Archive for the 'Tuesday Tech Talk' Category

Sun Protection II

Published on July 20, 2010 in Technology and Tuesday Tech Talk. 0 Comments Tags: , .

You are probably wondering why I have started to write a category like Tuesday Tech Talk on my blog. Well, as you might now, besides going crazy making stuff, photographing and writing about it, I am still a designer. And my aspiration for I ♥ Design is to become – over time – a resource for designers in the athletic and outdoor apparel industry. A place where not only I share my inspirations and personal projects but also the knowledge I have researched and built up over the last 15 years as a designer in the athletic apparel industry.

So here is part 2 of the Sun Protection Series. Last week we discussed the meanings and differences of UVA, UVB, SPF and UPF and the best option we currently have to protect ourselves from harmful UV Rays.

This week, I’ll be focusing on the UPF component. UPF – Ultraviolet Protection Factor rates how much of the suns radiation is absorbed. A UPF 50 only lets 1/50th of the UV rays pass through. So in other words, the UV rays are reduced to only 2%.

Determination of UPF Ratings:
In the past, UPF ratings were determined by placing a piece of fabric on top of human skin and expose it to UV radiation up to 60 times higher then the Sun. The resulting degree of sunburn determined the UPF rating. Ouch! These days Spectrometers are used to determine the UPF with much less pain for any testing subject.

Now, look at some test results with only white test matter  from an Australian study in the mid 90s:

And here a table of the UPF ratings and what they mean:

So, a UPF of 20 lets only 20% of the UV rays through which in other words means, only 5% of the UV rays are passed through. UPF 15 is the minimum rating a fabric has to achieve before it can be labeled sun protective.

General Observations:
Generally, the lighter the color of a material, the less UV absorption. If a fabric has a tight weave, it’s UPF rating will be higher than a loose weave. Also note that once a fabric is stretched, the weave or knit structure becomes more dense and more rays can pass through. Easy testing method for everybody at home: Hold the fabric up to the light: If you can see through it, the rating will be less then when it’s dense. Also, if fabric gets wet, the UPF rating is instantly cut in half. So a white cotton tee has a UPF rating of 7, once you pull it over your kid’s head to let it play in the water for a couple of hours, the rating immediately goes down to only a UPF 3!

Treatments:
For designers, creating UPF apparel lines with a restricted fabric palette might seem stifeling. Fortunately, a lot of fabrics are now available that have chemical sun blocks washed into them.
And Nanotechnology offers even better solutions: I found a manufacturer that invented a way to create a water based starch and Zinc Oxide solution that bonds to the fibers and creates superior UV protection. As we found out last week, Zinc Oxide has extensive UVA and UVB absorption ratings and is in terms of health concerns the superior option as it isn’t absorbed into the skin like chemical filtering agents could, yet creates a barrier on top which reflects the rays before entering into the skin.

photo by nanowerk

This enlargement shows three different scenarios:

A is cotton fiber without treatment

B shows cotton fiber with Zinc Oxide being clumped up in certain areas which doesn’t offer the same protection as

C where the Zinc Oxide is washed in with a starchy water based solution. The even coverage of the Zinc Oxide Particles offers good UV protection

And for everybody who’s at home and would like to enhance the UV protection abilities of existing clothing, there are solutions: iDye for example offers a simple solution in which everybody can  wash extra (chemical based) sun protection into our clothes. The protection lasts for about 20 washes before it has to be repeated.



Concept thoughts that come to mind besides covering up all skin areas:

  • Use of dark colored fabric at the bottom of visors
  • Use of silver threads for a melange look and reflection in fabrics
  • Insertion of reflective fabric at shoulder and/or neck areas to reflect the sun.

Tuesday Tech Talk – Sun Protection (I)

Published on July 13, 2010 in Technology and Tuesday Tech Talk. 2 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Growing up I suffered from being fair skinned.

However much I wanted to sport a health glow just like my friends did, the only thing I was able to get were pretty bad sunburns. Here just one of my memorable burns: I was 10 years old and desperately wanted to try windsurfing while vacationing with my mom in Terracina,Italy. We only had an adult sized rig and no means for a child sized one. So my lucky day was when friends offered me to try theirs the following day. At the end of a sun-filled day, being back from the beach, the whole backside of my body was fire! And red like a lobster! The only thing left for me was staying in bed with my backside being smothered with yoghurt and honey for three days. Not quite sure what hurt more: The fact that I couldn’t walk because the skin in the back of my knees was so tender, or because I lost the once of a lifetime chance of being on a me-sized surfboard?

I am sure everybody has one or more stories just like this and everybody knows that exposure to the sun causes sunburn and skin aging, but few really know details and all the rating is quite confusing. UVA, UVB, SPF30, UPF30? What the heck does all this exactly mean?

Ultraviolet Rays

There are three types of UV (ultraviolet) rays emitted from the sun: UVA, UVB and UVC which all have different wavelengths which are shorter than visible wave lengths (colors) and therefore can’t be seen with the naked eye.

While UVC rays are absorbed by the ozone layer before even reaching the earth, it’s the UVA and UVB rays that play a role in premature skin aging, reddening of the skin and development of skin cancer.

UVA accounts for 95% of the UV radiation on the earth. While UVA rays are less intense then UVB (and were once believed to be less harmful also) they are equally prevalent during daylight times throughout the year. UVA rays cause skin aging and wrinkling and are the dominant tanning ray which penetrate the deeper layers of the epidermis and is found to cause damage in the basal layer of the Epidermis – which is exactly where most skin cancers occur.

Another side effect of UVA exposure is the sense of sleepyness. Have you ever wondered how on earth can you still be tired after a full day of laying lazy at the beach? Even though you were hanging out in the shade?

UVB rays are the ones that cause those nasty burns. UVB rays are responsible for skin reddening and damage to the superficial epidermal layer and play a major cause in developing skin cancer. The intensity of UVB exposure depends on the season and time of day. The highest UVB exposure is from 10am to 4pm in the US, April to October. Basically when the sun is highest – the UVB exposure is too.

UVB exposure however is not limited to spring and summer time. It can can be high year round – and  especially threatening for athletes! High altitude and reflective surfaces will bounce back up to 80% of the rays, resulting in a double whammy as the rays are hitting the skin twice – and from all angles!

How to protect ourselves?

Besides seeking shade outdoors between 10am and 4pm and the use of tinted windows which blocks out 99% of the UVA rays, there are generally two types of protection you can buy in store: UPF and SPF

UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) is used to rate clothing. (more on that next week!)
SPF (Sun Protection Factor) is used to rate Suncreams.

Even though UPF and SPF factors both get numerical rating, the meaning of those numbers is quite different and shouldn’t be confused!

A UPF of 30 means that only 30% of the sun’s rays can penetrate the fabric.

The SPF rating doesn’t indicate the amount of sun protection. The factor is highly personal: It indicates how long it’ll take for your skin to redden with sunscreen in comparison to how long it would take without a product. So an SPF of 30 gives you 30 times longer to stay outdoors before you get a sunburn.


source: wikipedia

The Skin Cancer Foundation recommends an SPF of at least 15 for adequate protection, but here is how the protection breaks down:

SPF 15 filters 93% of UVB rays
SPF 30 filters 97% of UVB rays
SPF 50 filters 99% of UVB rays

If you haven’t only skimmed this article so far, you are wondering – wait a minute! Looks like only UVB rays are filtered in modern sun screen. What about the equally harmful UVA rays?

To date,  manufacturers aren’t required to measure and label UVA protection on sun screen product. There are multi spectrum sun screen products available that filter some of the UVA rays but as there is no requirement about how much UVA rays have to be filtered out. So, be careful.

There are two types of FDA approved filtering agents in suncreams: organic (chemical) and inorganic (physical) filters. (Why the heck are the chemical substances called organic???)

The most common filters are the chemical ones which form a thin protective film on the skin and absorb the UV rays before they penetrate the skin. Check what’s approved by the FDA: Avobenzone, Ecamsule (a.k.a. Mexoryl™), Oxybenzone.  Also, click on the links above and you’ll find generally concerning data on filtering agents Avobenzone and Oxybenzone that can in turn cause cancer, allergies and hormone disruption and cell damage. Isnt’ it interesting how one evil is fought with another set of evil?

The inorganic/physical filter are: Zinc Oxide and Titanium Dioxide. Those inorganic/qhysical filters are insoluble particles that reflect the rays away from the skin (and are not absorbed).

Looking at above chart, the one and only agent that filters UVA and UVB at extensive levels is Zinc Oxide.

According to Soapwire:

1. Zinc Oxide has a broader UVA spectral absorbance than Titanium Dioxide
2. Zinc Oxide is safer from oxidative free radical production and chemical damage
3. Zinc Oxide is not made from a toxic heavy metal
4. Zinc Oxide is the ONLY sunscreen that is FDA-approved for use on babies younger than 6 months of age. (This is despite the fact that many mass market manufacturers market ‘baby’ formulas full of petrochemicals that are NOT approved for use on babies!)

The last fact illustrates that Zinc Oxide is the also the safest sunscreen on the market and the only one you should be using on your children.

Here is what we use:

It’s by Goddess Garden and now sold at New Seasons. For a list of mineral based sunscreens at Green Guide with pricing comparison, click here.

To conclude:

  • UVA and UVB rays are equally responsible for sun damage.
  • SPF of 15 is the minimum Sun Protection Factor you should use.
  • Be safe and choose a sun screen that uses Zinc Oxide as filtering agent as it has the best protection against both, UVA and UVB rays.
  • UPF (UV Protection Rating) ratings are used for garments.

Because this weeks Tuesday Tech Talk turned out to be quite lengthy, I’ll break it up into two parts, with the second part about UPF rating, fiber, fabric, washing and color info being published next week which will be even more informational especial for designers.

Sources:
Illustrations and Tables: Skincancer Foundation
http://www.skincancer.org
http://www.soap-wire.com/2008/09/mineral-sunscre.html

http://www.vivawoman.net/2008/09/26/mineral-based-sunscreens-are-the-best/

http://www.thegreenguide.com/buying-guide/sunscreen/smart_shoppers_list

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen


Fussball Fieber 2010

Published on June 21, 2010 in design, Handmade, Sew beautiful and Tuesday Tech Talk. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

While we are already over a week into the Soccer Worldcup in South Africa, and the first not very successful England game kicked of Saturday last week, I still wanted to show a little refashion project I made for our littlest supporter and discuss the main Jersey designs on pitch in SA.

Above: Father and daughter proudly sporting their partner look. I cut up a men’s sized official Umbro Away Jersey (also see below), and created a little dress out of it by using a Figgy’s Kids pattern that I was happy enough to test  (the pattern will come out later this year). I did a couple of little adjusts like lowering the neck and adding some elastic shirring around the waist – which was easy as the pattern is simple and straight forward. Shelly and Karen are providing super tricks and tips on how to work with knits without the use of a serger. Once you have accomplished your first tee or dress, the inner designer in you will roar and you won’t be able to stop yourself making more and jazzing things up as you wish.

Talking about design. I looked a little bit closer at the jerseys that are currently working the pitches in South Africa and wanted to express my thoughts.

Nike:

Photos: Nike.

The Nike Jerseys are as expected very clean with the major visible federation design elements being sublimated graphics. The use of side panels with mesh inserts and the tried and trusted dri-fit technology. What is remarkable however is that Nike uses 100% recycled polyester material in their jerseys. Nike sponsors a total of 9 federations at the WC.

I think I haven’t talked about shoes on this blog – especially not trainers, but these are truly outstanding and dominant on the pitch in South Africa right now and designed by my very talented hubby. So excuse this promo: More info and insight on his creative process here and here, here and here.

Adidas:

Photo: adidas

Adidas is by far the largest Sponsor in the World Cup. They outfit about 12 federations with the key ones being Germany, Argentina, Spain, Mexico, South Africa. I like how adidas is going for a more classic spin on the German, Argentinian and Spain jerseys with a slimmer fit and variations on their trademark 3-stripe design. All jerseys feature their Clima Cool technology and use virgin polyester fabrications with mesh panel inserts. The biggest feature on field are the printed silicone-like straps on the jerseys. A technology that adidas has been working with for quite some time which is supposed to lead to increased Proprioception. The theory is that by wearing a garment with this technology, the athlete has a higher sensory perception of his body parts in relation to the one where pressure is applied. This is achieved by compressing muscle groups and in case of the adidas jerseys, a sensory experience through rubberized printed areas.

However, some jerseys I feel are still a bit too busy. France for example looks a bit too 90s with the print that reads too busy on field (which is surely not the reason why the players boycott training right now) and the greek jersey with it’s asymetrical, decorative flatlock stitching isn’t my favorite either.

Adidas also runs the strategy to highlight their strong soccer past by offering a special edition box containing a retro jersey and a current 2010 jersey at a price tag of $300. They do the same for Mexico and France. What kept me wondering was why the pack is sold under the Original Logo. Is adidas looking more into their great past then what the future brings?

Puma:

While Puma has been a strong powerhouse with football and sponsors 7 federations, 5 of which are from the African continent, the team that promises the most success is Italy. And this is probably the nicest jerseys of them all. Now I have to correct myself here as I am watching the Germany – Ghana game: The Ghana Jersey is the best one. Love the Star on the right front shoulder.

Photo: bigsoccer.com

Umbro:

While Umbro’s  Kit designed by Aitor Troup, is probably my favorite jersey it’s unfortunately only sported by the English team. He used a cotton polyester blend in the front that has a very pleasing hand. Mesh back panel for lumbar ventilation was used and elastic jersey for the raglan sleeve construction to achieve a very fitted sleeve that is knowingly difficult to create. The pattern has some neat and thought out elements, like upper back darts around the shoulder plates. It is very clean and classic with beautiful design elements. We’ll see how long we can watch this jersey in action in South Africa.

So, do need to note something here as I have learned: The jersey was in fact designed by an internal Umbro designer who seemed not to have the ‘street cred’ then Aitor has, who has been featured on the Kanyewest blog. He’s probably most famous for multiple 3D gasmask protruding from shirts. Very reminiscent of concepts an old colleague of mine.

I ♥ colour – Natural Dyes – Part 2

Published on May 3, 2010 in Handmade, Natural Dying and Tuesday Tech Talk. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

In this post I’ll explain the 4 steps you will have to take to dye with natural dyestuffs. It is my intent to inspire you to try this technique and make it look as easy as it actually is. Obviously you have to take general precautions in dying like protecting surfaces and not using the same equipment that you prepare food with. This post doesn’t claim to be absolute and I encourage everybody to read one of the books i mentioned in Part1 to learn more about the fine nuances of dyestuffs and fibers and find more targeted dye recipes. The colors in the photos were achieved with below ‘basic recipe’.

Before going into the details, we need to differentiate between protein and cellulose fibers.

  1. Protein fibers are animal derived fibers: wool and silk
  2. Cellulose fibers are plant based fiber: hemp, linen, cotton, bamboo, soy

Generally speaking, protein fibers take dye easier then cellulose fibers.

Enough said, let’s go into the interesting, the dying part: Or let’s call it WoMED

  1. Wash
  2. Mordant
  3. Extract
  4. Dye

Before you start, ALWAYS weigh and note the weight of your fabric. The dry weight of your fabric will determine the amount of mordant and dyestuff you will need to achieve the desired color.

walnut, oak gull, onion skin dyed silks and hemp-cottons

Step 1:

Preparation of your fabric or yarn so the dye can actually bind with the fiber. This process is called scouring.  In general terms, most commercially available fabrics have been treated with some form of treatment in the weaving or knitting process and all fiber forms have inherent properties like oil (wool), wax (linen, cotton, bamboo, soy, hemp) or gum (silk) that need to be removed to achieve consistent and even dye coverage throughout your fabric or fiber. Wash with a few drops of Synthrapol (pH neutral washing liquid) dissolved in hand-warm water which will be heated up to simmering point for about 20-40 minutes depending on the weight of your fabric. Don’t expose your material to extreme changes of temperature by rinsing it with cold water after just coming out of the hot bath. This is especially  important for wool as it will felt!

Logwood dyed hemp-cotton and silk fabrics and wool yarn.

Step2:

In order for the dyestuff to bind on a molecular level with the fiber (which makes is wash and light faster), the fiber has to be chemically altered. This is what’s called mordanting. The chemicals that are used are Alum, Iron, Copper and Tin. Alum will bring out the brightest of colors where as iron saddens them. Copper and Tin are mildly poisonous and therefore need to be cared for properly. They can however produce vastly different shades of colors. I would start to experiment with Alum and Iron first and exhaust all possibilities  before using Copper and Tin mordants.  This is the basic recipe:

  • Dissolve 10% Alum (of your dry fabric weight) in a large pot of water big enough to immerse your fabric completely. Wet out your fabric, immerse in the pot, bring to a simmer and leave for about 1 hour. Let cool to hand warm, rinse thoroughly.
  • Note*: You can pre-mordant fabrics in bulk and store them until you are ready to dye. Just wet out the fabric before immersing in the dye bath.

Wool yarn dyed with rosewood and modified with a soda ash bath. The color shades are created by the lenght of time the yarn was immersed in the soda-ash bath.

Step3:

While your fabric is being mordanted, you can start preparing your dyestuff. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add in your dyestuff.  100% of your dry fabric weight will produce most intense colors and can be muted with less dyestuff. Bring to a boil and let simmer for about 60minutes. Dyestuff that I enjoyed most as a beginner were Onionskins (golden brown), Logwood (dark purples) and Cochineal (pink). Strain and collect the dye sap in a large enough pot to immerse your fabric completely. Top up with water if necessary. No worries, you are not ‘dissolving’ the dye by adding water.

  • Note*: If you are buying prepared, ground or pulverized dyestuffs, this step will take much less time. Follow the manufacturers directions.

Silks and wool dyed with cochineal and rosewood. Bottom silk printed with Logwood.

Step 4:
Immerse your fabric/yarn in the dye pot, bring just below boiling pot and simmer for about an hour or until the desired color is achieved. To intensify the color, you can leave the fabric cool over night in the sap or as long as you like. Take out, rinse and let dry!

There are cool things you can do after you dyed your  fabric like modifying, printing, using stencil or mono-printing techniques or even discharge. I’ll show some examples and share resources in tomorrows post.

Hope you enjoy! I’d love to hear from you and see your dye results.

I heart color – Natural Dyes – Part 1

Published on April 29, 2010 in Handmade, Natural Dying and Tuesday Tech Talk. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Working for big Brands, color selection is efficient and made easy: At the beginning of each season, color cards are handed out to the design and merchandising teams – and from a selection of anywhere between 100 – 300 (or more!) available colors for that particular season, designers are able to create beautiful color selections. Those colors are usually standardized Pantone or Scotdic colors (based on the Munsel Color System) with exact recipies and synthetic dyestuffs designed to ensure color, wash and light fastness (as best as possible) for large scale production runs that are manufactured in production facilities which can be all over the globe. Yet once it’s all sewn and shipped, all the garments within a range, have to match and color coordinate no matter where their sourcing location.

Natural dying is a little more tricky: The dyestuffs, the heat, the water, the mordants  and the length of time the fabric, yarn or fiber is exposed to the dyebath can all impact the outcome. Thus natural dyes are very hard to control in larger and even small scale production runs.

But starting to experiment with natural dyes is something that can be done at your kitchen stove. Dying your own cloth or yarn is fun, fairly easy and satisfying. There are lots of books out there on natural dying. One thing to note is that none of those books are absolute. Because only with much care (and note keeping) can results be reproduced.  All of the books showcase beautiful color hues and recipes are given. I personally see them rather as ‘guidelines’ on what is theoretically achievable. If I don’t like a color – heck then I just dye over the previous color achieving again entirely different colors. I guess I am a bit more experimental that way. But they are lovely to look at and worth the investment.

Natural Dyeing (left) has lovely photography of the dyestuff, offers various recipes and showcase in photos the color results on wool yarn. It gives general information on dying and is perfect if you are just starting out.

Ida Grae’s Nature’s Colors is more of a historical reference book. There is a section of color photographs showing the plant material out of which the dyestuffs are made adjacent to the finished dyed yarn in various hues. In general, the book states on using much more dyestuff then is actually necessary. In the old days it was common to use much more but more modern knowledge suggests smaller ratios. It’s a great book for people that are really into it and want to collect their own plant material. Me for example, I have a hard time identifying the plants but the plant drawings are helpful. Ida Grae’s recipes are numbered and referred to by the number not the page size. So that takes a little getting used to.

Then there is Natural Dyes a color reference book with hundreds of colors and recipes. It concentrates on Wool and Cotton which is unique. Most books don’t do much with cotton fiber but rather work with Hemp and Linen.

And there is a 4th one which I just couldn’t pass on buying (today!):

Natural Dying: Fabric, Yarn and Fiber.
And from what I can see so far – it’s the best book on my shelve on the topic. The Authors are Eva Lambert and Tracy Kendall. Eva Lambert owns a yarn company in Scotland and has written the part on dying yarn and fiber and Tracy Kendall wrote the fabrics part. She has been teaching at Central Saint Martins for 25 years. I am just assuming that Stella McCartney was one of her students. It’s available here. It’s beautifully photographed, with plenty of inspiring colors and recipes. It also gives stop-by-step instructions on dip dye, batik and printing tips.
Natural Dying F09

But wait! There is one more  that is more then worth mentioning!

Wild Color by Jenny Dean has been out of print since 1999 and is said to be the bible of Natural Dyes. With a current price tag of $195 (for a book that once used to be $19.95) I decided to pass for now. I wish the publisher would relaunch it – I have the feeling it would be wildly successful.

Enough for today though. In the next couple of days, I will go over basic info on what you need, how to prepare and dye yarn or fabric and sourcing tips. And show some of my own dye results and projects.

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