TCBL labs the global movement transforming the clothes we wear
T & C BUSINESS LABS PORTFOLIO
2018
CONTENT INTRODUCTION 01
The TCBL LABS
THE NETWORK 02
Distributed shared knowledge
THE LABORATORIES 06
AITEX
40
Oliva Creative Lab
08
Athens Making Lab
42
Palermo Place Lab
10
Athens Place Lab
44
REDU
12
Casa Clementina
46
Sanjotec Design Lab
14
Centexbel
48
Sartoria Sociale
16
Etri Place Lab
50
SOFFA Social Fashion Factory
18
Fabbrica Arca
52
Textile and Clothing Design Lab
20
FabLab Venezia
54
Textile Center of Excellence - Design
22
FabTextiles
56
Textile Center of Excellence - Make
24
Gullo Filati
58
TextileLab Amsterdam
26
Hisa Sadezi Druzbe
60
Textile Museum Prato
28
Industrial Biotechnology Lab
62
Textile Prototyping Lab - Fablab Berlin
30
LAB.ZEN2
64
Time Laboratory
32
Lanificio Paoletti
66
Vienna Textile Lab
34
Little pink maker
68
Villette Makerz
36
Lottozero
70
WeMake
38
Manufacture Copenhagen
PROJECTS 74
BioShades
90
Open Source Materials Archive
78
Digital Heritage
94
Sewing Cafe
82
Fabricademy: a new textile academy
98
Workplace of the future
86
Felt the future
INTRODUCTION
The TCBL LABS The Labs play a central role in the TCBL project and its aim to transform the European Textile and Clothing industry. The Labs provide innovation spaces for exploration, creativity, entrepreneurship, small production, knowledge and innovation transfer to other TCBL Labs, TCBL Associate Enterprises and to local communities and citizens. In the project the Labs provide the context in which exploration takes place. The Labs are all different regarding location, communities, activities, organisation and research agendas, but aligned when it comes to overarching vision, goals and values from which they work.
All Labs aim for alternatives for the current industry and explore different ways of working, designing and making in the context of the problems and opportunities this sector is facing. In the TCBL project we focus on different typologies of Labs: Design, Make and Place, which give an indication of where the labs focus on. This booklet gives an overview of the TCBL Labs across Europe, their activities and their collaborations. More information can be found on labs.tcbl.eu where interested labs can apply to become an associate Lab and connect to the TCBL network and will be evaluated through a collaborative evaluation procedure. Associate Enterprises can contact the Labs directly.
01
01 THE NETWORK Distributed shared knowledge Labs don’t operate as individual entities: they are networked and function as one of the main entry points within TCBL for both enterprises and local communities. The decentralised aspect in the Labs network and its dynamics are as important as their individual research and other activities. The dimension in which they collaborate is one of the innovative alternatives for the T&C industry in which openness and knowledge sharing are rare, but crucial for innovation to happen. This collaboration happens through projects that are the innovative research exploration of the Labs, business pilots and distributed events.
02
At the moment there are 36 Labs in 13 countries and the network is in constant growth, attracting like minded laboratories world wide.
Can Open Distributed Knowledge Networks change the way we work, consume and interact?
Variety and unity The following charts summarise the characteristics and diversity of the network of laboratories as a whole. The infographics on the left gives a glimpse of the division through the lens of the Lab typologies (Design, Make and Place.
Design (37.27%)
Make (39.16%)
This also highlights that no matter where the labs are located or which territorial challenges they are confronted with, they act as a network, balancing each other off into creating a whole.
Place (23.57%)
03
STUDENTS (27.08%)
RESEARCHERS (23.22%)
TECHNICIANS (6.82%)
STAFF (20.91%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (8.52%)
CONSULTANTS (3.60%) CITIZEN (9.85%)
The infographics in the image above are the sum of the typology of participants and actors that the laboratories interact with. The strong training and research components, also visible in the focus of the activities below, reflect the TCBL network values of Curiosity, Openess and Multiplicity. Additionally the social/human and cultural values, together with the strong community engagement approach and the large variety of actors that populate the labs, bring us back to the Open aspect and the principles of Respect and Responsibility.
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
55
45 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
04
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (55%)
services (45%)
02 THE LABORATORIES Zooming in to the Labs diversity In this booklet the Labs are shown in alphabetical order and provided with a blue label on the top right if they are project partners Labs, where Associate Labs don’t have a label. The infographics show for each Lab if they focus more on Design, Make and/or Place Lab. Where Design Labs explore tools and methods for designing textiles and clothes, working with professionals, fashion students, or anyone, even working from home; Make Labs experiment with production methods and old and new machinery, from re-discovering traditional tailoring to 3D printing and laser cutting; Place Labs investigate the local and social dimensions of clothes making, with new methods for organisation of work such as on-demand or home DIY production, community lab spaces, and networks of artisan shops. Further it is shown in percentages which are their main activities (education / training, project based research, community engagement, business service support, production), how many people work in the lab (men/women, partime/fulltime/volunteers/interns), people that can be found in the lab (students, researchers, staff, consultants, technicians, teachers/tutors), their value creation (social capital, human capital, economic, mindset, cultural) and revenue (funding / services).
05
AITEX Textile Research Center research, innovation, technology and certification AITEX, is a private research association which performs characterisation trials and certification of textile materials and articles for a wide range of sectors including interior design, fashion, work wear, healthcare, sports and leisure, land and sea transport, aerospace and sports surfaces. AITEX is Spain’s leading research and innovation centre and provider of advanced technical services to the textile industry. Design (0%)
06
Make (100%)
Place (0%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (10%)
RESEARCHERS (45%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
STAFF (5%)
TECHNICIANS (20%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
%
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
07
Athens Making Lab Textile Research textiles dyeing, finishing, functional textiles, protective textiles
Athens Making Lab focuses on textiles processing (mainly wet processing, i.e. dyeing and finishing), aiming to provide functional properties to textile substrates and/or increase the sustainability of production.
Design (0%)
08
Make (100%)
Place (0%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (10%)
RESEARCHERS (45%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
STAFF (5%)
TECHNICIANS (20%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
%
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
09
Athens Place Lab Network ethical manufacturing, immigrants, re-use fashion, upcycling, recycling, social inclusion, training, networking The Athens Place lab is a network of organisations active in Greece sharing the common goal of supporting the local and social dimensions of fashion, with new modes of organisation of work. The network currently operates informally, with the Hellenic Clothing Industry Association having the coordinator's role. Main partners include: Fashion Revolution Greece, Impact Hub Athens, Social Fashion Factory, Organisation Earth, etc.
10
Design (0%)
Make (0%)
Place (100%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (10%)
RESEARCHERS (45%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
STAFF (5%)
TECHNICIANS (20%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
%
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
11
Casa Clementina Nature & Heritage Lab natural, heritage, craftsmanship, workshops
Casa Clementina is a dyeing and printing laboratory with natural dyes where you can dye and print with ancient recipes and experience new ones. We use dye plants from various countries in the form of extract and as whole, together with various steel and aluminium tools that are available at the lab, in order to carry out such activities. The laboratory has also a library with more than two hundred recipes.
12
Design (0%)
Make (0%)
Place (100%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (0%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (50%)
STAFF (50%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (0%)
services (100%)
13
CENTEXBEL Textile Research testing and research
Centexbel is a non-profit technology centre in Belgium that has a strong focus on textiles. We help companies with certification of textiles, testing and R&D development. We do some of the standard tests for textiles like physical testing and chemical analysis, but we also have one testing lab that deals with the microbiology aspect of textiles One example of that is testing the ability of the special suits worn by medical teams to protect against viruses such as Ebola. We are one of the few labs in Europe which does the testing and certification of this type of fabrics, which means we work with viruses and bacteria. Design (50%)
14
Make (50%)
Place (0%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (0%)
RESEARCHERS (30%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
STAFF (30%)
TECHNICIANS (30%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
80
20
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (80%)
services (20%)
15
ETRI place lab Social entrepreneurship training, community, entrepreneurship
Etri is organized as a cooperative with a strong social component towards social entrepreneurship. Etri is working in the fields of inclusive society, circular economy, green work places, selfsufficiency, social responsible buying and supporting environment. Etri's aim is to become a textile co-working space to support textile designers in Ljubljana. design (30%)
16
make (20%)
place (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (30%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (30%)
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
80
20
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (80%)
services (20%)
17
Fabbrica Arca Open research lab community, digital fabrication
Offering a space where the community and creative researchers can explore new opportunities, such as new textiles and materials, wearable devices, 3D printing, AR applications and many more technologies that can benefit the research and development of the Textiles & Clothing sector. Design (45%)
18
Make (45%)
Place (10%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (40%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
STAFF (50%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
%
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
19
FabLab Venezia Digital Fabrication digital tech, fabbrication, making
FabLab Venezia is a small-scale laboratory that uses a series of computer-controlled machines. The machines are managed through open source softwares, to make them easily accessible, stimulating new forms of creativity and work towards sharing and collaborating. In the lab's view, this approach has a considerable potential for the industry and the crafts, to the point that they believe this could lead to a "fourth industrial revolution.” design (40%)
20
make (50%)
place (10%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
STAFF (50%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
%
100%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (0%)
services (100%)
21
FabTextiles Creative Research digital fabrication, education, materials
FabTextiles is a platform and research line co-founded by Anastasia Pistofidou and Fab Lab Barcelona. This applied research line is focused on textiles, soft architectures and innovative materials. Experimenting with new materials and processes, combining digital fabrication techniques and crafts, FabTextiles is demonstrating how new technologies can shift the massive consumption of fast fashion to a customized, personal and local fabrication applied on education and every day life. design (40%)
22
make (55%)
place (5%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (40%)
RESEARCHERS (30%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
STAFF (20%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
90% 10%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (90%)
services (10%)
23
Gullo Filati Creative community & TCBL café Community focus, empowerment & heritage
Gullo filati was born as a wholesale warehouse and retail store in the heart of Palermo. The company suffered from the crisis in the sector, until they started to focus on the creation of a community of knitters: from young children, to expert old women, cooperating together in a mission of transferring and recovering the knitting work. They created a knitting cafè project, a new business model that starts with creating DIY products until producing small series of products, that are for sale in the shop.
design (10%)
make (20%)
place (70%)
24
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (22.22%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (11.11%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (11.11%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (11.11%)
VALUE
CITIZENS (44.44%)
REVENUE
%
100%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (0%)
services (100%)
25
Hisa Sadezi Druzbe Social enterprise community focus, empowerment, knowledge transfer
Hisa sadezi druzbe is a social volunteering association taking care of socially disadvantaged people in Murska Sobota, by organizing different activities and educating in various fields. With a basic sewing equipment, they are able to produce new products mainly from textile waste and conduct various workshops. It's a place for people to meet, talk, learn and teach. It has a small workshop and a conference room for lectures / workshops. design (10%)
make (10%)
place (80%)
26
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (20%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (10%)
VALUE
CITIZENS (60%)
REVENUE
70%
30%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (70%)
services (30%)
27
Industrial Biotech Lab Biotechnology & Biocatalysis research, technology, biotech Industrial Biotechnology and Biocatalysis (IndBioCat) group is part of the Biotechnology Laboratory (BL) that has a renowned world reputation in the area of biomass bioconversion and biochemistry of plant cell wall degrading enzymes for the production of bioactive compounds and biofuels.  During the past few years, the IndBioCat has been involved in the superficial modification of textiles using enzymes to improve the final properties (hydrophilicity, dyeability) and recently, through the TCBL project and specifically through a collaboration with Athens’ Making Lab, it has been involved in dyeing textiles using bacterial pigments, which constitutes a sustainable process for the clothing industry (BioShades project).
design (0%)
make (100%)
place (0%)
28
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (40%)
RESEARCHERS (40%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (0%)
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
29
Lab.Zen2 Social enterprise for luxury goods social, luxury, craftsmanship
The LAB.ZEN 2 is an artisanal workshop that produces bags with the brand LAB.ZEN. Lab ZEN 2 is a workshop able to respond to market's challenges, but it's also a place of social redemption, re-appropriation of identity and affirmation of legality. It brings together women with different backgrounds, to create a concrete and productive environment. The outputs of this project were rewarded with an immediate market success. The LAB.ZEN 2 handbags have found interest and space on national and international media. design (10%)
make (10%)
place (80%)
30
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (20%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (10%)
VALUE
CITIZENS (50%)
REVENUE
30%
70%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (30%)
services (70%)
31
Lanificio Paoletti Creative textiles manufacturer design, production, innovation and social inclusion
The lab has been founded in 1975 as woolen mill, now it has turned into a modern textile company. It produces for big fashion brands and pret-a-porter chains in Italy, France, UK, Spain and also United States, Japan, China and Korea. The lab has the following machinery available: No. looms: 30 No. machinery for the yarn production: 4 No. warping machinery: 3 (2 of the ‘80s, 1 of 2007 for the samples production No. machinery for the wool twisting: 1 No. ring spinning wheel: 1 No. machinery for carding: 1 No. machinery for winding: 1
design (33.33%)
make (33.33%)
place (33.33%)
32
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (20%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (10%)
CITIZENS (50%)
REVENUE
%
100%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (0%)
services (100%)
33
Little Pink maker Creative Materials Research creativity, design, technology, biotech
Little Pink Maker is ran by Chan'nel Thomas and her mobile bio-lab. It focuses on teaching subjects based on design, technology and research into materials. Teaching with a hands-on focus and by collaborating with other makerspaces and workspaces around Denmark and further afield in other countries. The lab is a huge advocate of using open source platforms and sharing knowledge with a wider audience.
design (33.33%)
make (33.33%)
place (33.33%)
34
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (20%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
TECHNICIANS (5%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (15%)
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
90
10
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (90%)
services (10%)
35
Lottozero Creative Co-working Lab creativity, design, co-working Design Office: we design textiles on our own, we help companies and textile designers get in touch with one another, Textile Laboratories: knitting, silkscreen printing, felting, weaving, dying, sewing, laser cutting. Kunsthalle: for residency projects in Prato, we are open to propositions and at the end of the stay we will have an exhibition in our Kunsthalle. Shared Studios: the Lottozero headquarter is 400 sqm, it's a beautiful space to be shared with other artists, designers, creatives and whoever would like to work there.
design (80%)
make (20%)
place (0%)
36
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (40%)
CONSULTANTS (20%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (10%)
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
50
50 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (50%)
services (50%)
37
Manufacture Copenhagen Creative Research creativity, design, co-working
Manufacture Copenhagen is a lab starting from the design angle and looking to create a Nordic community around sustainable design practices - we actively engage and coordinate designers, manufacturers and researchers on specific issues pertaining to sustainability in the Textile and Clothing industry. We curate and organise events, seminars and talks, and we are working on establishing a physical space for cross-sectorial exploration. design (80%)
make (20%)
place (0%)
38
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (40%)
RESEARCHERS (25%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (5%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (0%)
CITIZENS (10%)
REVENUE
0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
39
Oliva Creative Lab Innovation hub  design, startups, innovation, social
Oliva Creative Lab is a Hub that has the aim of supporting the creation of new startups in the textile sector, having its focus on social innovation encouragement and development of policies towards social inclusion.
design (30%)
make (30%)
place (40%)
40
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (30%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (40%)
VALUE
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
30
70 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (30%)
services (70%)
41
Palermo Place Lab Tradition & Innovation tailoring, entrepreneurship, social
Major aim of the Lab is to rediscover the traditions in textiles and sicilan taylororing techniques, ranging from the use of natural fibers (Hemp, broom, linen, genista) to the knowledge coming from the Neapolitan-Sicilian school of tayloring and embroidery. Palermo Place Lab promotes entrepreneurship and support to unemployed people, migrants, students and common citizens.
Design (35%)
Make (30%)
Place (35%)
42
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (40%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (50%)
untitled (0%)
REVENUE
0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
43
REDU Innovative fashion production centre production, innovation, workshops, social REDU was launched as a pioneering project in Iași, Romania, aiming at addressing the unsustainable path of the clothing and textile industry and providing alternatives. The multidimensional space includes a collection centre that collected over 5 tons of textiles waste, a workshop for creating new products out of it as well as for reconditioning and repairing textile products, a place for organising public events like handmade, repairing and creative recycling workshops, charity bazars, swapping activities etc. Over 5000 people benefited directly from the lab
Design (30%)
Make (30%)
Place (40%)
44
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (20%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (10%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (10%)
VALUE
untitled (40%)
REVENUE
80%
20%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (80%)
services (20%)
45
Sanjotec Design Lab Social entrepreneurship products, r&d, knowledge transfer
Sanjotec Design Lab is focused on encouraging the development of new products based on inventions, patents, knowledge already available in Universities and R&D Centers from regional and international entities
design (70%)
make (20%)
place (10%)
46
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (30%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (0%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (30%)
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
60
40 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (60%)
services (40%)
47
Sartoria Sociale Social enterprise social, entrepreneurship, recycle
“Sartoria sociale� is a project that aims to create a multidimensional social enterprise. It brings together fashion designers, tailors, and dressmakers from all over the world. It is a workshop where Italian and foreign young people who may be in need due to social, employment, or personal problems, meet and work together. It is the right place for a business start up of people and products and services as well as restyling and upstyling of used and new clothing.
Design (20%)
Make (20%)
Place (60%)
48
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (30%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (10%)
VALUE
untitled (40%)
REVENUE
80%
20%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
Social Capital
Human Capital Mindset
Cultural
Economic funding (80%)
services (20%)
49
SOFFA Social Fashion Factory training, sustainability, events
SOFFA- Social Fashion Factory is a cooperative of fashion designers and professionals that provides for the livelihoods of refugees, survivor victims of human trafficking and Greek unemployed, through integration into work and micro-entrepreneurism. We create value for everyone involved! Through children and adult workshops, movie screenings, seminars and various public events on sustainable and socially inclusive fashion, all over Greece, SOFFA raises awareness and trains the ethical consumers, designers and creatives of tomorrow.
design (40%)
make (0%)
place (60%)
50
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (20%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (10%)
CITIZENS (50%)
REVENUE
0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Economic funding (0%)
services (100%)
51
T&C Design Lab Fashion & Innovation design, fashion, prototyping and industry links The Textile and Clothing Design Lab is established in Athens by the Hellenic Clothing Industry Association. The lab is located in the centre of Athens and offers the following services to local designers and industries: - Product design - Small scale product prototyping facilities - Sourcing services - Fashion trends, information and analysis - Training services for SMEs and young designers - Social networking - Processing and preparation for clustering and new labs development.
design (100%)
make (0%)
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52
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (50%)
RESEARCHERS (20%)
CONSULTANTS (5%)
TECHNICIANS (0%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (20%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (5%)
untitled (0%)
REVENUE
%
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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53
TCOE Design Training and Technology training, design, production, industry
The Lab can offer practical space and facilities to give users the freedom to realise and grow their design ideas and reach their potential with expert business and practical support, training and services to call on. Opportunities to weave fabrics, develop ranges and make garments using the various Industrial sewing machines and pressing kit at the Lab. Focusing on short runs. design (75%)
make (0%)
place (25%)
54
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
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STUDENTS (50%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
STAFF (10%)
TECHNICIANS (10%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
REVENUE
50
50 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Human Capital Mindset
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Economic funding (50%)
services (50%)
55
TCOE Make Lab Training and Technology short runs focus
The Lab can offer practical space and facilities to give users the freedom to realise and grow their design ideas and reach their potential with expert business and practical support, training and services to call on. Opportunities to weave fabrics, develop ranges and make garments using the various Industrial sewing machines and pressing kit at the Lab. Focusing on short runs. design (75%)
make (0%)
place (25%)
56
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (35.71%)
RESEARCHERS (7.14%)
CONSULTANTS (7.14%)
TECHNICIANS (7.14%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (7.14%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (7.14%)
CITIZENS (28.57%)
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50
50 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Economic funding (50%)
services (50%)
57
TextileLab Amsterdam Creative Research Lab material, innovation, crafts, fashion, biotechnology & digital fabrication TextileLab Amsterdam focuses on creating a multidisciplinary setting through which knowledge of different fields in combined to find relevant alternatives in the fashion industry and textiles production. Focuses on materials research through the open source Material Archive, which is accessible online or in the lab. Strives for change in fashion/textile education, through program as Fabricademy a new textile academy. Organises world wide distributed events, exhibitions, trainings, workshops, et c.
design (60%)
make (30%)
place (10%)
58
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (35%)
RESEARCHERS (25%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (5%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (15%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
VALUE
STAFF (20%)
CITIZENS (0%)
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90
10
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Human Capital Mindset
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Economic funding (90%)
services (10%)
59
Textile Museum Prato textile museum research, heritage, innovation, knowledge transfer
The Textile Museum of Prato is a main point of reference for the collection and safeguard of the textile history of the Prato district. Its strong connections with textile companies of the area and contemporary industrial production represent a quite unique characteristic in the context of the European museology. The Textile Museum of Prato was opened in 1975 in the Textile Technical Institute “Tullio Buzzi”, as a cultural institution for the recovery of the local productive history and to support training in the sector of textile planning. In May 2003 the Museum found its definitive location in the restored Ex Cimatoria Campolmi, an old textile factory which is perhaps the most important example of industrial archaeology in Prato.
design (50%)
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60
FULL TIME (50%)
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STUDENTS (15%)
RESEARCHERS (10%)
CONSULTANTS (0%)
TECHNICIANS (10%)
TEACHERS/ TUTORS (5%)
FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
STAFF (60%)
VALUE
CITIZENS (0%)
REVENUE
70%
30%
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Economic funding (70%)
services (30%)
61
Textile Prototyping Lab Creative research digital technologies, innovation, industry
The Textile Prototyping Lab (TPL) is located within the Fab Lab Berlin. It is connected to an open textile area where users can get access to and learn how to use textile machines like the loom and the knitting machine and explore interdisciplinary fields such as smart textiles. The TPL connects stakeholders from design, industry and research. Partners for the project are some of Germany's leading textile research institutes and d-school KHB. Our main focus and goal is to support innovation. design (50%)
make (50%)
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62
FULL TIME (50%)
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STUDENTS (20%)
RESEARCHERS (40%)
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VALUE
STAFF (20%)
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0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
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services (0%)
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Time Laboratory Social entrepreneurship community, production &Â entrepreneurshipÂ
The Place Lab hosted at the Time Laboratory is a local initiative promoting women's entrepreneurship and supporting unemployed people, migrants, students, etc. to make their way to self-employment. The laboratory is currently managed by the Municipality and open to the community, featuring several T&C-related activities such as cutting, sewing and so on with specialised equipment such a digital cutting system, computers with pattern making software, and an attached cutting table. design (0%)
make (20%)
place (80%)
64
FULL TIME (50%)
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STUDENTS (90%)
RESEARCHERS (0%)
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TEACHERS/ TUTORS (5%)
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0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
65
Vienna Textile Lab Biotech & Chemical research research, innovation, biotechnology, chemistry
Vienna Textile Lab conducts research in the production of organic colors made from harmless naturally occurring bacteria in order to provide the most sustainable, wholesome and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional synthetic colors.
design (0%)
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66
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STAFF (30%)
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0
100
Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Economic funding (100%)
services (0%)
67
Villette Makerz Creative co-working coworking, research, digital fabrication, community and events
Villette Makerz is a collaborative lab, dedicated to discover and experiment Do it Yourself culture. It is open to those - young audience, families, adults, entrepreneurs, companies - who want to connect and materialise ideas or discover technologies such as: design, 3D design and printing, code, textile, electronic, audiovisual, numerically controlled machines. design (33.33%)
make (33.33%)
place (33.33%)
68
FULL TIME (50%)
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FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (10%)
RESEARCHERS (20%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
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TEACHERS/ TUTORS (10%)
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VALUE
STAFF (10%)
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50
50 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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Economic funding (50%)
services (50%)
69
WeMake Open innovation Lab creativity, design, technology, social WeMake is an innovative lab, a makerspace providing open, membership-based and residency-based access to the creative community in Milan in the field of digital and traditional manufacturing, high-value technology with a fully-equipped multifunctional 250 sq-mt fablab with training and consultancy activities. Clearing the difference between prototype and finished object, we foster the development of a new model of designer-producer (maker) and company by facilitating the prototyping phase, the rapid iteration of design solutions, the ondemand production of physical/digital artefacts, focusing especially on open source approaches. design (30%)
make (40%)
place (30%)
70
FULL TIME (50%)
VOLUNTEER (50%)
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VOLUNTEER (50%)
STUDENTS (15%)
RESEARCHERS (25%)
CONSULTANTS (10%)
TECHNICIANS (10%)
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FOCUS OF THE ACTIVITIES
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70
30 Education / Training Project based research Community engagement Business support service
Production
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services (30%)
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PROJECTS 01 BIOSHADES 74
Open Source - biotech bacterial dyes
02 DIGITAL HERITAGE 78
Knowledge digitalisation for innovation
03 FABRICADEMY: a new textile academy 82
Distributed Education Innovation
04 FELT THE FUTURE 86
Circular Economy
05 THE MATERIAL ARCHIVE 90
Open Source - collaborative materiality
06 SEWING CAFE 94
Local production models
07 WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE 98
Workplace production models
PROJECTS
What is a Lab Project? The TCBL Labs have a vast range of activities being organised in each one of them. Some of these activities have a collaborative framework, they aim in fact, to create connections between laboratories, their communities and the network of businesses connected to them. Lab Projects are those activities with a collaborative essence, were the central focus are knowledge transfers and sharing, but also the creation of a stronger bond between the Lab's population, network and the businesses.
By doing these projects, the Labs feed into the impact of the network, acting like a cohesive bonding element. The main impact outcomes of the projects are about creating and exploring ways of strengthening each laboratory, by learning from the diversity of typology and knowledge fostered in these Labs. Participatory, open and inclusive activities reflect the Lab's values and principles and turn these into actions to which we all can contribute or benefit from.
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01 BIOSHADES open source biotech bacterial dyes
The Project
The Context
BioShades is a project in which we explore the potential of dyeing textiles with bacteria as a less environmentally harmful alternative.
The textile industry is one of the most polluting in the world, in which one of the most environmentally disastrous processes is the dyeing of fibres and textiles of the clothes we wear. Chemicals are released daily in nature destroying the environment around us to satisfy the colour demands that we create as designers, industry and consumers. Very few options are being explored in this fast changing fashion, clothing and textile industry, in which the list of chemical treatments is only expanding.
Through the practise based research attitude and hands-on process, we have explored how growing pigmented bacteria can produce organic designs on textiles or dyes to be applied to textiles.
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Could Bacterial Pigments be a relevant alternative to the current textile dyes?
Subtitle 02
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The Labs This project was initiated by the TextileLab Amsterdam of Waag, today, many other laboratories and companies are involved in the experimentation and testing. The chart below visualises the countries in which TCBL laboratories were involved in the research and testing.
The chart above visualises to which countries we have spread the knowledge of how to produce bacterial dyes.
Distributed events for knowledge transfer After the initial phases of creative and scientific research, and the high demand for knowledge transfer session, workshops and events, we decided to create a first test for a new framework of distributed knowledge transfer. On March 15th, TextileLab Amsterdam organised a series of events, streamed world wide, to instruct and share knowledge on bacterial dyes: from working with bacterias, to harvesting their produce, to connect and empower the communities of each participating laboratory.
This first distributed event, allowed each lab to connect online and learn how to dye textiles with bacteria. But also demonstrated that sharing knowledge between laboratories with such events, can lead to a better connection between and a fast growing network of knolewdge exchange, beneficiary to the growth of the labs, their staff and their communities.
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02 DIGITAL HERITAGE Knowledge Digitalisation for innovation Scope of the Project
The CONTEXT
The Digital Heritage project aims to demonstrate how heritage marketing can add value to textile companies with archives. World wide textile and clothing archives can be an important source of inspiration for the design of contemporary collections and preservation of knowledge of old heritage techniques that are being forgotten and could be innovated by technology.
The de-industrialisation of today has caused a loss of textiles archives and knowledge connected to those archives. There is a general lack of a conservation culture in the industry of fashion and textile manufacturing.
With the appropriate marketing and communication strategies in place, textile archives can further highlight the culture heritage and value to the public and clients in particular. By cataloguing and digitising them, they represent a fundamental resource for designers.
These material books, sample books and data sheets, represent a fundamental source of knowledge. They have great value, as they are the tool left for knowledge transfer, to preserve and transmit, the technical knowhow.
While some companies have maintained their historical archives, these are poorly accessible.
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Can digitalisation of our heritage and knowledge become the inspiration for new technologies?
Who is involved in the digital heritage? The digital heritage is a project that, through knowledge exchange and digitalisation, brings together different parties with different needs, all part of the textile production, Textiles and Yarns manufacturers Fashion and Textile Designers TCBL Labs 79
Tradition and technology This project highlights the dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity in the fashion industry, how craftsmanship can inject knowledge into technology, and technology can keep tradition alive. Many of the elements of the TCBL approach are rooted in tradition – frugality, craftsmanship, socialisation, “slowness” – with the agility and efficiencies brought by new technologies and process innovation making their re-visitation and translation possible. This is thus an example of how continuity and tradition can play a new role in offering a sustainable and viable market alternative, while maintaining the qualities of novelty that are at the heart of fashion design.
The TCBL network involved The Labs: Textile Museum of Prato PratoLottozero The Associates: Industria Italiana Filati Inseta Texmoda Marini Industrie Lanificio Bisentino Lanificio Faliero Sarti Be.mi.va Ilaria Manifattura Lane Trafi Creatività Tessile LineaEsse
Labs (11.76%)
Industry (58.82%)
Designers (29.41%)
The Designers: Aki Watanuki Lena Perraguin Sarah Meyers Laura Fügmann Lizzy Stuyfzand
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03 FABRICADEMY a new textile academy distributed education textiles & digital fabrication The Project
The Context
Fabricademy is a transdisciplinary course that focuses on the development of new technologies applied in the textile industry, in its broad range of applications, from the fashion industry to the upcoming wearable market.
The fashion industry is one of the most traditional and the 2nd most polluting in the world after oil. Today 20% of water pollution globally is caused by textile processing and consumers worldwide spent US$1.7 trillion on clothing in 2014.
The program focuses on the unethical and environmentally unfriendly realities of the current industry, while combining the knowledge of traditional and future craftsmanship to work towards new ways of designing, prototyping and producing for the slowly changing textile and fashion-industry.
The textile and clothing industry needs to explore and start to implement more viable, sustainable and fair alternative systems.
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Can multidisciplinary education change the way we design, produce and consume fashion and textiles?
Who is involved ? This program was co-founded by the collaborative efforts of creative researchers Anastasia Pistofidou, Cecilia Raspanti and Fiore Basile, together with a team of global experts. Anastasia Pistofidou also leads the FabTextiles TCBL lab and Cecilia Raspanti the TextileLab Amsterdam of Waag. Many other TCBL laboratories are involved in this program or are getting ready in order to be able to teach it.
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Distributed education The program is run in a distributed fashion, in which distance and local learning and experts are combined to create the ideal setting for learning by doing, community exchange and tutoring by global experts. Laboratories world wide apply to host Fabricademy in their labs, get trained to become expert local instructors, and are able to offer a new educational program to their own communities. The two phase program lasts 6 months, with 3 months of seminars and learning modules and 3 months focusing on individual in depth applied project research. Both phases are guided by local and global tutors and experts, creating a multidisciplinary setting in which the participants are able to grow towards their own knowledge expansion and interests.
The Classes State of the art Digital Bodies Open source Circular Fashion Biofabricating Dyes and Materials E-textiles & Wearables I Computational Couture Textile Scaffold Open Source Hardware E-textiles & Wearables II Implications & Applications Soft Robotics Skin electronics Final presentations
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The TCBL Labs involved TextileLab Amsterdam - Waag, The Netherlands FabTextiles - FabLab Barcelona, Spain WeMake Milano, Italy LaVillette Makerz, France FabLab Leon
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04 FELT THE FUTURE circular economy refashioning felt The Project
The Context
Felt The Future is an integrated program that gives tools and knowledge to the citizens and promotes creative experimentation with felt to encourage the development of timeless products.
Based on the premises of Handmade (restoring tradition and recurring to manual craftsmanship) and of Ecology (reusing industrial textile residue), output results in unique and exclusive items.
Goals include an understanding of felt’s importance, learning how to manually produce it, but also promote the re-use of this, sometimes, waste in local industry, as the main figure in the development of new products.
Currently, after support, training, and mentoring, project activities led to the creation of a new startup that developed new products: shoes that incorporate felt.
It explores concepts of Redesign and Sustainable Design wherein felt is key.
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Can local industrial waste revive craftsmanship and social innovation?
Who is involved in Felt the Future? This program was co-organized collectively by two TCBL laboratories, Oliva Creative Lab & Sanjotec Design Lab, in cooperation with the local industries and creative industries Feltrando, Olives and Fepsa. Together they explore how to involve their local communities in the redesign of circular material flows, giving space to creatives and generating products from the waste generated by the local industries.
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Circular economy & Local waste Local Value understanding and exploitation: - Knowledge transfer and inclusion: Learning the art of felting, craftsmanship techniques, materials and processes - Heritage revaluation: Discovering the origins of felting and what felting means at a local and international level. - Circular waste: restyling of industrial waste, what is circular economy, how can this benefit and impact local creatives and industries - Circular economy: Production of new products and creation of startups, how can one industry's waste become the raw material of a new one.
The TCBL network involved Oliva Creative Lab Sanjotec Design Lab Feltrando Olives Fepsa
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05 MATERIAL ARCHIVE open source collaborative materiality Scope of the Project
The Materials logic
The Open Source Material Archive is an online / offline, analog / digital library of DIY materials. This project has the aim of exploring, cataloguing and sharing knowledge on sustainable materials in an open source fashion. It collects and displays knowledge, recipes and procedures on how to reproduce the materials developed in the TextileLab Amsterdam. The main scope of this library is to create a common environment in which multiple communities & researchers can share, interact, upload, search and download recipes of DIY materials coming from TextileLabs, FabLabs, BioLabs and creative research labs from all over the world.
Through the digital archive system, we catalogue both Raw materials, which are the "ingredients", and Made materials, materials that are crafted or grown by using the Raw materials. Alternatives coming from a number of scientific and creative fields, are here combined together to create relevant altern atives that mix heritage & craftsmanship techniques with upcoming technologies from digital environments to biotechnology, in order to explore new possibilities for urban manufacturing: from packaging, to fashion & textiles, wearables and smart materials. 90
A collaborative tool for documenting new and traditional techniques, making them relevant combining them with digital technologies and bio fabrication techniques.
What materials are catalogued in the Material Archive? You will find materials ranging from organic textiles, to biobased plastics, bio-resins and bio-silicones, bio-composites, living matter such as bacteria & fungii, wearables and smart materials, reconfigurable modular solutions, digitalised crafts techniques, recycled materials, bacterial and vegan leathers.
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Materials The are subdivided into raw and made materials. In this taxonomy the raw materials are catalogued to better understand what are the ingredients of the made materials. On the other hand, the made materials represent collections of new and old recipes that are fully documented as open source and are accessible to every lab user.
Materials and their typologies
Typology
As the Typology chart on the right showcases, it is important to understand that the made materials are the main documented type of materials. Both creators and users of the material archives are interested in knowledge transfer and understanding of the production techniques behind each material. This allows the user to not only reproduce, but also tweak and redesign certain materials, based on their intended use.
Breaking down this knowledge into simple steps recipes, characteristics tags, applications and pictures is what makes this a very easy to use and accessible tool.
made (70%)
Crafted & Grown materials untitled
The main goal is to work towards the performing aspect of the materials. Where we envision designing the characteristics and lifespan of materials, rather than focusing on their eternal durability.
raw (30%)
0
5
10
Bio - fish skin
15
20
Bio - fish plastic
Bio - bacterial dyes Bio - mycelium
Synthetic Composites Wovens
Bio - kombucha
Bio - natural dye
Bio - plastics
Bio - resins
25
Bio - silicones
Bio - composites Modular
Electronics
Recycled
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06 SEWING CAFE Local production models Scope of the Project
The CONTEXT
The TCBL Sewing Cafe is a project that has the aim to support independent designers and creatives. The involved parties are designers, sewing experts, skilled unemployed workers, but also haberdashery shops, sewing schools or social enterprises equipped for sewing.
TCBL laboratories have often large communities of unemployed skilled workers coming from the fashion and textile industry, nowadays garments are produced in unfair conditions and unsustainable ways. TCBL Cafe looks at innovative production models and local production.
This concept creates the space for a new way of interaction in the production chain of garments and a new vision for selecting future employees for the designers and brands. This new process has the aim to help unemployed skilled workers that by realising a prototype can show their set of skills while making a designers garment.
TCBL Café arose from the successful example of the knitting cafè organised by the Lab Gullo Filati in Palermo. The Cafe project twists the previous concept by shifting the activity to sewing and garment production, bringing together people interested in (learning more about) sewing, while exploring real business opportunities and local production.
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A new local production model to select and empower unemployed highly skilled workers.
Who is involved in a TCBL Cafe? The TCBL Cafe is a project that brings together different parties with different needs, all part of the fashion and garments production chain. Independent Designers and small brands Haberdashery shops Unemployed skilled workers TCBL Labs 95
A new model of employment and production The process behind the TCBL Cafe is simple and very concrete: it brings together a network of designers and skilled participants to create opportunities for new employment. A designer looking for new employees for their practise proposes one or multiple garment projects from past collections. She/he also provides the old prototypes and guides the participants of the TCBL Cafe into producing the pieces. This has double effect, on one hand it helps the designer to expand her/his clientele, but also helps the designer to select future workers among the participants, creating new opportunity for employment of the participants. On the other side we see that the participants have the satisfaction of a completed project. In the background framework, the haberdashery shop will sell the kits necessary for the realization. The sewing schools will be able to advertise themselves and the social enterprises will be able to provide a concrete activity for skilled unemployed working force.
The TCBL network involved The Labs: ARCA Gullo Filati Hisa Sadezi Druzbe TCoE Design and Make Lab Athens Make Lab REDU The Associates: Alice Hall Simona La Torre Alice Salmeri
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07 WORKPLACE of the FUTURE Workplace production models Scope of the Project
The CONTEXT
Workplace of the future is a case study to make the garment production workplace efficient and more humane. Striving for a good balance between the craftsmanship of the past and the large Asian production halls. This project focuses on experimenting with a team assembly approach, where production islands function as replicable modules. This team module approach aims to be able to scale according to varying company sizes and production needs. Self-organising teams meet daily production goals, adapting to different work styles and changing the routine to avoid the loss of interest for what is being done, exchange knowledge and develop skills.
In Europe, studies on the work organization in the production of clothing are outdated and resembling old structures that do not reflect the societal models of today. We can say they are stuck in the seventies. On the other hand we are facing multiple other related issues in the production chains of garments, one of them being the way we produce, such as the unethical and unfair production happening nowadays in Asia.
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Will a new workplace setup allow us to work in better conditions and help revolutionise our workplaces?
Who is essential to change the workplace of the future? The workplace of the future is a project that, through experimental setups, brings together different experts in a workplace to create a more relevant environment and works towards fair and ethical, creative and stimulating work environments. The project is organised and led by the two core elements of the TCBL network: TCBL Labs TCBL Associates 99
Modularity and Scaling up The main quality of this innovative workplace setup is actually its flexibility and scalability for both small and large enterprises, given by its modularity character. As you can see also from the images below, it can be adapted to an Atelier scale and also Industrial short run production. In red the Industrial Short Runs Production setup, and in blue the Independent Atelier setup.
The TCBL network involved The Associates: Clea Polar Katty Fashion Sofiaman The Labs: Fabbrica ARCA / Sartoria Sociale, Palermo, Italy SOFFA, Athens, Greece Reginnova, Iasi, Romania Etri / Hisasadezidruzbe, Slovenia
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the global movement transforming the clothes we wear