Until recently, bespoke tailoring – clothing made to a customer's individual specifications – was the only way to get clothing that provided the perfect fit for your body. For most people, the cost of custom tailoring is too expensive. But the invention of active fibers and innovative knitting processes is changing the textile industry.
“We all wear clothes and shoes,” says Sasha McKinlay, a recent graduate of MIT's architecture department. “It's a human need. But there's also the human need to express themselves. I like the idea of customizing clothing in a sustainable way. This dress promises to be more sustainable than traditional fashion for both the consumer and the producer.”
McKinlay is a textile designer and researcher at the Self-Assembly Lab, who designed a 4D knit dress with Ministry of Supply, a fashion company that specializes in high-tech clothing. The dress combines many techniques to create personal fit and style. Heat-activated threads, computerized knitting and robotic activation around each piece create the sculpted shape. A team from the Ministry of Supply led the decisions regarding stable threads, colour, original size and overall design.
“Everyone’s body is different,” says Skylar Tibbetts, associate professor in the Department of Architecture and founder of the Self-Assembly Lab. “Even if you wear the same size as someone else, you're not actually the same.”
Active textiles
Students in the self-assembly lab have been working on dynamic textiles for several years. The yarns they make can change shape, change properties, change insulation, or become breathable. Previous applications for sewing clothing include making jackets and face masks. The 4D woven dress is the culmination of everything the students have learned working with active textiles, Tibbits says.
McKinlay helped produce the active yarn, create the conceptual design, develop the knitting technology, and program the laboratory's industrial knitting machine. Once a garment design is programmed into the machine, it can quickly produce multiple dresses. Active threads are placed in the design, allowing the dress to take on a variety of styles such as pins, pleats, empire waist or cinched waist.
“Design is important,” McKinlay says. “Most people focus on size, but I think design is what defines clothes. We all evolve as people, and I think our style evolves too. After fitness, people focus on personal expression.
Danny Griffin March 22, currently a graduate student in architectural design, has no background in the apparel or fashion industry. Tibbits asked Griffin to join the team because of his experience with robotics projects in construction. Griffin translated the thermal activation process into a programmable, automated procedure that precisely controlled its application.
“When we apply heat, the fibers shorten, causing the fabric to bunch up in a certain area, effectively narrowing the shape as if we were sewing clothing,” says Griffin. “There was a lot of trial and error to figure out how to direct the robot and the heat gun. The heat had to be applied in specific places to activate the fibers in each garment. Another challenge was determining the temperature and timing to apply the heat.
It took some time to determine how the robot could do this It reaches all areas of the dress.
“We couldn't use a commercial heat gun—which is like a portable hair dryer—because it's too big,” says Griffin. “We needed a more compact design. Once we figured that out, it was a lot of fun to write the script for the robot to follow.
A dress can start with one design—for example, pins on the chest—and be worn for several months before heat is reapplied to change its look. Subsequent applications of heat can make the dress more detailed.
Beyond fitness and fashion
Producing clothing efficiently is a “huge challenge” in the fashion industry, according to Jehan Amarasiriwardena, 2011 graduate, co-founder and president of Ministry of Supply.
“A lot of times you'll be guessing what the style of the season is,” he says. “Sometimes the design isn't good, or some sizes don't sell. They might be discounted too heavily or they end up in a landfill.
“Fast fashion” is a term that describes clothing that is cheap, trendy and easy for consumers to dispose of. They are designed and produced quickly to keep up with current trends. The 4D knit dress is the opposite of fast fashion, says Tibbits. Unlike the traditional “cut and sew” process in the fashion industry, the 4D knit dress is made entirely from one piece, virtually eliminating waste.
“From a global standpoint, you don't have a lot of excess inventory because the dress is tailored to your size,” says Tibbets.
McKinlay says she hopes using this new technology will reduce the amount of inventory waste that retailers typically have at the end of each season.
“The dress can be tailored to accommodate these changes in styles and tastes,” she says. “It may also be able to accommodate some of the size differences that retailers need to stock. Instead of extra small, small, medium, large and extra-large sizes, retailers may be able to have one dress for smaller sizes and another for larger sizes. Of course, these are the same Sustainability points that will benefit the consumer.
The self-assembly plant has cooperated with the Ministry of Supply on active textile projects for several years. Late last year, the team debuted the 4D Knit Dress at the company's flagship store in Boston, with a robotic arm making its way around the dress as customers watched. For Amarasiriwardena, this was an opportunity to gauge interest and receive feedback from customers interested in trying on the dress.
“If the demand is there, it's something we can create quickly,” as opposed to the usual design and manufacturing process, which can take years, Amarasiriwardena says.
Griffin and McKinlay were at the screening and were pleased with the results. For Griffin, after overcoming the “technical hurdles,” he sees many different avenues for the project.
“This experience makes me want to try more,” he says.
McKinlay also likes to work on more styles.
“I “I hope this research project will help people rethink or reevaluate their relationship with clothing,” McKinley says. “Right now, when people buy a piece of clothing, it only has one 'look'. But, how exciting can it be to buy one piece of clothing and reinvent it to change and evolve as you change or as the seasons or styles change? I hope this is the takeaway that People will get it.
