On April 22nd-23rd, DESTEX partners have completed the second Hackathon with a challenge launched by Fili Pari, about designing accessories with MARM \ MORE marble-based fabric scraps.
MARM \ MORE is a coating for the textile industry, which combines technical performances and aesthetic characteristics thanks to the presence of real marble powder, repurposing the by-products produced from marble extraction to product creation. The resulting MARM \ MORE fabrics are a response to the needs of the market that requires materials with high performance and a more responsible impact. It can be applied in different produces for fashion, interior, and footwear.
However, a real challenge is how to use scraps from cutting garments (pieces of different sizes and dimensions, even 10×10 cm) to design and produce accessories (such as bags, cases, caps and so on) to be sold on Fili Pari’s website and therefore in line with Fili Pari’s philosophy and target, bearing in mind the technical and aesthetic characteristics of the MARM \ MORE material.
Students were asked to develop a unisex accessory made with MARM \ MORE meeting the needs of a target group identified by the students.
MARM \ MORE material characteristics and qualities: waterproof, windproof, abrasion-resistant, lightweight; natural colours and aesthetic effects; the material is proposed coupled with recycled nylon, cotton, linen, and microfibre.
Fili Pari is the innovative italian Start Up focused on research and development of unconventional materials for the textile industry, respecting the territory and the environment. The Start Up is a specialist in the development of cutting-edge technologies for the enhancement of marble powders. Fili Pari aims to contribute to protect the land and valleys from the mountain’s dismemberment and encourage the use of by-products as a raw material. The project was born among the university desks of the Politecnico di Milano with the aim of telling new stories and atmospheres with an innovative and emotional flavour, introducing Italian research, design and creativity. Fili Pari term represents the anagram of Fripi and Ali, the two founders: an immediate reference to the thread, to the textile world, to the overall vision that characterizes the company.
The four universities of DESTEX (LCI, POLIMI, DSKD and UB) recruited students to participate in the first hackathon. In total, 12 students participated in 4 teams to complete the challenge. They worked remotely to develop and deliver a solution within 24 hours.
The different developed solutions were presented on the second day of the hackathon where the jury selected the best concept. Explorer is a pair gloves with a method of construction utilizes the leftover scraps from the pattern cutting to form organic patterns that emulates topographic inspiration. Woven collection proposes the reuse of pre and post-consumer waste to be hand-woven by local artisans to create new unique products with history and added value. Rainato is a reversible and customisable hat inspired by the high efficiency of marble coating: lightweight and durable, waterproof and windproof.
The winning project is MAR / MAROS, a backpack unifying the industrialized process of manufacturing with artisanal craftsmanship, through the implementation of thermo-bonding and thermo-taping. The natural properties of the textile helped define the product & client: a functional, weather resistant accessory for the urban adventurer. Using the leftover scraps from the manufacture of garments, the team decided to create a patchwork fabric with a wrinkle effect to mimic the veins of marble. The winning team was awarded free and direct access to the DESTEX summer school that will be held in Milan in June 2021.
About DESTEX
DESTEX main objective is to promote the uptake of creativity culture as a catalyst to unlock the innovation potential in the advanced textile materials’ sector. DESTEX is developing a set of tools to bridge industrial and creative design to the manufacturing companies in the advanced textile materials’ sector.
