Manufactured Fibers

I was excited for today's lesson in manufactured fibers, because I have just recently decided to study Material Science and Engineering at UC Merced to try and create new, high-tech textiles. The fibers our book focused on were rayon, lyocell, acetate, triacetate, nylon, polyester, olefin, acrylic, modacrylic, spandex, and elastoester. Interestingly enough, the fabrics which are the most common and that I was the most familiar with, were the worst. The one fabric that had no cons listed on the pro and con chart, elastoester, was the one with which I had the most difficult time finding garments. It was also interesting to see how many chemicals go into the process of creating chemical fibers. It leaves me wondering: are synthetic fibers or natural fibers more sustainable? Natural fibers may deplete natural resources and harm animals, but synthtic fibers use chemicals that may be harmful to the environment. The textbook did not touch on this, except for the mention of bamboo acrylic being favored by environmentalists.

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Natural Fibers and Wool Spinning

Yesterday in class we learned a lot about natural fibers. The ones we focused on were wool, silk, cotton, and linen. Wool and silk are called protein fibers because they come from animals. Cotton and linen, on the other hand, are cellulosic fibers because they come from plants. Here are some things we learned about each fiber:

• Wool
• Has lanolin oil, which is used in ointments and cosmetics
• Is the warmest natural fiber
• Comes from sheep and other animals
• Silk
• Is made from the cocoons of silkworms
• The process of harvesting the fiber kills the worm
• The color and quality of the silk can be varied based on the worm's diet
• Is lustrous and comfortable in a range of temperatures 
• Cotton
• Is relatively inexpensive
• Is used for warmer temperatures because it's absorbent and breathable 
• Is a plant fiber, coming specifically from the seed
• Linen
• The coolest natural fiber
• More absorbent than cotton, and considered more luxerious
• Wrinkles easily
• Comes from flax and is a "bast" fiber

We also had the opportunity to spin our own yarn out of wool fibers, which was a fun activity. By had, it took quite a bit of time to make just one foot of two-ply yarn! It was also difficult to keep the consistency the same throughout the yarn. Mine ended up lumpy in some parts and thin in others! It was cool how after handling the wool, all of our hands felt soft from the lanolin. 

Natural Wool Fiber, source

Denim Essentials: Review

For our blog today, we looked at this list of denim essentials by fashionista. It featured a range of prices and styles, for different garments made of denim. However, they were mainly selected for fashionista's target audience, which are young women, perhaps in their twenties and early thirties, not quite for teens. Therefore, most of the pieces didn't really appeal to me, mostly because they were significantly out of my budget, or a little more mature than I would wear on the everyday. However, I liked the pieces from certain brands, like TopShop and some higher-end designers. Structured silhouettes, embellishments, and a reworked look were definitely trends. It's not hard to tell that the thrifted denim look is what's most desirable. This is awesome, because thrift stores are filled with quality denim that just needs a creative mind to change it into something beautiful. I hope that shoppers are inspired by these trends to try shopping thrifted denim, or that the trend of high end brands "reworking" vintage denim into more modern shapes continues to grow. Here were some of my favorites from the spread:

http://fashionista.com/2017/04/shop-spring-denim-clothing-shorts-jackets-2017#&gid=ci0206eb87700026b7&pid=denim-jackets-1

http://fashionista.com/2017/04/shop-spring-denim-clothing-shorts-jackets-2017#&gid=ci0206eb54300026b7&pid=denim-overalls-5

Critical Thinking in Fashion

Critical thinking is defined on dictionary.com to be "disciplined thinking that is clear, rational, open-minded, and informed by evidence." So what does this have to do with fashion? Fashion design is considered to be creative, not logical. However, critical thinking is necessary in the fashion industry to bridge the gap between art and practicality. Designers, and anyone in the fashion industry, must balance they're creative art with the logistics, pricing, and efficiency of production. They must take into account that more seams are more expensive, and whether or not this expense is practical or harmful. They also must balance their own creative output with what the market actually wants. Even though art is a form of personal expression, it still has to be marketable. 

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