Courtesy of the Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (Singapore) comes this week’s cool techno-textile news. The IMRE brain trust has discovered that feeding silk worms a special dye in their food, creates permanently colored luminescent silk (right). Researchers say the technology will reduce the ecological impact of dyeing. Be that as it may and as cool as it is (I’m jealous) the downside is dramatically lengthening your production schedule and complicating your supply chain by an order of magnitude. Or maybe it will only matter at the outset for early adopters.
CSIRO experts think the technology has broader possibilities.
Natalia’s research team envisage creating silk with antibacterial, anticoagulant and anti-inflammatory properties that could be used in wound dressing or even as biomedical frameworks for repairing damaged tissues. Silk wound dressings could also be created that have compounds with monitoring or sensing capabilities.
It is something cool to think about. And if you need something to think about, here’s this week’s archives entry with another 2,000+ in the archives. Hope your week end is spring cheery!
March 11, through March 17, 2005
Tv, blogs, girlie-girls & call of the mall
My new toy
March 11, through March 17, 2006
Yet another fitting “system”
Gap’s continual decline
My kingdom for a tie
Gemba Keiei chapter 14
Field trip to a cotton gin
Reverse engineering standard work pt.9
Legislating fashion protection
Snippets
On reviewing pattern books
March 11, through March 17, 2007
Blogland news 3/12/07
Jews and the garment industry pt.2
How do you grow before you grow?
Pi Day!
What it’s like to exhibit at MAGIC
HR testing in the apparel industry
Apparel industry jobs (recruiters & agencies)
March 11, through March 17, 2008
New: Knit wear pattern making book
Review: Dress Shirt Design
What is a tech pack?
Trip to LA
Report: Moda Manhattan 1/2008
Report: NEAC (New England Apparel Club) show
Fabric Weight and Conversions
My first plot
March 11, through March 17, 2009
How to import fabric without a broker
Trip report -Discovery Trekking
Training Within Industry (TWI) pt.2
CPSIA Protest Rally April 1st in Washington DC
March 11, through March 17, 2010
Hiring a full package sewing contractor pt.1
Pop Quiz: How to shorten a dart?
Pop Quiz: How to shorten a dart? pt.2
That is cool, especially about the medical implications. Why would it legnthen production schedules? Doesn’t it men skipping several steps?
Now that is a really nice idea… How about when I’m old lady wearing silk stockings to deliver anti-inflammatories to my arthritic joints and anti-coagulants to my varicose veins? I’d like them with seams please, if we’re going to be glamorous old ladies we need seams! Can we have fluorescent and seams? Aaah. Old age is looking better already :-).
What a cool idea! Thanks for sharing.