weaving – EcoSalon

OpenKnit: DIY Digital Clothing Loom Disrupting Fast Fashion

Jill Ettinger — Sat, 20 Sep 2014 07:00:37 +0000

Got an hour to kill? Knit yourself a jumper with the open-source digital loom called OpenKnit.

OpenKnit is the open-source digital fabrication tool that will knit you a jumper in under an hour.

The brainchild of Gerard Rubio, a designer based in Barcelona, OpenKnit uses Knitic software designed by Mar Canet and Varvara Guljajeva. OpenKnit pulls the designs from the software and then after measurements are entered and weights placed to stabilize the fabrics, the machine gets knitting.

“[I]ts novelty lies in the fact it is not only relatively affordable to build from the instructions posted on Github [around $700] but there is already something of an ecosystem around the venture,” reports Wired. “Collaborators Mar Canet and Varvara Guljajeva have designed the Knitic software that lets you input parameters for the machine to adhere to, to tailor the garment; and Takahiro Yamaguchi has launched DoknitYourself, a place to share all the digitally designed knitted clothes already made using it.”

But what’s the big deal? Why should we care about a modern knitting machine? Well, fast fashion for one. Anything we can do for ourselves is one less garment made in a sweatshop. “The point of the project, of course, is to upend and question all forms of traditional mass production — no biggie, then,” Wired explains.

“Presently, production outsourcing has become the norm: mass fabrication of goods at low costs improves corporate profit margins but pushes precarious labour conditions due to a race to the bottom in competing developing markets,” Rubio wrote on his blog. “Production entails long and precise processes before those goods reach our hands, many of which are pervasive in our daily life, and frequently in intimate contact with us, such as textiles. In such a context the market price we pay for goods has not absorbed the externalities created, thus we end up paying far less for them than the real impact they have in society and the environment.” He adds: “It’s always great to have fun and learn while working on something you enjoy doing but it’s also important to do things for a reason once in a while, and that’s the combination of ingredients that created the OpenKnit project.”

The best part of all of this so far is Rubio’s brazen attitude. He’s taken his knitted clothes and after disrobing mannequins at H&M and Benetton locations, he re-clothed them with his own creations. He explained it that he just wanted to “put some company names on the table, companies that perpetuate the status quo of the fashion industry and its model of production and consumption”.

Made In the Neighbourhood (ft. a clothing printer, OpenKnit) from Gerard Rubio on Vimeo.

Find Jill on Twitter @jillettinger

Related on EcoSalon

Urban Outfitters’ KSU Sweatshirt: A Blood Stain on Our Fashion Obsession

Can Fast Fashion Brand H&M Change the Textile Industry in Ethiopia for the Better?

Can Forever 21 Ever Move Beyond Fast Fashion? Behind the Label

The post OpenKnit: DIY Digital Clothing Loom Disrupting Fast Fashion appeared first on EcoSalon.

30 Gorgeous Photos of Traditional Textiles

Jessica Marati — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:04:14 +0000

A kaleidoscope of fabrics from across the globe.

In many parts of the world, textiles are a vital element of culture. Sometimes they have ancient stories woven into their patterns. Sometimes they incorporate rare natural fibers. Sometimes they’re produced using millennia-old methods passed down along generations. And other times, they’re just really pretty.

But as cheap mass-produced fabrics flood local markets around the world, there is a growing devaluation of textile arts. And because it’s becoming more and more difficult to make a living from textile work, artists are passing away without passing down their knowledge while younger generations pursue more lucrative industries.

This collection of photos showcases a sampling of the most beautiful traditional textiles from around the globe. This is an art in desperate need of preservation.

(above) Saris, New Delhi, India

Woven Blankets, Urubamba, Peru

Kente Weaving, Ghana

Indonesian Handwoven Textiles, Bali, Indonesia

Woven Cloth, Mexico

Tartan Plaid Wool Fabric, Nova Scotia, Canada

Inca Patterns, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

Vintage Angelo Testa fabric, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California

Meghwal Veil, Bhirandiara, India

Textiles, Otavalo, Ecuador

Knit Jacket, Oakland, California

Hand Embroidery, Germany