Author Archives: bcAdmin
Written by: Prof. R. N. Narkhedkar and Pranil Sanjay Vora
Will you be working outside this winter? You probably already know that the best protection is dressing with perfect wear. But do you know what materials work best to keep you warm? System design of cold weather protective clothing is a critical process, as it involves consideration of the effects of a number of external and internal parameters like environmental factors and physical, physico-mechanical and psychological parameters. The bulk and weight of the textile materials used in cold protective clothing plays very important role in deciding the performance of the garments, it should be as low as possible, so that the clothing does not create physical stress and discomfort to humans and does not affect their daily duties adversely. The primary function of cold weather protective clothing is to protect the individual from the natural environment. For civilians, the designing of protective clothing is simple, as the only requirement is protection against cold, whereas for military personnel, hill climbers, and other paramilitary forces, besides thermal insulation, a number of other requirements are also important.
Requirements of cold protection:
Ease of handling combat and operational hazards, accomplishing their mission with the clothing on their body, protection against rain, snow ingress, and extreme conditions of cold and wind. All the above requirements have to be met by the protective clothing, and at the same time the wearer should not feel any discomfort.
1. To repel water and snow.
2. To prevent heat from dissipating to the environment.
3. To give comfort to the wearer by preventing the body heat from escaping out more rapidly than it is produced or to enter the cold to the body because the lower the rates of heat flow, the greater is the heat resistance of the material.
4. Moisture repellent because the moisture increases the rate of conduction, because water fills the fabric voids and conducts heat more rapidly than air.
5. Clothing must permit the moisture vapour to flow out of the clothing to avoid condensation of sweat inside the clothing at low temperature.
This review discusses the essential factors involved in designing and developing of cold weather protective clothing and different insulating materials available for the weather protection.
Wool:
Wool is a truly unique natural fibre with excellent warm properties. Wool is generally obtained from animals such as sheep, cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, etc. To protect oneself from extreme cold weather, wool is the perfect material to keep warm compared to acrylic and cotton.
Louis Vuitton reopened its refurbished flagship store in Florence in March 2019 to great fanfare from the fashion industry. The brand made great play of the fact that, alongside all the luxury apparel and accessories, the store is replete with artworks including works by Italian artists such as Osvaldo Medici del Vascello and Massimo Listri.
‘Arroz con Pollo’ by US artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, part of the ‘Basquiat – Schiele’ exhibition at the Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris, 2018. EPA-EFE/Etienne Laurent
|
Luxury fashion brands have long collaborated with artists – studies have suggested that an association with art allows commercial brands to be perceived as more luxurious. The art world has long provided inspiration for designers setting out to produce something new or timeless. And, as the trend becomes more widespread, some major fashion houses have invited in street artists to help to promote their brands.
WWD✔@wwd
See WWD’s other Tweets
It’s now quite common to see fashion houses using art to promote their brands – whether this is through window displays, advertisements and billboards, or through in-store art exhibitions, art on the catwalks and in fashion shows.
So luxury fashion brands – which know that they need a point of difference if they want to enhance the apparent exclusivity which enables them to charge higher prices for their products – are moving directly in the art field. Instead of using art for mere commercial purposes, they have started to invest conspicuously in the cultural industry.
Salvatore Ferragamo, Trussardi, Hermes, Ermenegildo Zegna, Prada and Louis Vuitton are just a few of those luxury fashion brands which are investing in art. They are collecting valuable contemporary (sometimes modern) art pieces – and, in the spirit of being authentic, they are also commissioning new pieces of art from both emerging and well-established artists.
Modern Medici
Prada and Louis Vuitton have gone one step further – Fondazione Prada in Milan and Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris may carry the names of fashion houses – but they are fully-fledged art galleries.
Fondazione Prada✔@FondazionePrada
@FondazionePrada is open today from 10 am to 9 pm
Currently on view:
Whether Line
The Movies
Atlas
Haunted House
Processo Grottesco http://fondazioneprada.org #fondazioneprada #milano #mdw2019
See Fondazione Prada’s other Tweets
Prada’s private collection contains pieces by Jeff Koons and William N. Copley, to mention just two. The brand has also commissioned and produced pieces by artists such as Anish Kapoor and Thomas Demand, while, pieces such as “Nu bleu aux bas verts” by Henri Matisse and “Ladies and Gentlemen” by Andy Warhol are part of Fondation Louis Vuitton’s private collection.
As well as investing in art and holding exhibitions of established artists, both foundations are commissioning new work. “Inside the Horizon”, is a site-specific work by Icelandic-Danish artist Olafur Eliasson on display at Fondation Louis Vuitton.
You could almost draw comparisons with the the Medici family in renaissance Florence – the two luxury fashion houses clearly understand the enormous power that art, and culture in general, can wield in a commercial and even political context.
It appears that these companies are moving their brand image from that of the ephemeral – producing clothing and accessories and interpreting style and trends – to a more something altogether more permanent and important: that of cultural definers.
This crossover is working the other way as well. In the spring of 2017, London-based auction house Sotheby’s launched a luxury and lifestyle division that focuses on jewels, watches, cars, wine and fashion. At the same time the Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London launched “Art of Luxury”, a 15-week immersive introduction to the global industry of luxury goods and services. Course leader Federica Carlotto said:
Art and luxury have a long history of influencing each other to create timeless, aspirational experiences. From creative and editorial collaborations with artists like Salvador Dali, Cindy Sherman, Ed Ruscha and Takashi Murakami, to brand and creative directors increasingly drawing on trends and philosophy of art in their work.
Mission? Or money?
But are either of these – essentially two sides of the same commercially centred idea – actually fulfilling any of art’s core functions? Art is a such a powerful tool for good. Art can help to create a sense of community, it can help lonely people find a purpose and a group to share their ideas with. Art can help teenagers understand what they are are feeling. Art can be therapeutic for people with mental health problems and it can help people from diverse communities find common bonds.
BLOUIN ARTINFO✔@artinfodotcom
Courtauld Collection’s 19th Century Masterpieces Returns to France with Foundation Louis Vuittonhttp://enfr.blouinartinfo.com/news/story/3092855/courtauld-collections-19th-century-masterpieces-return-to …#Blouin_Artinfo #Blouin #Artinfo
See BLOUIN ARTINFO’s other Tweets
To what extent are these foundations actually doing this? The Prada Foundation’s mission says it aims for “an attitude of openness and invitation” and to “find new ways for sharing ideas”.
It all sounds good, but in reality it’s very old-fashioned and traditional and flies in the face of many museums and galleries which are trying new things to engage the public with art. Prada has a great programme for children (Accademia Dei Bambini) where experts of specific fields – math and physics, for example – give lectures explaining difficult ideas to children using art. It’s a brilliant concept – but why not have something that engages adults just as much?
At the moment it is hard to see that these forays into the art world are about anything more than merely enhancing their own brand.
These brands are pioneers when it comes to fashion trends, but they still play a bit too safe when it comes to their foundations. And I think they could do better, taking on the role of disruptors and innovators – using their commercial brand power to bring more people to art. With their undeniable star power, names like these have the ability to make art cool again. Wouldn’t that be great?
“We need to be a force for change, not only in the company but in the whole sector.”
DENIS DOYLE/GETTY IMAGES
Jul 16, 2019
By Eric Brain
Zara has announced that it will commit to making collections from 100% sustainable fabrics by 2025 in a list of green initiatives outlined by the high street label today. Speaking with its shareholders, Zara stated that its portfolio of 7,500 stores will be eco-efficient by the end of 2019, and that it has committed to zero waste in landfills from Zara facilities.
Today, only 20% of Zara’s collections are made from sustainable fabrics. To increase this, alongside other sustainable initiatives, Zara has brought in a new board of directors who are solely focused on these future-proofing goals. It aims for 80% renewable energy consumption in its headquarters, logistics plants and stores by 2025 as well.
This announcement follows in the footsteps of brands including UNIQLO and its owner Fast Retailing, which recently said it would reduce single-use plastic by 85% by 2020, as well as Burberry, which recently revealed its plans to be carbon neutral by 2022.
Similarly to UNIQLO, Zara will begin to eliminate single-use plastic supplied to its clients. The company has already begun managing its waste by reusing recycled cardboard shipping boxes up to six times, using recycled plastics internally and the company has started working on a way to re-circulate clothes hangers.
For Zara, sustainability can be implemented everywhere. 90% of its website is run by renewable energy and its design studio pattern cutters create one sleeve or a single lapel instead of the conventional two and unstitch patterns to then be repurposed.
Pablo Isla, executive chairman and chief executive officer of Zara owner Inditex told WWD, “We need to be a force for change, not only in the company but in the whole sector… We are the ones establishing these targets: The strength and impulse for change is coming from the commercial team, the people who are working with our suppliers, the people working with fabrics. It is something that’s happening inside our company.”
AUTOMOBILI LAMBORGHINI SPRING SUMMER 2020 COLLECTION
Represented by Guitar Advertising & PR.
Automobili Lamborghini presents the menswear spring summer 2020 collection at Pitti Uomo, a total look divided into three lines that expresses, through clothing and accessories, the style rules of the super sports car brand: informal luxury, future shapers and designers of experience. Each model is designed for contemporary travellers with impeccable style, who love high-performance and functional garments.
The-luxe ID. The construction, the cuts and the details combined with research into the materials and fabrics create the sartorial identity of the Informal Luxury line where the essentials of the male wardrobe combine the semi-formal stylistic signature and the technological know-how of Automobili Lamborghini. The packable superlight jacket has an interior in Lamborghini camouflage print; the same mimetic pattern appears again on sweatshirts, t-shirts and polo shirts, and on beachwear. The colours are strong shades of Xanto Orange, Telesto Grey, Titans Grey and Achelous Blue; the Lamborghini logo is also depicted in a maxi contrast version.
Automobili Lamborghini Spring Summer 2020
New Casual Pleasure. The character of the Casual line is up to date and round-the-clock: trends lay out a path full of ideas translated into eye-catching graphics and contemporary fits designed to be worn all day. Colour block for the sweatshirts, the polo shirts, the t-shirts and the beachwear, with the brand’s distinctive Y in contrast. The coats have luminescent inserts on the sleeves and reflective logos on the back, such as in the lightweight WR memory fabric of the bomber. The 20D nylon jacket with graphene padding, thanks to the high-performance technical materials, combines thermal insulation with antistatic and antibacterial properties.
Athletic-minded. The Pilota Ufficiale line displays a sporty approach in which the brand’s dynamic personality is translated into pieces enriched by a strong technological heritage. The WP stretch nylon jacket with a graphene print has thermo-regulation properties and bacteriostatic characteristics. The supercar jacket in black leather with racing cuts is defined by the fluorescent Selvans Green trim. The polo shirts and knits have special textures in bioceramic material with antibacterial and thermo-regulating properties that are perfect for sport, ideal for everyday life at high temperatures. The colour palette revolves around black and white, around Telesto and Titans Grey, with flashes of Selvans Green.
The collection is completed by accessories that replicate the themes and graphics of the main collection, in an offering that’s perfect for building a total look.
Thus, the Pilota Ufficiale line favours technical and sporty materials – reflective options, 3D mesh, carbon-effect prints – to express the sporty nature of the accessories designed for leisure time, from the roll-top backpack and travel case to the gym bag, often embellished with the number 63 that celebrates the year Automobili Lamborghini was born.
A distinctive element of the Casual section is nylon which, paired with technical materials like TPU, non-abrasive and totally waterproof, creates accessories that are perfect for leisure time, like the easy backpack with the characteristic t-shirt prints and the nautical-inspired maxi nylon bag with drawstring closure. Cross-bodies and multi-pocket backpacks are a feature of the more formal offering: models with large compartments and internal protectors, perfect for holding laptops and documents.
The rubber-bottomed sneakers are offered with a nylon upper and a coated effect, with bold colour touches or with camouflage print in strong colours. The new washed-effect sneaker capsule collection has a Y with contrasting piping.
There’s a focus on the undersides of the sneakers, with standouts including one with foxing on the upper with Y graphics, both as a patch and punched. The bottoms of the sneakers are chunky, in line with contemporary urban wear; the knitted ones are characterised by being lightweight and comfortable and paired with sock uppers in neoprene and mesh.
##
Learn More
With love,
FWO
Ugandan-born German actress Florence Kasumba sported a David Tlale ensemble at the London premiere of Disney’s live-action The Lion King. This is the second time that London-based stylist Jason Halsey has selected garments from the South African fashion designer for Kasumba on the red carpet.
 |
Kasumba – who voices the hyena Shenzi in The Lion King – walked the red carpet in a Cape antelope bomber and maxi antelope skirt from Tlale’s latest Africanah collection. The iconic Africanah collection is fresh from several consecutive showcases including Arise Fashion Week, Lagos and the Conde Nast International Luxury Conference in conjunction with African Fashion International held in Cape Town.
The Lion King roars to life on the big screen in a whole new way
The live-action release of The Lion King promises to be one of the most spectacular highlights of 2019..
DANIEL DERCKSEN 1 DAY AGO
“Florence is such an amazing star and I am honoured that she requested me again. I wanted to give her a look that is different but classic and timeless and stands out on the celebrity Disney carpet. The look speaks of Africa that is global, elegant and true to itself,” says Tlale who also dressed Kasumba for the Black Panther premiere in Los Angeles last year.
 |
Amongst other films, Kasumba has appeared in the likes of Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War and Wonder Woman. The other voices in The Lion King include Beyoncé, Donald Glover, Chiwetel Ejiofor and John Oliver. South African talent also lent their talent to the film adaptation, including composer Lebo M and actor John Kani, who voices the shaman Rafiki.
Get a daily news update via WhatsApp or sign up to our newsletters.