Material Xperience: Rethinking the future of textiles in the fashion industry

Rotterdam - The fashion industry is one of the most polluting sectors in the world - this is an unavoidable fact. The emergence of the fast-fashion business model has led to a growing demand for natural resources, such as cotton, wool, and silk, as well as man-made resources like polyester, which is causing immense harm to the environment. As the world’s population continues to boom, demand for apparel is only set to grow which means the fashion industry will be forced to take a closer look at its current production methods and reinvent them.

This video is in Dutch - for English subtitles, please go to Settings and select English.

"The fashion industry will change tremendously in the next 5 to 10 years

Now, imagine a world where you could simply bury your t-shirt when it is worn out and it decomposes by itself. Or wearing a smart-shirt that tracks your pulse and breathing patterns throughout the day - or using a handbag made from leftover pineapple crop leaves - these are just a few of innovations displayed at Material Xperience, the leading trade fair for creative professionals focusing on material innovation. Taking place from March 13 to 15 at Ahoy Rotterdam, the event is divided into 6 sectors, featuring a dedicated fashion and workwear section for the first time. Throughout the three day event, organized by Materia, the global network of innovative materials, newest materials from its independent collection, which were scouted over the last year were proudly showcased.

New, innovative textiles such as Pinatex, fish leather and Mycotex, caught the attention of many visitors, as well as emerging smart textiles with embedded sensors that offer the wear numerous additional functions like monitoring your body’s vital measures. In addition to showcasing the newest materials set to redefine the future of fashion and workwear, Material Xperience also included key talks from leading creatives in the field of fashion like Marina Toeters from by-wire.net, Ellen Mensink, founder and director of Loop.alife and Yassine Salihine, trend forecaster at Footwearists, who shared their insights on the future of sustainable material innovations.

Video: Blanca Heise for FashionUnited, homepage image: FashionUnited