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Van Hoff’s career as a textile artist began in early 2020 after a series of shocking life events pointed her in a new direction. Her husband Matt died unexpectedly in January, and then the pandemic cost her her job as a graphic designer and art director. To process her grief, Van Hoff turned to art, experimenting with new techniques that applied her graphic design background to physical objects. The things she made to fill her time during quarantine resonated with her followers on Instagram, and now, over two years later, her pieces sell out practically as soon as they’re posted online.

“Quilting and embroidery are my current tools of choice to execute my dreams of physical, tactile graphic design,” Van Hoff says. “This combination results in fresh and unexpected forms that will shine in your home and get you all the compliments as you wear them out into the world.”

Van Hoff’s “squiggle quilts” are her most popular works, ranging from 18 to 30 inches wide and up to 40 inches tall. Not only do they bring a graphic punch of color to any room they’re in — they also have a textural element that adds a little bit of extra visual interest. Stuffed pillows in surprising shapes like eight-pointed stars and “noodles” are also big hits. Van Hoff applies her skills to wearable art, too, producing items like quilted dresses, tote bags, and giant patches to customize your favorite garments.

“One of my favorite things is finding the absolute perfect piece that fully expresses the personality I want for my home and wardrobe,” she explains. “It’s exceedingly rare, but when I do stumble across that perfect thing, it’s like meeting a brand new bff. That’s why I make what I make: to provide you that thrill of discovery.”

A recent residency at the Pendry Chicago boutique hotel produced an intriguing variation on Van Hoff’s signature style. The artist drew inspiration from the Art Deco architecture of the landmark Carbon & Carbide building where the hotel is located, producing a new wall hanging in a nuanced palette of green and gold fabric.

“This is the first event where people are able to see my work in person, which is very exciting,” Van Hoff told Chicago’s ABC 13 News. “I wanted to figure out how to incorporate some Art Deco details of the building into my designs and into my quilting.”

Van Hoff’s success is part of a larger trend celebrating traditional arts and crafts. The tufted rug TikTok craze and techniques like quilting and embroidery offer new ways for young people to express their creativity.

“I do think that sewing and quilting are having a bit of a comeback right now,” she says. “I think we’re all sort of drawn to very tactile, textural things in our digital world.”

Check Emily Van Hoff’s website regularly to catch new items as soon as they hit the shop, or follow her on Instagram @emilyvanhoff.

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The new textile and wall-covering collection from designer Catherine Martin is just the latest reminder of Presley’s continuing influence. Dubbed the “Royal Menagerie,” the collection was made for the luxe brand Mokum, itself a division of James Dunlop Textiles.

The set designer for the new movie Elvis, Martin’s vision is a sumptuous and gloriously maximalist exploration of plush, bold fabrics and eye-popping patterns — the height of 1970s opulence. The designs capture signature sights from Elvis’ world-famous Graceland home in Memphis and reimagine the lavish suite he occupied during his famed Las Vegas residency in 1969 at what was formerly the largest hotel/casino in the world, the International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton).

Upon seeing the Royal Menagerie, one can almost imagine him lounging amidst its velvety landscapes, with or without his blue suede shoes. Dominated by bold, bright botanicals and immersive patterns that even Elvis himself wouldn’t sneer at, Martin’s vision is full of depth and delightfully 1970s grandeur that is as showy and complex as Presley was himself, both as a performer and as a mainstay of the American cultural consciousness.

Of course, the designs were not only inspired by Elvis’ palatial home and Las Vegas suite. They also pay tribute to the king’s penchant for audacious, fashion-forward prints that defined his on-stage persona as much as his smooth, silky voice and gyrating hips. The “Panthera” pattern in particular, with its leopard print amidst a deep gold backdrop, is a chic homage to Presley’s distinctive duds.

Meanwhile, Graceland looms large as its colorful, stained-glass peacock windows are playfully evoked by “Royal Peacock” — fabrics and wallpaper prints dominated by green jungle hues. And don’t forget the ever-present deep shag carpeting, another iconic mainstay at Graceland.

Deep hues offset the rich textures of the fabrics and textiles, but the star of the show is definitely the plush patterns, which are pure Presley. As Martin, “a child of the 70s,” herself recently noted, “I have an affinity for pattern.” Indeed, just one look at the over-the top pieces featured in this collection is enough to satisfy any Elvis fan’s wildest dreams.

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Stefano Pilati, former Yves Saint Laurent lead designer and founder of fashion brand Random Identities, teamed up with Pinto Design chair and co-artistic director Fahad Hariri to produce two striking pieces that use textiles to create voluminous forms that stand on their own as sculpture, but also cradle the body in ergonomic comfort.

The collaboration began with Pilati’s attempts to solve an interior design puzzle of his own. When he moved from Berlin to Sicily at the start of the pandemic in 2020, he purchased an 18th-century villa with proportions far too grand for the furniture he owned at the time.

“Everything looked tiny, the volumes overwhelmed any object to the point that I preferred nothing more than something that didn’t fit,” he says. “Then I put a carpet on the side of the sofa and after I put it on the chair. It was quite simple, but very effective. What I liked [was that] it was a material that was quite rigid, was that you could mold it, and everything became quite sculptural.”

Already a fan of Pilati from his days with Yves Saint Laurent, Hariri reached out through a mutual friend and visited Pilati’s Italian home. He found the experimental draping of the straw and water hyacinth rugs on sofas and rattan armchairs a revelation. The duo worked together to adapt the concept into a reproducible piece for Pinto Design, alongside a sofa drawn from Pilati’s origami-like way of folding the fabrics that wrap his own furniture.

The use of rugs and semi-rigid materials sculpturally transforms the basic shapes of a chair and sofa, maintaining their original functions while making them visually larger in selective ways. The sand-colored “Dune” sofa consists of rounded forms, with the fabric stretched tightly across the seat and back. The outward-tilting arms, however, have an extra bit of draping that gives them an interesting silhouette. Oversized at 350 x 135 x 96 cm, the sofa features a beechwood and solid oak base, high resilience foam padding, and coil springs. The upholstery is a cotton, linen, viscose, and silk blend called “Shanghai” from heritage French textile house Maison Pierre Frey.

The “Sculpture” armchair is molded on Pilati’s own chair using the art of lost-wax bronze casting, a technique used by sculptors like Auguste Rodin. The result is more rigid than it looks, and (crucially) durable. Pilati and Hariri envision the collection as multipurpose for either indoor or outdoor spaces. The chair will be produced in a run of 8 for 45,000 each, and the sofa will be produced in a run of 30 for 65,000. Both will be available exclusively through Pinto Design.

“I agreed to this project because I find industrial and artisanal design generally inspiring,” Pilati told WWD. “It is possible to find some affinities across the industrial aspect of fashion design where it becomes necessary to recall the physics, gravity, proportions, and tensions shared between elements and surfaces. Upholstery, as a craft, is something a fashion designer can understand with a certain familiarity, I believe.”

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Metallics

Designers are mad about metallics again, perhaps craving the flair and excitement lacking in most of our lives during the pandemic. Silvers, golds, and many other shiny hues were embraced in collections like Fendi’s, which featured a a green-and-gold evening gown with a pattern reminiscent of a cracked dinosaur egg. Similarly, Giambattista Valli softened a silver sheath dress with a fluffy pink boa, and Balenciaga draped Nicole Kidman in what looks like it could have been a giant astronaut tarp.

Flowers

Flowers and floral trends were equally big. Dior showcased traditional Ukrainian peasant flower motifs on one dress to show solidarity with the besieged country. Chanel featured a retro pattern with daisies in mint and pastel pink. Rahul Mishra placed giant orange poppies on oversized sleeves. And plenty of designers combined floral themes with metallics, like Elie Saab, who dropped an enormous silver rose on the shoulder of a sleek evening gown, and Schiaparelli, who adorned a gold-stranded bodice and skirt with lily and posy epaulets.

Oversized Jackets

With their models swimming in ridiculously oversized jackets, perhaps some designers were hinting at their pandemic-induced feelings of wanting to hide from the outside world. Or maybe it’s a tribute to the sense of being dwarfed by our circumstances. Viktor & Rolf created an entire collection of suits and dresses with shoulder lines twice their normal size, and Fendi sported a tan overcoat and pant suit that comfortably hid the figure all the way to the ground. Maison Margiela also debuted a sleeveless, metallic trench coat that’s narrowest point started at the shoulders.

Organic Shapes

Several designers played around with amorphous shapes, revealing a need to think outside the box of quarantining. For example, Iris Van Herpen created an angel-esque form out of wisps of white-to-teal strings. And Rahul Mishra crafted a bush-like drape composed of delicate metallic ivy and flowers.

Chunky Platform Shoes

Models from almost every designer strolled the catwalk in extra-chunky, sometimes geometric, platform footwear. Gaultier’s cone-breasted pregnant figures wore combat style boots with five-inch silver soles, while Stéphane Rolland put one of his models in candy-apple red, hourglass-shaped platform heels (and hot dog earrings).

Whites

Many designers included an all-white getup of some sort, perhaps a nod to the fresh start we have all sought after the past few years. Chanel created a chiffon tent with wispy black feathers, while Giambattista sent a model out in a 1950’s-style full white skirt and tailored ivory blouse.

While you aren’t likely to see these fashion artworks on the street anytime soon, there is a good chance this fall and winter’s wearables will feature hints and elements of this year’s Paris Fashion Week trends.

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What do these seemingly incongruous things all have in common? They all describe the magic and wonder of artist Eric Rieger, aka HOTTEA, and his use of a nearly endless gathering of strings to create epic art installations that appear to “have a mind of their own,” according to My Modern Met.

A location-specific endeavor usually influenced by HOTTEA’s own personal experiences and connections with places, people, and time, the individual strands become larger than the sum of their parts when deliberately placed for maximum impact — a sensory overload that’s both visual and tactile, and a living embodiment of gloriously rainbow-hued complexities come to life.

Rieger is certainly no stranger to colorful yarn installations that mesmerize viewers with their vastness and statement-making colors. One only needs to check out his “Letting Go” or “Hot Lunch” installations, both prime examples of his willingness to expand perceptions using only yarn. Best known for both outdoor and indoor yarn pieces that are as grandiose as they are impactful, the Minneapolis-based artist has branched out from his Minnesota roots with his latest project entitled Strangers, located in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

A reflection of the people he met while creating the installation and his experiences in Brazil, the vast 100-foot-long, 30-foot wide piece is meant to incorporate both memory and a sense of belonging. As the artist himself has said, “The word ‘Stranger’ often times has a negative connotation, [and so] I titled this installation Strangers because I liked the idea of referring to a stranger as a positive thing.”

It seems the artist’s kaleidoscopic Brazilian installation is just the beginning for additional projects that see him creating further cascades of colors across the U.S., with locations including Los Angeles, New York City, and Far Rockaway, New York, in addition to a collaboration for a fashion show and new project in his Twin City home base.

Exploring human relationships, memory, and life experiences, the saturated hues and the ethereal beauty of HOTTEA’s yarn installations are not only visual cornucopias of color, but also tactile treats that seem to breathe with a life of their own. Often consisting of (literal) miles of brightly-hued yarn strands that are delightfully cartoonish in scope, the artist’s latest installation, entitled “Stranger,” further exemplifies his talent for manipulating textiles into full-blown multisensory experiences.

To see more, check out HOTTEA’s Instagram @hotxtea

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The Canadian designer spent almost a year researching innovative and sustainable alternatives for the glass industry. She also experimented with fiberglass (a material traditionally used as a composite with casted plastic for various applications) by melting it in the ultra-high heat of a kiln. As the glass reached a soft state, Roseman manipulated it into intricate shapes and patterns, including lattice, lace, and honeycombs.

“The resulting material shows the movement of the melting of glass and carries surprising tactility that shows textile in a new way,” explains Roseman, a recent graduate of Design Academy Eindhoven in the Netherlands. “This glass work technique is a dialogue between the textile and the kiln, as both parts of the process can be adjusted in order to achieve different results.”

She played around with those techniques by letting the glass drip and slump in different positions before fusing pieces together.

“Glass is a dynamic material, and the technique of slumping allows delicate control over the movement of its molten state,” she adds. “The beauty of working with glass in this intricate way is the ability to see the melting material caught in midair, creating a material that can look like it is suspended in time.”

Submitting her project to Dutch Design Week 2021, Roseman produced a collection of pieces, highlighting the many possible variations of her “Soft Silica” material. One twisted tube looks convincingly like it’s made of woven string and flexible mesh fabric, while another mimics the tiny pattern of medical gauze. Others are spaghetti-like layered masses and gloopy stacks of loops.

“The challenges lie in the dialogue between the knitting process and the kiln, as both influence the end result,” Roseman notes, adding that “throughout my research, I have learned to think from both perspectives to achieve optimal results.”

The artist’s translucent sage green tapestries and sculptural handiwork were one of 60 projects on display at last year’s Dutch Design Week as part of the Isola Talent Factory exhibit. The cutting-edge event offers a look at “the design of the future and the future of design” each year, with an emphasis on innovation, experiment, and cross-overs. New, young talent like Roseman is particularly sought after at Dutch Design Week.

One exciting application of Roseman’s soft silica is the ability to run copper wiring through the complex glass pieces while they’re still flexible, making it possible to turn the material into lamps or other electrically-powered items. Roseman successfully inserted fine wire into the glass at all sorts of angles and shapes.

“The electricity can run directly through the material to power multiple light sources, which opens up the possibility of creating intricate wiring systems integrated directly into an object,” she says. She intends to continue her experimentation with soft silica as she begins her career as a designer and materials researcher.

More of Roseman’s work can be found on her Facebook page and Instagram account.

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Lofty ambitions indeed — and the collab definitely does not disappoint. With their 3D honeycombed splendor, these pieces catch the eye and play tricks on the mind. FLOW also has a distinctively vintage appeal to it — think 70s macrame wall hangings with a touch of modern flair. The result is a set of functionally fabulous pieces that make for some of the most dazzling art/decor mashups we’ve seen this year.

Handmade in Denmark using 100-percent upcycled cotton, the pieces’ intricate designs deceptively mask their durability and overall simplicity. They represent “an honest attempt to create zero-waste design that takes into account the environment, aesthetics, and function,” according to Søndergaard and von Guenther. They change their shape and dimension based on the viewer’s perception. A winning combo of technique, style, and sustainability, the FLOW Collection is both earthy and sophisticated, elevated and approachable.

With an eye toward creating tangible yet ephemeral decor that’s as sustainable as it is stylish, the FLOW Collection from applicata and Sheworks Atelier’s Martha von Guenther and Solveig Søndergaard is a playfully sophisticated duo of upcycled perfection and ambitious 3D elements. Haute honeycombed shapes pair with earthy, warm hues that are a veritable Magic Eye of design — the more you look, the more you see.

Shop the FLOW Collection online.

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As you might imagine, having access to Pierre Frey’s full catalog of textiles for your own use is a decorator’s dream come true, and the Freys have taken advantage of that ability both in their primary home in Paris and their country home in the Luberon area of Provence.

Elle Decor got a peek into the Freys’ picturesque Luberon home, a stone farmhouse representing a pinnacle of French countryside style. Centuries old, the house previously belonged to Patrick’s parents, and its most notable feature is its original jagged stacked stone walls accented by a clay tile roof.

With all of its texture, character, and sense of history, the stone sets the mood for the home, contrasting with smooth white plaster throughout the interiors. Updating the decor to their own tastes, the Freys wanted to celebrate traditional Provence colors and textures while integrating a touch of modern minimalism.

The couple maintained the rustic character of the house, leaving the stone walls intact and preserving the original floor plan of small rooms. “You have to keep in mind that this house is a maison paysanne at its core — it was a farm in the beginning,” Lorraine says, adding: “I believe that houses should preserve their true history and should remain in their simplicity.”

Pierre Frey textiles bring color, print, and texture to the interiors through curtains and upholstered furniture. A sitting room nestled beneath an original vaulted stone ceiling is awash in soothing neutrals, while the living room features pops of vibrant green. The overall effect is that of harmony and subtlety — and one that avoids too much contrast.

“I only used linen, cotton, piqué — things that are very natural,” Patrick explains. “We played very much with the color, using old hues, to preserve as much of the charm as we could. The same goes for the ceramics, which are painted and rustic. Taken together, it’s all meant to feel a little outside of time.”

Meanwhile, the Frey’s city home in the 6th arrondissement of Paris captures a slightly different feeling, albeit no less harmonious. Saturated jewel tones and eclectic patterns play against the elegance of that apartment’s original millwork. Objects from the couple’s travels are mixed with antiques curated by Patrick’s grandfather René Prou, himself a renowned decorator and artist. A large ottoman in the center of the living room is upholstered in several layers of Pierre Frey textiles inspired by the “galette,” a traditional French pastry.

If the mood of their country home is a little more restrained and tranquil, the Freys’ Paris apartment conveys a sense of playfulness. Clashing patterns and contrasting colors you wouldn’t necessarily think to put together like lavender and mustard are augmented by an abundance of eye-catching decorative objects. There’s certainly no shortage of anything to look at.

“Color is at the heart of European decoration, and one must be daring and playful with color combinations,” Patrick told Home Journal.

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Muriu captures this feeling with an ongoing fine art photography series called “Camo,” in which African women adorned in vivid, eye-popping patterns stand against backdrops of the same pattern. They might be blending in a little bit, but they certainly don’t disappear. Their personalities, architectural hairstyles, and fun accessories demand attention even in the busiest of compositions.

Highlighting the Unique Beauty of Modern Kenya

The Camo series bucks assumptions about modern Kenyan culture while celebrating its history, vibrancy, and uniqueness. It also puts dark-skinned black women front and center, defying a preference for lighter skin that has taken root even in Muriu’s own country. The portraits examine how we can lose our individual identities to the expectations our cultures place on us, yet each of us has own own beautiful qualities that make us stand out.

Camo first began in 2015 when Muriu became fascinated with complex, hypnotic textile patterns, each one chosen for its uniqueness and visual magnetism. The prints themselves almost seem alive. Muriu spends hours sifting through fabric shops in Nairobi looking for the most confusing, loud, and bold fabrics she can find. She realized that placing “camouflaged” models in front of these backdrops drew the eye right to each woman’s face, hair, and hands.

Tradition and Experimentation Come Together

Muriu researches traditional Kenyan hairstyles (the bigger and wilder the better) and finds ways to amplify and exaggerate them. Deliberately pushing back on Western beauty standards that call for sleeker, more “professional” hairstyles, the artist lovingly focuses upon cultural standards of beauty that she worries are being lost.

Upcycled accessories made of “junk” like bottle caps and discarded wire highlight Kenyans’ enterprising nature. Every small detail of each portrait reflects the way young Africans reimagine and reinvent cultural traditions for the modern world.

The full Camo series went on display at the 193 Gallery in Paris in 2021. Muriu sees it as a milestone achievement in her artistic career, and says she’ll continue adding to it forever if she can. “I will always do more,” she says. “A lifetime challenge would be to try and catalogue all of them and become the first modern archive of our hair and our fabric. Why not?”

About Artist Thandiwe Muriu

Muriu first became interested in photography as a 14-year-old growing up in a family full of creatives. One sister was a fashion designer, another a virtuoso pianist. After graduating from business school, she returned to her love of art, and signed her first contract for an international adverting campaign at the age of 23. While her day job keeps her traveling around the world on assignments, her personal work focuses on issues of identity, self-perception, and her African heritage.

Muriu lives and works in Nairobi, Kenya where she teaches photography workshops. She received the 2020 People’s Choice Award for Emerging Photographer of the Year at Photo London.

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“I often wonder what my soul would look like if it manifested itself as an object I could see and touch on this earth,” Woods says. “My artwork today looks to express the depth, growth, and complexity of the mind as well as its ability to encompass both light and dark spaces emotionally. I’d like to think you can ‘feel’ my artwork with your eyes.”

Woods has brought her beautiful murals across the world for street art festivals and commissions, and though you’ll occasionally spot a human figure, animal, flower, or other recognizable object in them, her most recent works have honed in on the graceful qualities of flowing fabrics. As she explained in an interview with the podcast Street Art Unearthed, she loves the way abstract art can conjure up emotions without using overt symbolism. As she honed her craft over the years, she came across a few art theorists that resonated with her.

“They were just talking about the abstract way of stretching your imagination, and also connecting with something other than what’s physically in front of you,” she said on the podcast. “There was a guy called Clive Bell that used to talk about aesthetic emotion and how you can really connect with a piece of art despite it having no narrative and just sort of exploring that emotional response you can have to an artwork. Learning about these theories did influence the direction my work then took after that. I’d say my last years of study I started to really push that. I was using realistic imagery that I’d taken, just photographs, and then blending into quite abstract patterns and painting on a really large scale.”

Some of Woods’ favorite projects include a trip to Norway to join an annual student festival wherein artists creatively repaint 1970s school buses from top to bottom, and one of her largest murals to date for the Heartwalk Festival in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. The latter project saw her scale a 30-by-60-foot building to cover its pale aqua facade in gold and amber ribbons. In 2020, Woods was also recognized for a project on London’s Burdett Road to thank the NHS for their hard work during the pandemic.

If you love her style, you’ll be happy to hear you can pick up some of Woods’ artworks in non-mural forms. In 2021, she collaborated with sustainable swimwear and activewear brand Tide and Seek to create a gorgeous series of garments splashed with her signature style, and she also puts works on canvas up for sale at her website, though they tend to sell out fast. Keep up with the artist on Instagram @itsrosiewoods.

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This idea of “going circular” has started to take root in some of the world’s largest firms. According to a 2019 ING survey, 62 percent of America’s companies plan to “close the loop” in some form soon, with 16 percent having already implanted circular practices. Just take these green gyrations for example:

IKEA

The flat-pack furniture giant has been using sustainable and recycled materials in some of its merchandise for years now, but more recently, it’s vowed to go completely circular by 2030.

“People are becoming more and more conscious of the impact their choices have on the planet,” the company said in an official statement. “They no longer want to be wasteful and are seeking better value in what they buy. It’s about extending the life of products and materials, seeing them as raw materials for the future, and eliminating waste at every level.”

Already in place are initiatives to buy back and resell goods in several markets around the world, as well as trial leasing options on its furniture in several European countries. In 2019 alone, IKEA gave a second life to 47 million brand pieces, resold 38 million through its As-Is shops, and repacked 9 million items back to the shelf.

“Rather than thinking cradle to grave, we need to think cradle to cradle,” says Anna Granath, a product developer with IKEA Sweden. Among other things, she helped design the KUNGSBACKA kitchen cabinet front (made from 100-percent recycled wood and plastic), each one of which takes roughly 25 half-liter plastic waste bottles out of landfills. These cabinets can also be reprocessed at the end of their life to become something new again.

Nordstrom

The department store is pairing up with BeautyCycle, an eco-friendly consumer goods enterprise, to allow customers to drop off used cosmetic containers to be repurposed into new toiletry packaging.

“Nordstrom is the first major retailer to offer a beauty packaging recycling program for all brands,” said Gemma Lionello, the company’s Executive Vice President of Accessories and Beauty in a Vogue interview. “We committed to take back 100 tons of beauty packaging to ensure it’s recycled by 2025.”

This partnership will help Nordstrom accomplish its five-year goals of reducing single-use plastic by 50 percent and certifying at least 15 percent of all its products as sustainable. The BeautyCycle initiative will be available in 94 locations across the U.S.

Coyuchi

Organic linen company Coyuchi is hoping to staunch the tide of the more than 10 million textile fabrics sent to the dump each year. The firm is starting a new line called 2nd Home that encourages customers to turn in their worn-out Coyuchi bedding for a discount on new home goods. With the help of partner The Renewal Workshop, those sheets, blankets, and throws can be cleaned, repaired, and returned to the shelves as part of the refurbished collection.

If the pre-owned textiles are beyond mending, they can be broken down and spun into yarn for new fabrics. That yarn will fuel Coyuchi’s first entirely loop-closing product — the Full Circle blanket — which is woven from 52 percent reclaimed cotton fibers.

“It’s the first proof of concept that circularity is achievable in textiles, and beyond,” says Eileen Mockus, Coyuchi’s CEO and president.

Adidas

Shoe company Adidas has been crafting their popular sneakers from reclaimed ocean plastic for years now, having sold more than 5 million pairs in 2018 alone. Starting in early 2019, they also turned their attention to going circular by designing the 100-percent recyclable FutureCraft.Loop trainers. After sending 200 pairs of beta test shoes to athletes and Adidas employees worldwide, it asked for them to be returned once they were worn out so they could be melted down as components to construct new shoes. Those second-generation shoes were sent back to the original 200 people in early 2020 and are still fully recyclable for the next iteration.

This is only the short list of companies making headlines for their revolving innovations. The trend is definitely gaining traction all around the world. For instance, H&M is working with the Make Fashion Circular initiative to extend the life of its clothing, Emeco fabricates chairs from factory floor waste, and Dell is preparing its computer parts to be more modular so that old electronics can be more easily reused. As more corporations sign on to this type of orbital thinking, the impact on our Earth and its resources could be revolutionary.

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Scientists at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Engineering (Empa) and ETH Zurich have been developing a type of energy-generating polymer that can be fused with textile fibers. The result is wearable solar collectors that can provide electricity anywhere. Led by head researcher Luciano Boesel of Empa’s Laboratory for Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles, the team hopes to put its polymer-fiber combo into everything from t-shirts to jackets, freeing people everywhere from the tether of electrical outlets.

The Empa team is not the first to think of using sun power in apparel. Many have tried to incorporate tiny solar array panels in the shoulders and backs of coats and shirts, concocting clothing that ends up looking like something Marty McFly wore in the Back to the Future sequel. What’s more, the inflexible nature of most panels makes them uncomfortable and prone to damage with movement.

The kilowatt-creating materials used in these designs are called luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs). They have fluorescent dyes and other substances embedded in them that store the light from sunrays and artificial sources to a solar cell. The cell then converts the light into electrical power.

As great as these LSCs are at making electricity out of indirect or ambient light, they are limited by both an unbending structure and an inability to let air or water vapor pass through them. That means no tossing them in the washing machine ever. Boesel and his team recognize this and understand that to make LSCs a practical solution for portable energy production, they would need to revolutionize their stiff molecular arrangement into more something flexible that could also be air and water-permeable.

More recently, the Empa researchers have engineered a new substance based on Amphiphilic Polymer Co-Networks (APCNs), which have been used commonly in silicone-hydrogel contact lenses. APCN already has the ability to let water vapor and air pass through — one reason it’s so well suited to being put on the human eye. “The reason we chose exactly this polymer is the fact that we are capable of incorporating two immiscible luminescent materials at the nano scale and letting them interact with each other,” Boesel adds. “There are, of course, other polymers in which these materials could be integrated; but this would lead to aggregation, and the production of energy would thus not be possible.”

Additionally, these newer LSCs aren’t susceptible to cracking or becoming brittle, allowing them to be applied seamlessly to any clothing fibers, maintaining comfort and practicality. And because they’re incorporated right into the fabric, solar apparel can even keep up with today’s fashions.

While the Empa polymer is not yet ready for mass production, its potential means that we could soon be using the sun and heat around us to manufacture our own personal power sources. In the near future, we may be charging devices like our smartphones, laptops, headphones, and tablets as we walk from the office to lunch, sit on the subway, or go for a bike ride.

The post This Swiss Lab Wants to Weave Solar Chargers Right Into Our Clothes first appeared on Dornob.

Models wear enormous woven hats, textural fabrics twisted into complex silhouettes, and long ribbon-like swaths of paper and gauzy garments, all set within sandy landscapes evocative of the desert at dusk. Giraud describes her style as “authentic, organic, and timeless,” and it’s clear from her compositions that her vision is inspired by global travel. But above all, it’s emotion that forms the undercurrent of her work. “We are the ones who give objects soul and energy,” she once told Marie Claire magazine.

Giraud started her career with ten years of textile development, helping big fashion brands with everything from design and embroidery to the art direction of their shop windows. Then, in 2009, furniture design captured her imagination, and her first brand, Costado, was born. Eventually, the designer realized she wanted to bring all of her interests together into one collection under her own name. In 2018, she closed Costado and opened her new shop, Mono Giraud.

The industrial influences she once favored for her furniture designs softened and became more neutral and organic, infused with plant fibers, vegetable dyes, bamboo, rattan, and materials sourced from her local region. As you might expect, Giraud’s studio, set in a 1920 building within the San Martín y Perón neighborhood of Buenos Aires, is awash in natural materials and rough-hewn wooden objects, including silk thread from Indonesia woven on-site. Indeed, everything you see in her studio seems to have its own particular character and history.

Unlike many crossovers between fine art and fashion, just about everything you see in Mono Giraud’s photography is available for sale. Giraud outfits the models with the goods from her store.

“I wanted to unite the product with people, add my aesthetics and see what it transmitted,” she explains. “I really like improvisation, doing things that I have no idea but with a lot of trust because I know I’m going to use all the tools I have in my backpack. I don’t plan the photos, I take them on the premises, the fabric is thrown, [and] I begin to see what happens, what it transmits.”

Refreshingly, Giraud’s approach to selling her wares is similarly loose and improvisational. When people drop into her shop, she encourages them not just to take their time and experience everything she has on offer, but to chat like old friends. She serves them coffee in a living room and gives them personal attention, because for her, making them happy means giving them an “emotional experience.”

This philosophy shines through in every photograph of Giraud’s work. The process is just as important as the results, with everything transformed by her own hands and unique vision. You can keep up with her work on Instagram @monogiraud.

The post Mono Giraud’s Otherworldly Architectural Clothes Highlighted in Haunting Photos first appeared on Dornob.

Now, they’re bringing that aesthetic into the home for the first time ever with a West Elm collaboration. The limited edition, sustainably produced collection of furniture and home decor is made with upcycled Eileen Fisher denim and other fabric scraps.

“Our team was delighted to partner with West Elm because of our shared passion for creating responsibly designed products,” says Eileen Fisher, designer, founder and co-CEO of her eponymous company. “With these beautiful designs, we are extending each garment’s life cycle and drastically reducing the waste that we put out into the world.”

The West Elm + Eileen Fisher Collection transforms a wardrobe staple into statement-making upholstery for a series of pillows and the Eileen Fisher Swivel Chair ($1,999). West Elm partnered with the fashion brand’s Waste No More team to recycle the fabric and felt it into a new textile using no water and very little energy. As you can see, the process preserves “the story” of the original fabric, making no attempt to hide what it was. Blocks of denim in colors ranging from near-white to deep indigo meld together in an effect that’s reminiscent of watercolors, all in soothing shades of blue.

The swivel chair is classic West Elm in design, but its body-hugging silhouette gets a little extra coziness from the unusual fabric. The pillow covers include three square throws ranging in size from 20” – 24” ($169 – $179 each), two 12” x 21” rectangular pillows in either light or dark indigo ($159), an extra long 14” x 36” lumbar pillow ($179), and the option to purchase sets of two for a discount.

By nature of the upcycled fabric, no two pieces are exactly alike, each bearing their own unique abstract pattern from the particular scraps used to create them. Eileen Fisher’s recycling team washes, repairs, and hand-layers them to achieve this effect.

If you’re not familiar with clothing take-back programs, they’re a pretty great way to adhere to the principle of “circular design,” in which the manufacturer takes responsibility for the entire life cycle of the products they create. Instead of ending up in landfills, garments that are ripped, stained, threadbare, or otherwise unwearable get a second life. More and more companies are starting to participate in programs like this, which will hopefully start to make an impact on the environmental impacts of fast fashion.

“Eileen Fisher leads the apparel industry in sustainable innovation and has developed a transformative technology that allows us to introduce circular design to a collection of textiles for the home,” says Alex Bellos, president of West Elm. “Together, we are bridging our shared commitments to responsible retail and great design to offer quality, artful pieces.”

The post West Elm and Eileen Fisher Debut Eco-Friendly Fall Decor first appeared on Dornob.

Engineer Ryan Mario Yasin recently came up with a smart solution to this problem: a permanently pleated fabric that expands and contracts over your features for a custom fit. If BETA[MSK] looks a bit futuristic, that’s probably because it’s ahead of its time even when it comes to textile innovation.

Sustainably made from recycled PET plastic bottles using a patent pending technology and waste-reducing patterns, the BETA[MSK] is a form-fitting face covering that’s adjustable enough to fit the vast majority of adult faces. The pleats are engineered to be hard-wearing, so they’ll bounce back to their original tight formation even after they’ve stretched many times.

The mask secures in the back with quick-release velcro, so it’s very easy to put on and take off, and you can wear it like a cuff around your neck when it’s not in use. Just put it on and pull at the pleats until it’s securely covering your nose, mouth, and chin. The mask also features a filter pocket for PM2.5 carbon filters (two of which are included with purchase), along with a form-fitting removable nose wire. Offered through Yasin’s company Petit Pli, the BETA[MSK] already sold out two previous batches, but there’s a waitlist up for the next round.

As you might imagine, this textile has some other convenient uses, too. Yasin first developed it when he realized his young nephew was rapidly growing out of his clothes, and constantly repurchasing bigger sizes just felt like a waste. Before pivoting to masks during the pandemic, Petit Pli was primarily a children’s clothing shop offering adorable pleated waterproof and windproof outerwear that stretches as kids grow, helping them last longer.

The company’s official website reads: “Inspired by aerospace engineering, Petit Pli’s continuous size adjustment is a new way of approaching garment design — one suitable to high growth rates in children. Petit Pli uses technical materials that are ultra-lightweight, reinforced, rainproof, and breathable because children are extreme athletes.”

“The Petit Pli BETA[MSK] is made from recycled fabrics and has a monofiber construction. Through its approach towards sustainability and innovation, Petit Pli hopes to instill slow-fashion values in humans whilst designing for the needs of humanity — little and tall. We aim to inspire humanity to value longevity and innovation in some of the most intimate products in our lives — garments. The Petit Pli Beta[MSK] is made in London, supporting our local supply chain.”

The company adds that: “The BETA[X] range signals a Petit Pli research project made in limited quantities in London. If feedback is positive, the project progresses onto the next stage. This ensures we do not overproduce and waste resources. We want to design the best garments possible for you, with you. Constructive criticism from BETA[X] owners is welcomed to help evolve the garment.”

The post Expandable Mask Made of Recycled Plastic Flexes to Fit Your Face first appeared on Dornob.