Working with new gen materials #3
Providing accurate care instructions for your garments is crucial—not just because it’s a legal requirement, but because it’s essential to ensure that your customers don’t unintentionally damage the product and then hold you responsible.
With new-generation materials, care instructions present a unique challenge. Sometimes, even the material’s producer may not know the best way to maintain the fabric, as their focus is often limited to its production rather than its care.
Consider the reality: your customer is more likely to take their garment to the neighborhood dry cleaner than to a textile development lab. Imagine the cleaner’s reaction when they see that the fabric is made from bacterial cellulose or a parasitic mushroom. The lack of familiarity can lead to mishandling.
So, you’ve made a bag out of an algal polymer—what now? How do you create a care label that’s both accurate and practical when dealing with materials that are not yet mainstream? Here’s a step-by-step approach:
Step 1: Consult with the Material Producer
Start by talking to the producer of the textile. They’ve likely done some basic testing and can provide insights into the material’s limitations and the basic care measures you should recommend. This conversation is your first line of defense in understanding how the material might behave under different conditions.
Step 2: Categorize the Material
New-generation materials can generally be divided into two categories:
Conventional Techniques with New Raw Materials: These materials are produced using established manufacturing techniques but with unconventional raw materials. For example, Orange Fiber is a Lyocell fabric made from orange peels. Its care is similar to that of other semi-synthetic textiles like viscose or modal.
Fully Innovative Materials: These have no direct equivalents in the conventional textile world. An example is MuSkin, which is derived from mushrooms. The question of how to clean a mushroom-based material doesn’t have a straightforward answer.
Step 3: When There’s No Guidance
If the material is entirely new and the producer can’t provide care instructions, you have a few options:
Collaborate with a Professional Cleaner: Take a sample of the material to a professional cleaner and ask them to experiment with different cleaning methods. This hands-on approach can help identify potential issues and solutions. This is a method I’ve used with success.
Consult a Textile Testing Lab: Send a sample to a lab specializing in textile testing. They can conduct a range of tests to determine the best care methods for the material.
Step 4: Conduct Your Own Experiments
Take matters into your own hands by experimenting with the material yourself. Fold it, iron it, soak it, wash it, apply soap, and see how it reacts. Be cautious with harsh treatments like bleach, especially with bio-based materials (and remember—never use bleach on bio-materials!). Test drying methods, including air drying and using a dryer, to see how the material holds up. Through trial and error, you’ll gain a better understanding of the material’s limitations.
step 5. Communicating with Your Customers
Once you’ve gathered your findings, it’s essential to communicate them clearly to your customers. Provide as much detail as possible about the material’s limitations and the best practices for care. While it may not be the most convenient option for the customer, you can also use labels like “Hand cleaned by a specialist” to indicate that the garment requires special attention. This not only protects your brand but also sets the right expectations for the customer.
In the end, thorough testing and clear communication are key to ensuring that your customers can enjoy their innovative garments without inadvertently damaging them.