To the average consumer, very little is thought about the intersection between science, technology and fashion. This overlap between fashion lovers and scientists is highly underrated but one of the most important for the development in fashion. One of the ways that science and technology lend itself to fashion is through fibres and textile design. Synthetic fibres have a history in modern fashion where what was once seen as cutting-edge technology, is now the source of climate anxiety. However, it is both vital to understand the meaning behind each label and its effects on the planet when we purchase, and interesting to hear how they are made. So here is a list of popular synthetic fibres including the chemists and scientific methods behind them.
Rayon/Viscose
The first semi-synthetic fibre was accidentally made by French scientist Hilaire de Chardonnet in 1883. After leaving a spill in the darkroom, Chardonnet discovered the nitrocellulose solution that would lead him to develop the first replacement for real silk – later known as viscose. However, the first version of rayon was extremely flammable, to prevent this the cellulose was then dissolved rather than nitrated. Today the fibre is made by extracting natural cellulose from plants such as wood pulp and cotton linter, then formed into a regenerated fibre using chemicals such as caustic soda. Viscose rayon is biodegradable and can break down faster than cotton in just six to eight weeks.
Nylon
Invented through a series of experiments at the DuPont Experimental Station, nylon was first fully synthesised in 1935 by William Carother and his team of researchers. The fibre is produced through polymerisation – a chemical reaction that combines monomers (basic molecules acting as building blocks) from crude oil (petroleum) to form a long chain of polymers. The polymers are then drawn out by heating and processed through a spinner which creates long fibres that are cooled down, stretched, and wound up before being made into nylon products. As the first fully synthetic fibre, nylon takes a lot longer to decompose – 30 to 40 years- depending on the environment.
Acrylic
Acrylic was first officially patented by German chemist Otto Röhm in 1933, whose work had been focusing on the polymerisation of acrylic acid. After accidentally leaving out monomer methyl methacrylate, the sun activated the polymerisation process to create polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA or acrylic glass). The DuPont Company brought acrylic fibre into the American textile market in the ‘50s, by converting acrylonitrile into a polymer that can be dissolved into gel to be turned into fibres for fabric. To be considered acrylic it needs to contain at least 85% acrylonitrile monomer, making it a petroleum-based material and can take around 200 years to breakdown.
Polyester
Making yet another appearance in synthetic fibre history, the DuPont corporation helped lay the groundwork for the development of polyester through their work on polymers in the 1920s-30s. However, the team focused more on nylon while British chemists, John Rex Whinfield and James Tennant, patented a new polyester called polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which could be commercially viable in the 1950s. The fibre is made by creating a polyester polymer that contains ethylene and terephthalic acid, which is then melted and forced through a spinner to form long fibres. Depending on the environmental conditions it can take polyester 20 to 200 years to decompose.
Spandex/Lycra
To no one’s surprise, DuPont labs are once again involved in the making of another synthetic fibre. Although it was Otto Bayer who laid the foundations through his development of polyurethane in the 1930s, DuPont chemist Joseph Shivers created the thick stretchy fibre that would be known as Lycra in 1958. Spandex (or elastane) is created using a prepolymer that is one-part macroglycol and two parts diisocyanate. Diamine acid is then used to create a chemical reaction which needs to be diluted before going through a spinner to become strands. At this point the substance is still liquid and must be exposed to gas and nitrogen solvent to be in the solid state. Alongside polyester, this fibre is estimated to take up to two centuries to decompose.
Although it is fascinating to see how far technology and science have developed to replicate natural fibres, it is hard to ignore the negative impact that these fibres create. Not only are they harmful to the environment, but the chemicals used to produce them are dangerous to workers and the wearers. While science is cool, there are often consequences to modernisation. However, it is important to note that sustainability is a lot more complex than simply labelling natural fibres good, and the synthetic ones bad. The production process is a huge factor in determining the impact of a garment on the planet. Factors such as water, land, pesticide, and energy use are just as important to the conversation, as well as the quantity and quality. This is why purchasing is a very political and impactful action. Slowness is key in giving yourself time to process the steps it took for the garment to get to the store, how long it will stay with you and where it will end up after.