Introduction:
Textile design generally refers to the process of creating designs for woven, knitted or printed fabrics or surface ornamented fabrics. It manipulates the appearance of fabrics and other materials. Textile designing is a creative field that includes different methods for production of textile, fashion design and apparel related field. Textile designers work closely with fashion designers and interior designers.
The textile designer needs to be able to understand how to produce a design for a particular fabric type. In addition to this, they also need to be able to develop a textile design that is suitable for a given purpose – usually for the body, or for a particular space. Designers also require a good understanding of current trends, color awareness and contemporary design issues, in order that their designs are up-to-date and relevant for their end purpose. They all encompass a broad range of design processes and approaches. Printed textile designers primarily work on the surface of the fabric. Woven and knitted (or ‘constructed’) textile designers tend to create a fabric from scratch, selecting fibers and yarns at the beginning of the process. Textile designers also often employ other techniques to create fabric (often referred to as mixed media techniques). Mixed media is often used in conjunction with either knit, weave or print but is also a craft of making in its own right.
Latest Technology Used in Textile Designing:
Nowadays, different types of technology used in the field of textile designing. So textile designers should update with latest technologies. In this article I will discuss about some important latest technologies applied in textile design.
The technology trends that will drive textile designing include:
- Computer aided design (CAD) or Computer aided manufacturing (CAM)
- Shape-memory applications in textile design
- 3D printing in textile design
1. Computer-aided design (CAD) in textile design:
Computer-aided design (CAD) has brought a revolution in the textile designing. Textile designer become benefited from CAD to visualize and see their imaginative design in final form without producing any sample swatch. Customers can also give ideas for designing according to their particular requirement.
With the increasing convergence of technologies, CAD/CAM will continue to evolve into an integrated environment that drives the entire company. No longer serving just design or production functions within the company, CAD/CAM will become an integral part of the company ‘intranet’, – feeding sourcing, merchandising and marketing processes that support the entire enterprise.
Other applications of CAD/CAM in textile designing includes:
a. Modularization:
Proprietary software packages will give way to modular plug-ins-software solutions that are narrow in focus and designed to easily integrate with existing custom or off-the-shelf software.
b. 3D body scanning:
3D laser scanning interpreted into accurate 2D flat patterns will become a viable entity in the industry. This technology will enable a proper fit of a garment and will fuel the end of mass production and excessive retail inventories. In their second generation, body scanners will be combined with video display and will enable the customer to ‘tryon’ sized-to-fit virtual garments.
c. Mass customization:
As we enter the technology age of mass customization, CAD/CAM technology will become a driving force in the sales and marketing of apparel.
2. Shape-memory applications in textile design:
Shape memory materials (SMM) are smart materials that can remember and recover substantial programmed deformation upon activation and exposing to an external stimulus. The concept of shape memory fabric in textile designing is new. Shape-memory materials can be used for clothing, textile as yarn, fabric or fiber. Shape-memory fibers can be implemented to develop smart textiles that respond to thermal stimulus. Although It has some applications such as in brassieres and flame retardant laminates. But it also has better potential for textile and clothing and related products. These products are shoes, various breathable fabrics, thermal insulating fabrics and crease, shrink-resistant finishes for apparel fabrics, etc. These products can be made with finishing, coating, laminating, blending, and other innovative structures.
3. 3D printing in textile design:
3D printing has its roots in the production of simple plastic prototypes. 3D printing builds up three-dimensional objects, one layer at a time, following digital designs loaded into their memories. 3D printing has revolutionary changed in textile design. As the technology continues to grow, its limitations and costs will gradually diminish. The idea of mass-customised design can become a reality with the application of 3D printing, which can reduce the problem of size and fit.
Without above these technology, C-Design Fashion, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), WinMan, TexAMS ERP, Apparel Maestro, Adobe Illustrator, Pattern Design Software, etc. are also used in textile designing.
Conclusions:
Latest technologies in textile designing that offer maximum flexibility and guarantee the quality and consistency of the processes are needed for the industry today. Some tools allow users to recreate an environment identical to their traditional one. Some can produce markers only one to two percent less efficiently than those of an experienced marker person. The key to the future is compatibility. To maintain continuity and reduce problems, new systems should be created that accommodate the old.
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Editor of Fashion2Apparel. She is a fashion designer and ex-lecturer in Fashion Designing. She wants to spread fashion knowledge throughout the world.
