After seeing the symposium ‘Beyond Green’ in Amsterdam last November, it is interesting to see what kind of initiatives exist in our world today. The conclusion of the symposium was: 

‘Fashion designers have to look carefully at technical development and collaborate with technicians by getting their designs produced, for a more sustainable future. We can't use the words 'green', 'eco' and 'organic' too much because they will become meaningless.’ 

I approached Marina Toeters at the Modafabriek show in Amsterdam. She graduated cum laude from her Masters degree in Fashion Design in Utrecht last year. For her graduation project, which took an entire year to complete, she worked together with various technical companies and universities. She created a collaboration platform for technicians and fashion designers to motivate them to liquidly fuse together and start interdisciplinary projects with added benefits to society. Her vision is that fashion will become innovative again and can take responsibility for environmental issues, by the implementing fashion technology on the commercial market. Here’s a look at her inspiring work: 

The Triangled Coat is inspired on a 3-D body measuring system from TNO, a Dutch technology company, which she then printed in a fabric laboratory from the university HKU and then steam treated it by Print Unlimited. 

For using this system she asked one of her models to come along and stand in a machine where her body was scanned by a camera. This machine scans the body per centimeter and gives the coordinates. It gives a triangular fabric pattern and the actual pattern of the dress.

The Tecatud Raincoat is coated for protection against the rain, and looks dark blue. It looks dark blue in the dark except when, for instance a car passes, it will light up white in the reflection of the headlights. The coating is filled with glass fiber which lights up, protects from the rain and keeps you warm. 

This Fire Fighter Suit is for by firefighters, because Marina states that it is easier (faster) to take your clothes of, than it is to put our clothes on. This full body suit is suitable for wearing underneath your clothes so you just take your day-to-day clothing off before you fight the fire.

This fabric is called Moist Management fabric that does not let any water in, is heat resistant but still breathes. Body heat and moist goes out. 

Marina Toeters now works as freelance intermediate and develops concepts, presentations and brainstorm sessions. She works for (technical) company’s that want to work with new materials or for designers that are looking new process innovation. 

For more information, see by-wire.net