Summary
“Vollebak, the London-based alternative clothing brand is known for working with kinds of materials that you’d never find at your local GAP or Forever 21. After integrating materials like ceramics, carbon fiber, Kevlar, and Dyneema into their clothes, the company’s now managed to find a way to turn the hostile nettle into a soothing, comfortable fabric that you can wear for decades.” (Sheth, 2022)
The following are examples of Vollebak products, include the aforementioned materials:
Egyptian Wrap: “ Five thousand years ago, the Egyptians developed a method to turn the nettle into fibers. It was woven into a durable, comfortable fabric that resists heat and humidity. The same fabric was used to wrap mummies. If those threads lasted 5 millennia, there’s no reason Vollebak’s shirt won’t. The fabric, now commonly known as ‘ramie’ is mostly seen being used to build parachutes… and it’s the primary fabric used in Vollebak’s Off Grid shirt.”(Sheth 2022)
Mars Jacket: “Made out of five layers of aluminized Mylar, with a surface layer of Teflon, Kevlar and Nomex. It’s the ultimate example of the form following function. The inside is lined with high stretch Cordura, so it’s incredibly soft, snug, highly elastic and windproof.” (Vollebak 2022)
Analysis
Up to this point, my research has focused on rehydration methods. However, in an effort to reexamine the problem, a perspective shift towards evaluating methods of dehydration prevention could prove beneficial. For instance, textiles possessing heat resistant characteristics, may slow the influence of temperature on dehydration. If there is an validity to this kind of process, then it’s possible for material choice to inform the physicality of the design.
Vollebak’s investment into comfortability would also be a valuable attribute to apply to any wearable. Specifically, my investigation would revolve around highly elastic materials and its relation to comfortability. These characteristics could translate to a more personalized, tighter fit which may make all the difference in the high speed pace of soccer.
Sources
Sheth, Sarang. “This Shirt Was Made from the Same Fabric Used by Egyptians to Wrap Mummies… and It’ll Last Decades – Yanko Design.” Yanko Design – Modern Industrial Design News, 31 Aug. 2022, https://www.yankodesign.com/2022/08/31/this-shirt-was-made-from-the-same-fabric-used-by-egyptians-to-wrap-mummies-and-itll-last-decades/.
