Project Purpose and Activities – In the twentieth century, a strong understanding of natural and synthetic fibers, yarn type, structure, and basic finishes was sufficient to develop apparel products. “Students are no longer instructed in textile creation and basic knowledge about cloth. Therefore they speak of chambray-like cottons and moire like silks since they have no clue what constructions are all about” (Edelkoort, 2014). Even before COVID, many physical resources and facilities were shuttered due to the significant cost of maintaining facilities. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for wearable product designers to develop broader, more flexible expertise due to the influx of technology and innovative materials. (Bye and Griffin, 2015).
This project proposes a new hybrid direction into textile education incorporating material thinking, balancing technical and experiential in a virtual space with the goal of training students to meet a critical professional need. The global pandemic is clearly illuminating the value and even necessity of online education and remote learning for students around the world (IIIE, 2020.) As faculty and students are now isolated in their individual homes far away from their collaborative lab spaces, digitization is an absolute imperative. While adopting digital tech tools might be a matter of sheer survival, it’s also a critical step toward fashion’s sustainability makeover. (Sourcing Journal, 2020.)
Overview of major activities. xR lab activity “VIRTUAL” (in mozilla hubs or similar virtual space) focusing on fabric parameters and exploration of different cotton fabric weight and constructions. Concurrent with virtual lab, students will examine physical swatch tool kits to get a better “TACTILE” understanding of the feel, weight and drape of cotton fabrics. Students will virtually explore various cotton fabrics (construction, weight, drape of material) to develop sustainable soft goods products. Following lab work, students will apply learning in a problem based learning activity “HYBRID” combining xR (mozilla hubs or similar) CLO or Optited 3D Tools and technologies applied to this proposal will include: xR, CLO or Optitex or similar, Higg Index (MSI) and Canvas (learning management system) further defined below.
Applied lab (physical + virtual) To create hybrid learning, concurrent with virtual lab, students will examine physical swatch tool kits to get a better tactile understanding of the feel, weight and drape of cotton fabrics. Systematic visual, tactile, and sensory evaluation of the materials gives the student information about how the material will interact with the wearer and other components of the product, and how it might perform and react during manufacturing and use. Working directly with materials is essential and can help individuals make new original connections by enhancing their intuition, critical thinking, and ability to find patterns (Griffin, 2015.) Students will explore various cotton fabrics (construction, weight, drape of material) to develop soft goods products. Tools required include physical swatch kit, XR, CLO, Higg Index (MSI) and Canvas LMS.
Group problem-based learning project. After students conduct initial research in XL lab and tactile applied lab, students will work in teams (combining all tools XL, Higg and CLO) via an industry relevant PBL activity prompt to design and develop a cotton assortment (jean, t-shirt, dress, jacket) that are more sustainable. For each step in the development process you will be given several sustainable options to select from and there will also be a cost associated with your choice.
Timeline:
Spring 2021: Discovery + Rapid prototyping
Summer 2021: Second iteration development
Fall 2021: Second iteration + validation of tool
S/F 2022 Use pilot data for grant funding/expand content and subject area within fashion.
F 2022: Present at International Textile and Apparel Association (accepted)
References
IEEE. (2020) Paving the Way for Transformative Learning Technologies.
Bye, E., & Griffin, L. (2015). Testing a model for wearable product materials research. International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, 8(2), 139–150.
Edelkoort, Li. (2018) http://www.edelkoort.us/
How Coronavirus is Underscoring the Digital Divide in Apparel. (2020) Sourcing Journal.