Given the dizzying pace of technological innovations all around, it is not easy to get the right answers to our questions. However, the future looks pretty exciting in every sense of the word. At the very least, in the sartorial sense, there is promise that we shall all be comfortable, that we will all look good, and that we will all be happy with our choices.
Or, at least on paper.
Age of agriculture
It took thousands of years for our past civilization to be able to make threads and weaving these materials into cloth. Around that time, our ancestors also discovered needles to do the stitching. They had been wearing animal furs and skins and plant parts as clothes for a much longer time than needed. Maybe, it was because hunting and food gathering took up much of their time and effort.
The Renaissance brought some sophistication to making clothes because artisans began to specialize in the craft. Still, everything was done manually. These were not only error-prone but also excruciatingly slow.
When the Industrial Revolution came, there were some surprising technological leaps and advances. Modernization machines like the cotton gin introduced by Whitney to cotton farming, the sewing machine needle by Otis, the zipper, the snap-on buttons --- these and more made the manufacturing process faster and better than before.
Computerization
The advent of the Digital Age or the coming of computers in the 20th century revolutionized everything on the planet. These included all kinds of industries, production processes, manufacturing, education, science, technology, medicine, and many others. From then on, progress and new things happened fast.
One of the biggest beneficiaries to this technological revolution is the dress-making industry. Just like all the other industries that had long been dormant for years in terms of innovations and discoveries, the clothing industry never had it so good since then.
The computer age ushered in some technological advances that were unthinkable before. These are all in the areas critical to mass production’s goal of less manual handling, better percentage in accuracy, and faster speed. All of these are geared towards the ultimate goal of lower manufacturing cost possible.
One future idea
There are several proposals regarding future clothes on the drawing board. Some had been in development for years. All of them, however, are still waiting for the manufacturing economics to be resolved (lower cost of materials and labor, some technicalities, etc.) before they can be implemented.
One example is the talk of a prototype of new clothes that are touted to be disposable. After use, these worn clothes will then be sent to the recycling plant to be processed into some other new products or into new clothes again.
The main idea is to bring the manufacturing costs of these clothes lower than the costs of laundry, repair and storage. Ideally, it should be cheaper to buy new clothes compared against the sum spent on laundry, repair, ironing and storage of traditionally-made clothes.
Our future clothes, scientists say, shall have automatic temperature control (special fabrics), sweat and odor disposal systems embedded into the material, as well as some kind of anti-bacterial additives incorporated in their manufacture. And these are just for starters.
Some questions remain, however.
What happens to that wedding dress you kept for sentimental reasons?
What about that dowdy-looking but lucky tennis shirt you hate to throw out?
Will you get rid of that favorite sweater someone special gave you on your birthday?
Will all of these be made of disposable materials, too, to be discarded right after use?
Stay tuned for more of tomorrow’s news on dress-making.
