JUST FLORENCE
BY JUST FLORENCE
THESIS MEMORY REPORT Local Mentor: Anastasia Pistofidou Global Mentor: Adele Orcajada Student: Florencia Moyano Institute for Advanced Arquitecture of Catalonia Fabricademy 2021-2022 June 2022, Barcelona
INDEX 1. ABSTRACT........................................................................................ 7 Abstract...................................................................................................................... 9 2. INTRODUCTION............................................................................ 11 2.1. History....................................................................................................................13 2.2. Feathers Market...................................................................................... 14 2.3. Feathers Today.............................................................................................18 3. STATE OF ART...............................................................................21 3.1. Maison “Lemarié”.........................................................................................23 3.2. Feathers in Fashion.................................................................................24 3.3. The KIT................................................................................................................26 4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS............................................................29 4.1 Problem...............................................................................................................30 4.2 Research questions...................................................................................31 4.3 Hypothesis........................................................................................................31 4.4 Design Challenge........................................................................................31 5. EXPERIMENTATION PROCESS..............................................33 5.1 Assignments....................................................................................................35 5.1.1. A03: Circular Open Source Fashion.........................................36 5.1.2. A06: Biomaterials...................................................................................38 5.1.3. A07: Computational Couture.......................................................40 5.1.4. A09: Textile as Scaffold.....................................................................42 5.1.5. A11: Implications and applications............................................45 5.2 Experiments....................................................................................................47 5.2.1. Exp.01: Mycelium Feather.................................................................48 5.2.2. Exp.02: Pampas Grass Feather....................................................51 5.2.3. Exp03: 3D Printed Feather............................................................52 5.2.4. Exp.04: Cellulose Filament...........................................................54 5.3 Fabrication Process..................................................................................57 5.4 Statement..........................................................................................................61
5.5 Parametric Feather...............................................................................................................65 5.5. Parametric Feather; Grasshopper file..................................................................66 6. PROTOTYPE..........................................................................................................69 6.1. Base Module; Line of Feathers.....................................................................................71 7. REFERENCES........................................................................................................83 7.1. 3D printed feather shoulder accessory by Catherine Wales.............84 7.2. Cilllia – 3D Printed Hair Structures by Tangible Media Group.........85 7.3. How to 3D print ealistic feathers by Billie Ruben......................................86 7.4. Breathing Dress by Cameron Hughes.................................................................87 8. BUSINESS MODELS...........................................................................................89 8.1. B2C Model....................................................................................................................................90 8.2. B2B Model....................................................................................................................................91 8.3. B2B: Business to Business Model...........................................................................93 8.4. Stakeholders.............................................................................................................................94 9. BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................97 9.2. Links................................................................................................................................................101 9.3. Video Credits...........................................................................................................................101
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1. ABSTRACT
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Feathers Module Own Elaboration
Abstract Feathers are known as one of the most impressive biological structures found in animals. These evolutionary appendages composed of tiny keratin structures aid birds in flight, protection, insulation, and communication. Beyond aviary animals, the dynamic and varied beauty of feathers is what has captivated the world, with plumage being used as a fashion adornment for millennia. For centuries, feathers have been part of history as a symbol of loyalty, high honor, seen as a garment indicating social importance, and finally as an item symbolizing femininity. Feathers are currently used in two ways, the first and the one that goes unnoticed, is as an element that is used for padding either winter clothing, home accessories, etc. And the second is in the fashion indus-
try where it is still used as an indicator of delicacy, femininity and social importance, as haute couture garments and accessories, and fast fashion clothing. Echoing the feather-lust for the rarest and most expensive plumes at the height of the plume boom, the increased rarity and expense of endangered and protected species in today’s fashion market ensures they remain sought after (and fought over) by the world’s chicest fashion houses and designers.
Beyond Feather is a project that is focused on decreasing the negative impact of the feather market on both the animal and the environment world, through the insertion of a new material and manufacturing process to the fashion industry. Since feathers are not only being used in the world of luxury brands, but little by little it is entering the world of Fast Fashion.
This is how Beyond Feathers was born. A project that is focused on the development of a non-animal and sustainable feather that functions as an alternative source material for the manufacture of haute couture garments. It aims to create a new feather that improves the experience of using feathers as they are known today.
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2. INTRODUCTION
Ostrich
Ostrich
Faisan Goose
3000 b.C
1580
3.200 b.C
1162
1880 1770
2000 1918
Zacuan Toucan Cotinga Azuleja etc
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History of Feathers Own Elaboration
2.1. History High-ranking ancient Egyptians wore ostrich feathers in their hair as a symbol of allegiance to the goddess of truth and balance. The act of adorning the body with elements of nature like feathers, pelts, and leafs was viewed as a way of honoring protective qualities of the land across ancient cultures around the world. Native Americans, where feathers served as symbols of high honor. Indigenous Americans have historically utilized feathers as a way of marking accomplishments with significance and style varying from tribe to tribe. Feathers became a staple of attire in 12th-century Italy during Venice’s annual Carnival celebration leading up to Lent. Venetians would wear papier-mâché masks wildly decorated with feathers to conceal one’s identity during the festivities. Also in the Middle Ages the accessory carried its signi-
ficance as a clothing item that indicated social importance.
time, the longterm effects were not considered.
By the 18th century, wearing feathers was almost completely feminized. During her reign as Queen of France, leading trendsetter and pomp extraordinaire Marie Antoinette popularized her signature pouf hairstyle triggering a wave of women to adopt the same. It was fashionable to decorate the sky high “toque” (thick cushion) up-do with pearls, hair jewelry, and feathers for some serious accessorizing.
Ornithologist Frank Chapman noted that the plumage of as many as 40 species of birds was used on the hats he observed around New York City, contributing to severe losses in bird populations. This led to the passing of the Lacey Act in 1900, a conservation law prohibiting wildlife trade that largely collapsed the ornamental feather market.
Feathers as fashion reached an all time peak during the plume trade of the 18th, 19th, and early 20th centuries, as feathers became more of a commercialized style demonstrated across different trends of the time. This boom gave rise to an industry of milliners who created extravagant feather-adorned hats. While feathered headpieces were trendy during this
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2.2. Feathers Market In ostrich farms, conducted mainly in South Africa, Florida and in California during the plume boom, the birds were denuded of their feathers at regular intervals. The first feathers were plucked when the bird was a year old, and then every succeeding year when the bird had grown back full mating plumes. Three hundred feathers could be ‘harvested’ from a single ostrich in its lifetime. Unusually the feathers on both the male and female were equally valuable, as they were mostly dyed before being put on the market. Similarly all of the ostrich plumes of commerce were really double plumes, made by uniting two of the natural feathers, so as to appear fuller. Birds of all kinds were used for both their feather and bodily appearance. Ostrich, heron, peacock and bird of paradise were enormously popular, but common garden fowl, such as pigeon, turkey and goose were also used.
Feathers were put through several stages of processing before they were ready to be attached to hats. In the final forms they were known to the trade as plumes, pompons, aigrettes, breasts, wings, pads, bands (that would to encircle the crown or to outline the brim), and quills. The table below (taken from the 1912 edition of Millinery by Charlotte Rankin) illustrates what kinds of feathers were made up into each of the various forms of ‘branching’ or ‘pasting’. The thirst for exotic ornament among fashionable women in the metropoles of Europe and America prompted a bustling global trade in ostrich feathers that flourished from the 1880s until the First World War. South African ostrich plumes, due to their particularly sumptuous nature, were so in demand during this period that their value per pound was almost equal to diamonds. Advert for The Parisian Hat co. in the London Saturday Review 1864.
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To meet all the feather-processing demands of milliners and ladies of fashion feather workshops, known as plumassiers, opened. In these workshops feathers were dyed and made into arrangements from boas to aigrettes to tufts and sprays for both the worlds of fashion and interiors. The Encyclopedia Britannica’s entry on ‘Ornamental Feathers’ from 1901 explains what the ‘arts’ of the plumassier encompassed:
“The art of the plumassier embraces the cleaning, bleaching, dying, curling and making up of ostrich and other plumes and feathers.” In the early part of the 20th century there were over 425 feather makers (plumassiers) in Paris, the centre of the trade at the time. While plumassier workshops in Paris concentrated on the preparation and handling of very fine and valuable exotic feathers demanded by high-end modistes, or
milliners, New York’s entrepreneurial Lower East side fostered the emergence of pop-up plumage sweatshops. PHOTO 01
By 1900, As Stein outlines in her 2008 book Plumes…, the North American millinery industry employed 83,000 people (which equated at the time to 1 of every 1000 Americans). In the oppressive New York plumage sweatshops young women and girls prepared feathers for sale, usually for vey low wages. Stein also states the women and girls were also prone to tuberculosis, due to the dust and fluff. One of the most onerous jobs was ‘willowing’, which consisted of lengthening the short strands, called flues, of inferior feathers by tying on one, two or three flues until the feather has the desired depth and grace.
PHOTO 01: Willowing, stringing and steaming feathers in New York plume sweatshop PHOTO 02: Cluttered workroom in a New York feather sweatshop PHOTO 03: Making trimmings, New York Plumassier (ca. 1907-ca. 1933) Photo © L. W. Hine/ NYPL Digital Collection
PHOTO 02
PHOTO 03
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The willowing of ostrich feathers was very common, so as to ensure plumes fitted the desired depth and length expected by milliners and department stores and their customers. The willowing of feathers was so in demand that often women would take home large bags of feathers to willow at home. In the process of willowing, each tiny feathery fiber is lengthened by having several lengths of the same kind knotted to it, a tedious, fine and demanding process. The result is a plume with long, sweeping feathers. Naturally coloured feathers were bleached white before they were dyed so they would take the intended colour better (this is why the feathers of the naturally white Snowy Egret were so in demand as they side-stepped this stage of the process).
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Naturally white feathers by comparison were simply washed in bundles of hot soapy water, and then run through pure warm water. If the end color was to be light, the dye liquor could be applied cold, but darker shades required a cold water dye-bath first, and then slow heating until the water was very hot—though never boiling – so that the feather would take the dye. The quill and butt, or end of the feather, were dyed first. The tip and flues were dyed after because the former parts could take up to twenty or thirty minutes to absorb the color, whereas the tip and flues would take the dye in two minutes. If the stem did not take the color thoroughly enough, it often had to be painted afterwards. The black dyeing of feathers was apparently the trickiest. Using logwood dye, which was considered the best for the purpose, took about six days.
Feathers were sometimes also painted with oil paint and gasoline, but the color often rubbed off. Another undesired effect of this method was that the thick oil paint often plastered the tiny barbules together. After being dyed feathers were thoroughly rinsed in warm water and then laid on paper to dry and covered with powdered dry starch to fluff the feathers again after the dying process. It was then the job of the young women to either willow or shape the feathers depending on what type of feathers or trimmings they were working on. The barbs could then be curled by drawing them singly over the face of a blunt knife or by the application of a heated iron. Ostrich feathers frequently had to be treated with acid and glycerin to give the flue greater flexibility.
When so treated they were generally used in aigrette form or branched in some novel way. This method was known in the trade as ‘burnt ostrich’. The photographic series above depicting women at work in plumage sweatshops are taken from Lewis W. Hine’s photographic series documenting working conditions in New York, 1905-1939. Hine was an American sociologist and photographer who used his camera as a tool for social reform. His photographs, highlighting the plight of children and immigrants working in New York sweatshops, were instrumental in changing the child labor laws in the United States. However even with mounting pressure from workers rights movements and conservation lobbies, the plume industry stood fast against claims of worker exploitation and animal cruelty and offered the public false assurances. PHOTO 04: Feather making. PHOTO 05: Process of feather making in plume sweatshop, N.Y. (ca. 1907-ca. 1933) Photo © L. W. Hine/ NYPL Digital Collection
For instance industry officials claimed that the bulk of feather collection was limited to shed plumes, however in truth, those ‘dead plumes’ brought only one fifth of the price of the live unblemished ones. Yet as the new more enlightened century unfolded, protests began to be heard. In America the Audubon society and in the UK the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) campaigned to persuade ladies not to use plumage for their own adornment and to ban both national and the international plum trade. One writer in 1875 declared that the beauty of these birds “tempts the most tender-hearted to condone the practice. It was reckoned in 1895 that some twenty to thirty-million dead birds are imported annually to supply the demands of murderous millinery.”
PHOTO 04
PHOTO 05
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2.3. Feathers Today Cruelty to animals has been a burning issue since luxury fashion houses collectively agreed to stop using fur for their runway collections. Feathers are now considered an animal by-product, just as leather is a by-product of the meat industry. For those animals where feathers are not a by-product, there really is no kind method to pluck them from the animal, even if death does not occur. While live plucking is legally prohibited in the European Union, it is still possible to “harvest” down during the birds’ natural molting cycles. However, the animals are vulnerable to being injured during the process and it is actually very difficult to identify whether live-plucking has taken place. According to Peta, “Feathers are not humanely obtained from animals. They probably come from terrified birds
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that were killed for their meat or skin. Buying feathers made from feathers supports the cruel meat and exotic fur industries, because many farmers who raise birds for food or clothing make an extra profit by selling the feathers. Echoing the feather-lust for the rarest and most expensive plumes at the height of the plume boom, the increased rarity and expense of endangered and protected species in today’s fashion market ensures they remain sought after (and fought over) by the world’s chicest fashion houses and designers. While the more reputable fashion houses insist they source such feathers from antique feather dealers such as Lemarie, demand for fine feathers generates a black market trade in endangered and protected species like the birds of paradise who, if the latest reports prove accurate, are now said to be on a ‘flight to oblivion’.
And this is precisely why designers and the buying public care not to give thought to the lives and deaths of the birds whose feathers embellish their creations and bodies. While plumassiers like Lemarie are enabled, by the likes of Channel, to bow out gracefully in the style and colour of the feathers used for Lagerfled’s costume, which were said to invoke “the pink light of a beautiful sunset; the end of the day” – the birds that supply the feathers apparently simply ‘drop dead’ out of sight and out of mind. Although the feather industry is now mostly regulated, some activists argue that it is still unethical and compare it to the fur trade. Organizations like Responsible Down Standard ensure that certified brands such as Aritzia and H&M use only feathers that are collected (self-shed) or a by-product of food production.
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3. STATE OF ART
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3.1. Maison “Lemarié” Founded in 1875, Maison Lemarié has enjoyed a kind of legendary reputation among plumassiers for both their exacting standards and their long-standing relationship with Chanel. It is now one of the last remaining establishments of its kind anywhere in the world. In what can only be described as highly concentrated and minutely detailed work, the plumassiers at Lemarie (many of them women) painstakingly treat, dye and apply the fragile feathers, which frequently embellish haute couture garments and stage costumes. Mindful of preserving this rare art (in 1919 there were 425 plumassiers plying their trade in Paris, in 1939 there were 88, in 1980 there were 5 and today there are only 3 including Maison Lemarié), Chanel purchased a controlling interest in Maison Lemarié in 1997. As Marine Pacault’s photographic series “Lemarié, le dernier” attests this heritage consists of the archives, the memo-
and the skills of the artisans working there. Then there are the treasures lying dormant in large drawers:
“Stacks of time-warped wooden boxes and brown-paper parcels are exotically labeled “Paradise”, “Ara” or “Heron”, feathers from protected species today that have been sitting waiting to be worn, some for 100 years.” 5000 Birds of Paradise’s Feathers Dress
Genevieve Renaud, director general of Lemarie, explains that Lemarie acquired many of these feathers by buying out companies that closed and that “today we tend to use ostrich, rooster, turkey, goose, guinea-fowl – all the birds of the farmyard.” Still, Lemarie is the go-to destination for designers who find farmyard feathers cannot recreate the effect of the more sought after endangered species. In 1987, for example, Lemarie used 5,000 bird of paradise feathers from their precious reserves for in a single dress.
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3.2. Feathers in Fashion As we all know, fashion is cyclical and there is nothing that will not come back to reinvent itself. More and more brands are joining the use of this trend, to bring a bit of that mysterious seduction that feathers evoke to their haute couture designs, transforming them to give a distinctive touch to their dresses in an elegant key. Over the years, couture trends remain the same, creating elegant, unique and impactful designs. That’s why this business still uses animal feathers as the main material in many of its creations. The word “extravagant” is definitely synonymous with Paris Haute Couture week. And when it comes to Givenchy’s Haute Couture FW19 collection, Clare Waight Keller definitely knows how to impress the crowd with her third couture collection for the French fashion label. Dubbed ‘Noblesse Radicale’, Keller’s couture collection was Givenchy FW19 Haute Couture
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inspired by “the idea of an anarchic woman who comes through the château and all of the elements of what you’d find there”. Paying attention to intricate details and glamorously crafted gowns, Keller is not afraid of venturing into new territories, especially after her focus on tailoring, for her most recent collection, resulting in a collection full of glamour and drama. Outfits with fringes, leather and lace graced the runway, but what got everyone talking about the collection wasfeathers. Metaphorically representing ‘a bird woman trapped in a house’, and tapping on the spirit of Noblesse Radicale, model Kaia Gerber strutted down the catwalk in a hillock of green feathers from head-to-toe, while Sara Grace Wallerstedt followed up in a pleated ballgown with black feathers.
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3.3. The KIT “The Tumultuous History of Feathers in Fashion” by Anna Georgijevic The article “The Tumultuous History of Feathers in Fashion” by Anna Georgijevic was published by the english fashion online magazine “THE KIT” was one of the many references that i use to maintain the statement of this project. Here you can read some pieces of the article. >> Few things epitomize drama like feathers. Whether it leans toward glamour or camp—or in the best cases, a bit of both—it’s hard to look away from a feathered garment with its mesmerizing movement, bouncing and swaying like it’s alive. This season, designers flocked to the material: We saw glamorous gowns by Marc Jacobs and Oscar de la Renta, hats by Valentino and shoes by Giambattista Valli. The embellishment has been a fashion favourite since the Renaissance, but the history of feathers as adornment is a tumultuous one.
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Feathers first came into prominence in European fashion at the beginning of the 16th century, when men in prosperous trading centres began placing feathers in their hats. This new fascination had everything to do with the colonization of the Americas. After the conquest of the Aztecs, Hernán Cortés sent examples of their featherwork to the king of Spain, along with a codex of local birds and their feathers. Ruling elites began sporting feathers to express their power and reach. In fact, feathers became so popular that a new profession was born: plumassier, one who prepares or deals in ornamental plumes or feathers. It wasn’t until the 17th century, when Louis XIV developed a taste for feathered hats, that it grew into a full-blown craze. Feathers were shipped from all over the world and often dyed in bright colours, even gold.
The Sun King’s extravagant tastes helped establish Paris as the new fashion capital, moving away from Madrid as Spanish fashions increasingly became focused on dark colours. By the time Marie Antoinette ascended the throne, feathers were already a daily uniform for French aristocrats. She, of course, took it to an extreme. The queen’s elaborate hairstyle, always topped with feathers, would sometimes reach three feet in height. “The madness for feathers has reached a point of excess one never could have suspected,” journalist Louis- François Métra wrote in 1775. “Hats that would have seemed ridiculously tall a few months ago no longer suffice.” Marie Antoinette lost her throne, and her head, in 1793, but the taste for elaborate headwear did not die with the French Revolution.
By the mid-1800s, feather-adorned hats had become a must-have accessory for upper- and middle-class European and North American women. Sometimes they even incorporated the body of an entire bird, often reanimated with glass eyes. It sounds creepy now, but this was the height of fashion during the Victorian and Edwardian eras—and it cost the lives of millions of birds in an unregulated bird trade. This trend, now referred to as “Murderous Millinery,” was perhaps the first to inspire activists in the protest of popular fashion. Their efforts lead to the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 in the United States and the 1920 Plumage Bill by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds in the U.K.
Organizations like Responsible Down Standard ensure that certified brands such as Aritzia and H&M use only feathers that are collected (self-shed) or a by-product of food production. The specialized craft of a plumassier is a dying one. Out of hundreds of feather houses that once existed in Paris, only four remain. And only one, Maison Lemarié, is still producing haute couture. But perhaps with new technology and a little bit of imagination, we’ll see more and more alternatives that capture the same magic. On his fall runway, JW Anderson showed a frothy fuchsia gown that was misidentified as feathers by some reviewers, but it turned out to be a clever manipulation of very dainty fabric.<<
Although the feather industry is now mostly regulated, some activists argue that it is still unethical and compare it to the fur trade.
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4. RESEARCH QUESTIONS
4.1 Problem For centuries, feathers have been part of history as a symbol of loyalty, high honor, seen as a garment indicating social importance, and finally as an item symbolizing femininity. Feathers are currently used in two ways, the first and the one that goes unnoticed, is as an element that is used for padding either winter clothing, home accessories, etc. And the second is in the fashion industry where it is still used as an indicator of delicacy, femininity and social importance, as haute couture garments and accessories, and fast fashion clothing. Thanks to this second scenario, the market for luxury feathers remains the same or even worst, making us overlook the problems behind this business. This is why I ask myself, why do we care about animal fur, but not about animal feathers?
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4.2 Research questions
4.4 Design Challenge
1. Is it possible to change the use of feathers in the luxury fashion business?
To manufacture a new artificial and sustainable feather with similar characteristics to animal feathers.
2. Is there a possibility to generate a NON-animal and NON-plastic feather? 3. Is it possible to align this type of product to current fashion consumption habits and be environmentally friendly?
4.3 Hypothesis As a hypothesis, it is proposed that by using a sustainable and environmentally friendly material, a new feather can be generated, thus giving a new option to those users and designers who are looking for alternatives to both artificial and animal feathers.
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5. EXPERIMENTATION PROCESS
5.1 Assignments
5.1.1. A03: Circular Open Source Fashion In this class the lecture will outline the systems behind fashion and the textile industry, focusing on alternative systems such as circular fashion, agile fashion, open value chains. The focus will be on creating modular elements, structures and connections that allow the user to change the shape of a garment, resize it or replace certain elements. Students will publish their creations on open source platforms and learn how to monitor and promote their creations in a distributed network. The main idea is to design and prototype first with paper and scissors modular configurations and locking connections. Then laser cut the modules. Create a modular or seamless garment, showing that the connection is well designed and holds the pull/ stretch of a garment.
Wenufoye that means “Canelo del cielo” is the Mapuche Flag, you can find a Cultrún in the middle of it. The Cultrún is the Mapuche drum, in its flat surface, which represents the surface of the earth, you can see a circular design of the Mapuche worldview, The Four cardinal points and between them, the sun, the moon and the stars; symbols of world knowledge. For the first prototypes i wanted to use a material that would allow me to iterate multiple times and a final one. I use paper to iterate, change some measures in the process and find my final piece.
Cuts and Unions, Front view
For the final prototype, i use foam to make the modules, to make it more interesting, i decided to use two different colors for some contrast.
Cuts and Unions, Back view
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5.1.2. A06: Biomaterials This last century we have been crafting, designing and growing materials independently from their future use. This has caused major design flaws in our daily lives, where we find ourselves surrounded by plastics, while observing knowledge about local materials and techniques disappear and left unused even when in abundance. This class will focus on exploring material alternatives to the current ones. By bridging craftsmanship techniques and todays easier access to technologies, we explore alternative material resources in order to craft their processing and develop products and materials hand in hand. In the assignment i made a lot of experiments with several additives to the base recepies that the mentors gave us, just to see how the properties of the biomaterial change with the new components in their structure.
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5.1.3. A07: Computational Couture Disciplines as programming and electronics become highly interconnected, blurring old boundaries and merging different fields of knowledge. Fashion has been already affected by this radical change. Therefore, clothes, shoes and other accessories can now incorporate elements of hardware and software, generating a peculiar mix between fashion and computation that is incredibly fertile and inspiring. Data becomes Beauty, Interaction becomes Emotion. As a result, a new aesthetic is emerging. In this class participants will explore computational design methods towards a new reinterpretation of cloths, garments and accessories for fashion design, inspired by a new digital design methodology. In this assignment we try new ways to use technology as tools to experiment other ways to fabricate our designs.
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5.1.4. A09: Textile as Scaffold Technical textiles have various applications, among which agrotech, building, clothes, geotech, sports. In this class we will use textiles for composites, polymerisation, solidification, fabric formwork, crystallization, composites and biocomposites, agglomerates. This class focuses on exploring techniques and applications of technical textiles in the industry. It introduces the concept of designing custom processes that require the design of a set of tools, processes and workflow. Given my obsession with hair and feathers, I decided to mold the rachis of a feather so that I could start experimenting with them. The mold that I cut is a positive - negative to be able to give a 3D shape to what would be a spine made of textiles. For the molding prototype I use felt, cause it’s the best combination of hairy textile and that works to make the “soft feathers fantasy”. 42
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5.1.5. A11: Implications and applications Throught this assignment we start the research of the topic that we want to focus on or final project. In my case, i started my invenstigation about feathers. Feathers are known as one of the most impressive biological structures found in animals. These evolutionary appendages composed of tiny keratin structures aid birds in flight, protection, insulation, and communication. Beyond aviary animals, the dynamic and varied beauty of feathers is what has captivated the world, with plumage being used as a fashion adornment for millennia. Yet the history behind feathers has slowly shifted from one that tells the story of native cultures and periods of history, to one that brings into question the evolution of sustainability in fashion. For the final project prototype, my ambitious goal was to make a classic party dress, but made with my feathers.
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5.2 Experiments
5.2.1. Exp.01: Mycelium Feather For this experiment, i would like to try if the mycelium grow through the holes of a 3D rachis.
inculate plate that we have and then seal the petri dish with parafilm and wait for the results in 3 weeks.
The model is 20 cms length and 2 cms width, the idea is to put this rachis in an Acrylic Petri Dish to pour some medium to let the mycelium grow on the inside of the rachis and in the outside. For the “petri dish” i made a box of 27x4,5x7 cms made out of 5mm traslucent acrylic.
The results of this experiment are insatisfactory, because the prototype was fully contaminated.
For the Bio part of this experimentation, I made a Malt Medium to let the Reishii mycelium grow, here’s the recipe, MALT - AGAR Medium: . 200 ml of Water . 4 grs of Agar-Agar . 4 grs of Malt Extract Then i put some pieces of the Reishii
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5.2.2. Exp.02: Pampas Grass Feather For this experiment, I used “not bio” materials, for the next one I would love to do it with biochromes
Once i have all of the grass “wet” I started to dry it one by one with a hair dryer.
. 1 piece of Pampas Grass . Chinese Ink, i use Pink, Red and Violet tone . Containers, i use Cupcake Molds jaja . Water
When I have it all dry, I tried how they would look in a Tote Bag to be able to sew them. Then I let it sit overnight, just to be sure that they’re 100% dry.
First of all, we have to cut and separate the grass leaves. Next step was to put cold water into a big pot with the chinese ink, this time I use the Pink ink for testing. Once I put the ink into the warm water, I dipped the grass into the pot and let them soak for an hour on medium heat.
At the next day, i started my Frankenstain, which is my Tote Bag with my Grass Feathers.
After 1 hour of soaking, I let the pot cool down for 30 min with the grass inside. Once it’s cold, I separate the grass one by one and I removed the excess of water with paper towel.
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5.2.3. Exp03: 3D Printed Feather For this prototype, i made some experiments with 3D printing. I have mixed feelings with this experimentation because to made this feather, i have to use plastic filament, in this case i used FILAFLEX, that is a flexible TPU (thermoplastic polyurethane) material. First of all, we need to make our 3D Model, to test thickness, elasticity, see how the model is printed and if there are problems when printing. For the Rachis, i made a 22 cms curve line and revolve it, then for the Vexils I draw it in Ilustrator and then export them into Rhino. To make the lines “thick” (cause it’s the only way that the 3D printer can read it) I use Grasshopper where I put Multiple Pipes to be able to generate a thickness of 0.4 mm from the lines. Once we export the file on STL and upload the material into the 3D printer.
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Since the firts prototype was a success, i decided to go further and I decided to print as many feathers as could fit on the printer’s workbench. For the next printed i’ll try another Feather model, one that has more concentrated line drawings and that the fetaher is of a smaller size, trying to “take to the limit” of what the 3D printer allows me to do. The results of this experiment are completely successful, so impressed of what we can make with a 3D printer. One of the things that i would like to improve, is the material. For the next experiments I would like to try with some Biofilament, or a compostable or biodegradable one.
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5.2.4. Exp.04: Cellulose Filament Cellulose is a homopolysaccharide biopolymer that is also the most abundant existing organic biomolecule since it forms the majority of the terrestrial biomass. Cellulose is a structural polysaccharide in plants, since it is part of the structural tissues. The wall of a young plant cell contains about 40% cellulose; wood 50%, while the purest example of cellulose is cotton, with a percentage greater than 90%. For the experiments, I’ll try to make some Biomaterials based on Cellulose, the base ingredients are: . 4 grs of CMC Cellulose . 8 grs of Glycerine . 4 drops of Collagen . Water First of all, we have to see if the base of our biomaterial is gonna work by itself and see how it looks without any additives.
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For the preparation of the biomaterial it is only necessary to follow the order of, Polymer, in this case the CMC Cellulose Plasticizer, in this case Glycerine Color or Pigments, in this case I put Collagen For this sample, I try to extrude it with a syringe and made this filament, then I left it in a petri dish for overnight and then put it in the dehydrator for 4 hrs. The results went better than I expected, even when it’s “totally” dry it stays elastic and with good form, it sticks with each other so it works as 3D printing material. For the second experiment I try adding Chitin or Chitosan to the Base of the Cellulose Filament. For this experimentation I need.
. 1 grs of CMC Cellulose . 4 grs of Glycerine . 0,4 grs of Chitosan (1 pill) . 2 drops of Collagen . Water For this sample, I try to extrude it with a syringe and made this filament, then I left it in a petri dish for overnight and then put it in the dehydrator for 4 hrs. The Experiment 02 went well at the begging, it’s more malleable than the base. It can be extruded with a thinner syringe but it started well and then it started to break, maybe the amount of water isn’t enough for the additive. For the third experiment I try adding Sodium Silicate to the Base of the Cellulose Filament. For this experimentation I need, . 4 grs of CMC Cellulose . 8 grs of Glycerine
. 4 drops of Collagen . 4 drops of Sodium Silicate . Water (18 drops) For this sample, I try to extrude it with a syringe, the mix was so liquid that the extrusion lose the form at the moment that it touch the petri dish. Then I left it in a petri dish for overnight and then put it in the dehydrator for 4 hrs. The final result was this big and thick circle of Cellulose paste, when it gets completely dry, it keeps the elasticity of the base, maybe it could work for the making of the Rachis with some negative mold, but this mix it doesn’t work for 3D printing. For the fourth experiment I try again with Sodium Silicate mixed with the Base of the Cellulose Filament. For this experimentation i added a little bit more of Cellulose to the base.
. 8 grs of CMC Cellulose . 8 grs of Glycerine . 4 drops of Collagen . 4 drops of Sodium Silicate . Water (18 drops) For this sample, I try to extrude it with a syringe. In this case, the mix was less liquid than the EXP02, so we need to add more Cellullose to the mix if we want to work with Sodium Silicate. Then I left it in a petri dish for overnight and then put it in the dehydrator for 4 hrs.
First Experiment
Second Experiment
The Sodium Silicate helps for the hemulsification of the mixes, that’s why the base gets more liquid when you add some drops. Third Experiment
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5.3 Fabrication Process
5.3. Fabrication Process Through this journey, in the experimentation process, my third experiment was to 3D printing feathers with flexible TPU filament, this one was my favorite because it gives me great results. The prototypes are flexible, resistant, light and delicate. That’s why i decided to use this process to develop my main prototype. To help myself with the post printing process, i decide to create a base module of five feathers that can be sewed with a few stitches. The main material that I use for modules of my garment is a biodegradable flexible filament made out of cornstarch. Based on one of the many ways that we can find feathers in the market, i decided to create my base module using Feather’s fringes as reference. First of all, i have to decide what type of feather i want to use for my main prototype.
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The idea is to create a garment that emulates goose’s plumage, so the feather must have a perpendicular fall, which can be superimposed one module on another to generate the illusion of a complete plumage.
perfect. I personally recommend a direct extrusion printer, cause it prevents that the machine gets stuck with the flexible filament and it’s faster than the traditional one.
To make the postprinting process faster to sew, i develope this module of 5 feathers attached to a line and separated at the same distance from each other, so that we can print on the trays of the printers we have in the laboratory. On the other hand I also developed a file with a longer line of feathers, which I can use to print on large trays and which will also save me time when sewing the feathers to the suit. Most of the feather that i printed where the 5 feather’s module, because the big printers doesn’t keep the resolution that i needed for the feather to be
Base Feather
Base Module
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5.4 Statement
5.4. Statement From the knowledge of the problematic events that deepen the plumassier industry, such as those that refer to plucking feathers from live birds, raising birds only for that destination, excessive use of feathers in pompous dresses, unnecessary expenditure of resources, social conflicts, among others. Beyond Feathers is a project that aims to provide a solution for people who want a sustainable alternative to animal or plastic feathers that we have currently on the market. This feathers has been created also to declare an opposition to this antique material concept of wearing something that does not belong to us. That’s still allowed to be used without any regulation or to be taken into account as a material that negatively impacts our animals and the environment.
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TRADITIONAL FEATHERS
To achieve this, it was decided to create a garment that has always been fashionable and has been made thousands of times with both animal and artificial feathers. Throughout the years we can recognize that the “cropped top” has set trends, being its first appearance in the ‘60s, where the length of the shirts was reduced and increased the length of the skirts. Then in the 21st century they reappeared, to stay, so it was decided to use it as a rhetorical statement product that represents the position that you can create a sustainable garment made of feathers that is 100% cruelty free and without the use of plastic.
Animal or artificial origin
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Vegetal origin
Depending on care
Depending on care
Hand wash with plenty of water
Wipe cleaning
Fluid and delicate
Fluid and delicate
Garbage or thrift stores
Biodegradable
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5.5 Parametric Feather
5.5. Parametric Feather; Grasshopper file To keep experimenting with new filaments and shapes, i found a flexible filament made out of recycled materials. The material is carefully selected and magnetically screened for its production, in order to avoid metal residues and thus ensure its correct operation during printing. Its hardness ranges between 96A and 98A SHORE A’, due to variations attributable to its origin as recycled material, practically imperceptible in printed parts. Despite being a recycled material, it has excellent mechanical properties and good resistance to solvents, surprising for its quality. In order to be able to see the quality of the printing with this material, I decided to make the same feather model that I did earlier, so with that I could have a comparison parameter in terms
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of texture, strength, quality and flexibility. Compared to the first filament used, the RECIFLEX turned out to be, . More resistant . Less flexible . Same resolution . Much rougher texture . With all of this in mind, i decided to use Reciflex for another kind of feather, one that need more resistance in the rachis and longer vexils, maybe emulating some movement. The idea of this file is to develope a system where with a dot and 2 lines you can shape any type of feather that you want. With the control points, you can design different shapes, sizes, textures and movements.
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6. PROTOTYPE
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6.1. Base Module; Line of Feathers As i said before, through this journey, in the experimentation process, my third experiment was to 3D printing feathers with flexible TPU filament, this one was my favorite because it gives me great results.
For the post printing process, where i have to cut some feathers, meadure the distance, glue them into the based shirt or skirt, and then sew it to make sure these don’t fall out of the garment.
The prototypes are flexible, resistant, light and delicate. That’s why i decided to use this process to develop my main prototype.
Sometimes, in some parts of the garment, just one line of feather wasn’t recreate the fully effect that i want in the garment, so that’s whynyou can find some single feathers sewed in the garment.
In order to find the best material to work with, I try with 3 different ones, . Flexible TPU . Recycled Flexible TPU . Biocompostable and flexible filament made out of Cornstarch. With conclusions that the best one to work was the biocompostable material, because the main idea is to create NON animal and NON plastic feathers.
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7. REFERENCES
7.1. 3D printed feather shoulder accessory by Catherine Wales (2013) New technology could see the 3D printer become the modern equivalent of a sewing machine: simply download a design, customise it according to your body measurements, and print off a tailored garment. The 38-year-old designer Catherine Wales is on a mission to democratise fashion via 3D printing. She has produced a collection of 3D-printed accessories that can be custom-designed to fit any body shape and printed on demand.
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But we’re still a long way from enjoying a print-on-demand personal wardrobe: exorbitant prices and unwieldy printers mean 3D printing isn’t easily accessible outside the industrial design sector. There’s also the fact that not everything needs to be 3D printed. “There’s always going to be an appreciation for hand-craft,” says Wales. “But I think it would be amazing if the process of fitting garments could be influenced by new technology without losing the skill of the craft.”
7.2. Cilllia – 3D Printed Hair Structures by Tangible Media Group (2016) Looking into the Nature, hair has numerous functions such as to provide warmth, adhesion, locomotion, sensing, a sense of touch, as well as it’s well known aesthetic qualities. This work presents a computational method of 3D printing hair structures. It allows us to design and generate hair geometry at 50 micrometer resolution and assign various functionalities to the hair. The ability to fabricate customized hair structures enables us to create super fine surface texture; mechanical adhesion property; new passive actuators and touch sensors on a 3D printed artifact. They also present several applications to show how the 3D-printed hair can be used for designing everyday interactive objects.
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7.3. How to 3D print realistic feathers by Billie Ruben (2020) Maker Billie Ruben has published a video showing an extremely interesting technique for producing these lifelike feathers on any FFF 3D printer. The technique is completely ingenious, and not obvious until Ruben walks you through the process. The solid feather is similar to what you’d commonly see in 3D model repositories as something masquerading as a feather. But the secret to feather-transformation isn’t in the 3D modeling, but is instead in the slicing step. Rubens walks us through some Cura-fu that is quite amazing. Basically her approach is to persuade the 3D printer to literally 3D print each barb on the two feature vanes individually, yet using the “solid” feather 3D model.
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7.4. Breathing Dress by Cameron Hughes (2022) A New York City fashion designer is already moving merchandise before his creations are even up for sale — because his merchandise is literally moving. Cameron Hughes, 28, has earned millions of fans on TikTok for his incredible clothing designs, which move thanks to expertly-placed motors, some skilled engineering, and brilliant programming. Some of his most popular designs include a purple feathered dress that appears to breathe, a red and blue skirt that twists and changes color, and a harnesses skirt that prints paper receipts. ‘I started to make my designs for looks when I was going out to clubs for fun,’ he said. Then the pandemic hit, and there was nowhere for people to see what I was making, or any specific events to make looks for — so I decided to show people what I was making on TikTok.’ 87
8. BUSINESS MODELS
8.1. B2C Model
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8.3. B2B: Business to Business Model
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8.4. Stakeholders Stakeholder is any individual or organization that, in some way, is impacted by the actions of a given company. It is argued that stakeholders are indispensable and should always be taken into account in the strategic planning of any business. For Beyond Feathers there is no exception, in order to achieve a successful business model, we need, in the first instance, the support of investors who believe in the potential of the project and who can also provide money for its development. On the other hand, we can also see the government and NGOs as key players, who represent a key role in this scheme as they are the ones who can help to legislatively control the use of animal feathers in the market and thus we can present ourselves as an alternative in the market. Finally, our clients are those companies or fashion houses where the use of animal or artificial feathers is present in their products. 94
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9. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fashioning Feathers by Dr Merle Patchett Moore-Colyer, R. J. (2000) ‘Feathered Women and Persecuted Birds; The Struggle Against the Plumage Trade c. 1860-1922, Rural History, 11/1, pp. 57-73. Doughty, R. W. (1975) Feather Fashions and Bird Preservation: a Study in Nature Protection. University of California Press. Stein (2008) Plumes: Ostrich Feathers, Jews, and a Lost World of Global Commerce. Yale University Press. Stein (2008) Plumes: Ostrich Feathers, Jews, and a Lost World of Global Commerce. Yale University Press. Angelyn Tan (2019) ‘Feathers, Drama & More at Givenchy FW19 Haute Couture.’ Article by l’officiel. García, L. (21 de Marzo de 2013). Cinco décadas enseñando el ombligo. Recuperado el 22 de Marzo de 2019: https://smoda. elpais.com/moda/cinco-deca- das-ensenando-el-ombligo/ Gordon, B. (2011). Textiles: The Whole Story. Wisconsin-Madison: Thames & Hudson. Why Wear it Kind? (s. f.). #WearItKind - a Campaign of FOUR PAWS. https://wearitkind.four-paws.org/why-wear-it-kind Georgijevic, A. (2019, 11 octubre). Feathers Throughout Fashion History: a Look Back at the Trend’s Origins. The Kit. https://thekit.ca/fashion/feathers-fashion-history/
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9.2. Links Portafolio: https://issuu.com/justflorence/docs/portfolio_fm Documentation: https://class.textile-academy.org/2022/florencia-moyano/ Video; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud93-eqOfKM&feature=emb_title
9.3. Video Credits and Pictures Song: God Is a Woman (Instrumental) · Artist: Sassydee COUNTDOWN MEDIA GMBH // Released on: 2018-12-17 The Landing by Guillermo Lorca. Exhibition by MOCO Museum Barcelona, Carrer de Montcada, 25, 08003 Barcelona. Producer: Anastasia Pistofidou Director: Andrea Tivadar Director of Photography : Benjamin Scott Makeup Artist: Nicole Echiburu Location: sudio co-working Barcelona Fashion tech Design: Florencia Moyano 101
