Refinity - circular textile product design - tips, tools & inspiration
  • Blog
  • Projects
  • Books
  • Materials
  • Techniques
  • About

Fluffy rocks and growing textiles

4/4/2022

 
It has been a while since I wrote a blog. I was caught up in daily life. I thought I was self-aware and mindfull, working in this sustainability industry. But it turned out I was still running the ratrace of project- and family-goals like many others. And one day I woke up realising I made a multiple years plan for myself with the idea of being in control, but the universe decided otherwise and turned my life upside down. I needed time to take a breath and reflect on my place in the world. Letting go of the idea that I was in control and trusting the universe again. My creativity, gardening, yoga and walking in nature helped me heal again.

And it took me a while to realise I already found my meaning of life during my art academy time only lost it out of sight along the way. In 2005, my first year at the School of Arts in Utrecht, the teachers asked us to make a prognose of what might be important in 2009, the year we would graduate.

Picture
My team in 2005 came up with sustainability, natural materials, slowing down to natures rhythm, eating healthy, having fun and craftsmanship. From that prognose I developed a cress-suit and placed it in toxic environments like the meat-, sugar- and fastfood-industry.
And the year I graduated? 2009...I set up Refinity, a consultancy that helped designers to make eco-effective choices (thinking about the effect on the environment) by brainstorming and sourcing all sorts of flexible materials. Fits pretty well in the prognose don't you think?

After all these years we (the textile sector) have set good steps towards using organic fabrics, recycling and wearing secondhand clothing. It is getting mainstream. Hooray!

Now I think it is time to pay attention to local (natural waste stream) materials, slow down, adjusting to the pace of nature and minimalism. And that inspired me to make " fluffy rocks and growing textiles"
Can we live in harmony with nature? A more balanced live? The best of both worlds natural and artificial combined in our cultures.
  • Are we taking the time for living yet speeding up sustainability?
  • Can we be soft (feminine) and hard(masculine) at the same time?
  • Do we make products that are strong yet do not last eternally but biodegrade?
  • Can we source knowledge globally while using materials locally?
  • Is adapting a solution to the local needs possible?

These considerations inspired me to make the work of fluffy rocks and growing textiles. [Click for more photos]

Here is some more inspiration about growing textiles [30 minutes]:
Barcelona's fabricademy experimented with growing grass dress, algae shoes and kombucha textiles in 2020.
* I couldn't source back the artists of the shoes and table in my prognose picture from 2005. If you know from who they are let me know, because I always want to do right by the artist who inspired me.

Mindset changing books on design, sustainability and minimalism

23/8/2020

 
Picture
In the past 12 years I read a lot about sustainability, design and fashion. I have put my most insightful books on a row. Books from many years ago, as I believe that some insights from the past might still bring us a vital future. Time to make it yourself comfortable on the couch or in the garden with a book. Here are the books that changed my mindset on design, sustainability and minimalism.

Read More

The future of fashion is digital

20/5/2020

 
Afbeelding van iZer0 via Pixabay
Afbeelding van iZer0 via Pixabay
​Have you heard of Virtual Reality? Smart production and Big Data? Ever questioned which ‘skin’ you should wear in the game you are playing or considered which digital outfit you would wear on Instagram? Did you ever do a 3D full body scan?
Welcome in the digital age, which is also indispensable integrated in the fashion industry. Maybe it all seems still very futuristic and elusive, but digitalisation is intertwined with daily life already and has far-reaching consequences for how we think, act, work, consume and create. Certain developments do not only automate production processes but could potentially play a role in making the fashion industry more sustainable. And that is where we caught your attention! My colleague at MVO Nederland Maartje Janse listed the developments.

Read More

It makes little sense to recycle a jacket: this is how we close the textile loop

24/3/2020

 
Curtains, bedlinen, pillow sheets, clothing, these are some examples of textile products that are produced to use and then thrown away. Makes sense, factories work in a linear system – a colbert is often not designed to recycle. After use it ends up on a pile of textiles. A pile that will be burned so it at least generates energy. I – and with me more textile companies – am convinced we can do better. We are able to reuse materials. And we can make the linear system into a circular one. With these five possibilities we close the textile loop.
Picture

Read More

How to tackle textile over-consumption? Interview with SKFK

18/10/2019

 
Picture
​The circular closet: A game changer for fashion in the future. What is it? How is it different from a normal garment collection? And which struggles did you have to overcome? I interviewed Jon Curutchet, Head of Supply Chain & Sustainability at SKFK (Skunkfunk) about their recently launched rental service.

Read More

Living and healing materials

8/5/2019

 
Picture
Suzanne Lee - Bio Couture, Photo from The Next Black film produced by AEG
Last article I wrote was about repairing textiles. Today I would like to tell you more about how nature repairs and how the textile industry mimics nature, also called Biomimicry. (Read the book from Janine Benyus for more information)

Read More

Making repair sexy again

4/10/2018

 
Picture
Sashiko Denim repair
Repairing textiles, why don’t we do it? It might have to do with our perception of perfection and the image of repairing. What is nature's way to repair? And if you want to repair, how do you do it?

Read More

Design for disassembly haberdashery

4/8/2018

 
Picture
When designing for disassembly in the textile sector there are multiple challenges. For example yarn blends that make separation of the fibres difficult, coatings and haberdashery. This time I would like to share with you some alternatives for haberdashery.

Read More

3D textile printing

27/6/2018

 
Picture
Fabricate
3d printing of textiles is such an interesting topic! I wrote about it earlier, to tell you what needs to be done to make 3D printing suitable for a circular economy. Now I found even more examples of interesting 3Dprint innovations that I would like to share with you.

Imagine if these were made of plastic from renewable materials and could be recycled again!

If you are looking for a 3D printer, take a look at the Creality 3D Ender 3 PRO (FDM Technology) I have not tested it myself, but they have good reviews. I have worked on the Ultimaker original for creating 3D textiles, but that one is a bit more expensive.

Enjoy and get inspired!
3D print solar cells
Axios armor
Fergal Coulter
Closing mechanism
Danit Peleg
Fabricate
Flexible door opening
Flexible metal
Digits2Widgets
Maria Mora-Sanchez
Mark Beecroft and Laura McPherson
Pringle of Scotland

Searching for the New Luxury, State of fashion 2018

10/5/2018

1 Comment

 
Picture
In the past two years I am regularly practicing mindfulness. This gave me new insights and doubts about the fashion industry. I will tell you my brain waves in this article and at the same time explain you more about ‘the state of fashion 2018’ which is a project that will start the 1st of June.

Read More
1 Comment
<<Previous
    You want to receive new posts in your mailbox?

    Categories

    All
    Business Models
    Customer Needs
    Design Methods & Tools
    Materials
    Techniques

    Click here for techniques

    RSS Feed

    privacyverklaring-refinity.pdf
    File Size: 75 kb
    File Type: pdf
    Download File

Foto