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Pitch a tent in a boat
May 18th, 2017
Raptor Boats Platform XL combines a boat and a tent, providing anglers with shelter from the elements. The boat is designed for a two-person tent, but the Platform XL features 15 D-rings to accommodate a range of tents or bivouac sacks. The platform is constructed of four inflatable air decks that form the boat’s base. Eight […]
Largest technical textiles market predicted to be the Asia-Pacific
May 17th, 2017
Future Market Insights' recent report on the global technical textiles market predicts that the Asia-Pacific region will be the world's largest market for technical textiles during the forecast period, 2017–2027. The report values the global technical textiles market at nearly $166 billion and anticipates the value to reach $260.3 billion by the end of 2027. The report also states that the […]
Cordura and Südwolle to develop performance wool yarns
May 16th, 2017
Functional fabric developer Cordura, owned by polymer fiber manufacturer Invista, will collaborate with Südwolle Group to create yarns that blend its nylon 6.6 fibers with wool, including a yarn that incorporates Merino wool. The yarns will be available in a range of counts and styles, and are designed to offer enhanced abrasion resistance, as well […]
Plastic debris spun into adidas running shoes
May 15th, 2017
Adidas and Parley for the Oceans are turning plastic debris into performance footwear as part of a two-year partnership. Parley for the Oceans is an organization dedicated to bringing creatives together to help end the pollution of our oceans. The new UltraBOOST running shoes will repurpose an average of 11 found plastic bottles per pair […]
HeiQ Fresh NKU tackles VOCs
May 12th, 2017
HeiQ’s founding story involves hiking through the Swiss Alps, smelly tech-shirts and unhappy girlfriends. Since then, HeiQ has focused on odor control In textiles. The company’s latest product, HeiQ Fresh NKU, is meant to capture and transform volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The compnay says that the working principle of the technology behind HeiQ Fresh NKU […]
Wear Sustain calls for efficient wearables
May 11th, 2017
Wear Sustain, a collaboration among seven European organizations, is offering funding for teams of creatives and technologists to develop the next generation of sustainable wearables and e-textile ideas. The wearable technology project seeks applications from teams of art, design, technology or engineering practitioners and businesses to co-develop compelling, ethical, innovative and sustainable solutions for wearable […]
On a larger scale
May 9th, 2017
Keeping a person warm, cooled and therefore safe in extreme environmental conditions is no small matter. I speak from personal experience, as I have a lake cabin in northern Minnesota. The temperature has been known to hit -40°F. Don’t even think about the wind chill index at that temperature. Of course, I don’t think about […]
Shape-shifting “smart” sofa reconfigures itself
May 9th, 2017
The latest version of a shape-shifting sofa called Lift-Bit was unveiled recently at Milan Design Week 2017. Lift-Bit is a collection of individual upholstered stools that can be assembled as a sofa. Motion-tracking sensors allow each segment of the sofa to be controlled—to turn the sofa into a bed, chaise lounge, group of armchairs or […]
GOTS-certified facilities increase in 2016
May 9th, 2017
In 2016, the number of facilities certified to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) increased by 21 percent for a total of 4,624. GOTS-certified facilities are now located in 63 countries around the world. (They were located in 68 countries in 2015.) GOTS certification covers the processing of organic fibers along the supply chain, from […]
Let your shoes find your way
May 9th, 2017
Dominic Wilcox has created functional GPS shoes that promise to guide the wearer to any destination, anywhere in the world. A Global Footprint project in Northamptonshire, U.K., an area famous for shoe making, commissioned Wilcox to create a pair of shoes. As he sketched his way to coming up with a design, he was inspired […]