Techno textiles

by Sara Braddock

This exuberant collection celebrates the way in which astonishing new textile technology is bringing together fashion, design, engineering and science. Here are microfibers so fine that fabrics made from them are windproof and waterproof, yet allow the skin to breathe. Engineered textiles combine fabric with glass, ceramics, metal or carbon to produce lightweight hybrids with incredible properties. Sophisticated finishes, such as silicone coatings and holographic laminates, transform color, texture and even form. Smart textiles are no longer a science-fiction fantasy - anti-bacterial, perfume-releasing, self-cleaning and anti-insomniac microfibers are being developed. Stripes of silicone coating speed swimmers through the water; when they come out of it, ceramic fibers utilize solar power to keep them warm. The book is illustrated throughout with the work of leading designers in the USA, Europe and Japan - Issey Miyake, Donna Karan, Helmut Lang, Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garcons, Jean-