This process has also recently led to the introduction of specialist silk underclothing for children and adults with eczema where it can significantly reduce itch.

Silk cloth is also used as a material on which to write and paint.

Silk Under a Microscope

Wait - Am I studying

Fashion? Or Chemistry? Either Or, It's still quite fascinating.