New forms of collaboration lay the foundations for the fashion of the future
In connection with the project Öresund Match, where it works to develop collaborations between business and research, Lund University has identified more than 70 researchers with research that is applicable in the field of fashion and textiles — a surface that many can relate to, and which in many cases expands beyond what we traditionally see about fashion. The circle includes not only researchers in fashion science, but also researchers in architecture, materials, behavior change, electronics, digitalization, gaming, chemistry and e-commerce.
- It's all about laying a horizontal foundation. There are a lot of people interested in the transformation of the textile industry, which is both fun and absolutely necessary. In order to truly create a lasting difference, it is important that we work transversely — and then we need to include researchers who traditionally might never have found the fashion sector,” says Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth, project manager at the Collaboration at Lund University. What does research on electronics have to do with fashion? Yes, maybe not very much at first glance, but when we start thinking about electronics in clothes... for heating, sensors, and so on, then of course they are very relevant. The same goes for gaming -- and digital apparel, for example.
In partnership with Future by Lund, Fashion Innovation Centrer and XPlot LU Collaboration lays the foundation for new possible innovation processes, where the food chain in the fashion and textile industries can be tackled holistically from several different sectors.
LU Collaboration is responsible for coordinating researchers from different faculties, Future by Lund and the Fashion Innovation Center are in contact with the business community, and XPlot has its hand extended to the entrepreneurs.
- Together, we can ensure the establishment of concrete collaborations between SMEs and academia. We are building a collaborative space where researchers can contribute with an analysis of the world, the business community can contribute with needs and challenges, and where we can find new innovative solutions that can make a sustainable difference when it comes to the fashion of the future,” says Lars Mattiasson, CEO at XPlot.
The initiative is in line with the EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which outlines a new — and holistic — approach to tackling the challenges facing the fashion industry; a directive that will affect both the way we produce and consume textiles in the future.
An example of innovative textile production can be found in the company ShareTex, which turned to the project Öresund Match in 2022. ShareTex uses a chemical process in a versatile technology, where the company can both recycle textiles and evaluate textile waste that is not suitable for the production of new textile fibers — which also minimizes the flow of textile waste to incineration.
- We convert textile waste into a cellulose pulp or a glucose solution, depending on the characteristics of the starting material. Cellulose can be reused in textile production, and the parts that cannot be broken down into new textile fibres are instead broken down into glucose,” says Miguel Sanchis Sebastiá, CTO at ShareTex. Both cellulose and glucose can be used to improve the sustainability of a variety of end products — both in the textile industry and in other sectors. In our process, we can recycle textiles and at the same time maintain and extend the highest possible value over its life cycle.
Öresund Match has had the opportunity to develop different routes into the university for collaboration and to sow the seeds for different forms of collaboration between business and academia. But it doesn't end there:
- There are wider possibilities in dressing in such a wide field as fashion and textiles. We are now preparing the sector for a transition by finding new forms of collaboration and thus getting ready to talk about future innovation projects, not least together with smaller companies,” says Charlotte Lorentz Hjorth.
Large Image: 100% Recycled Thread.