Louisa Bilton

Most of what we wear has been woven or knit. For this, fibers, either natural or synthetic, are being spun into yarns, which then become the fabric used to make the final garment. Each stage requires considerable amounts of energy and equipment. What if we skipped two of those steps, asks one courageous changemaker from the UK, and produced the final material directly from the initial input? With her project, Louisa is pursuing the enormous potential of nonwoven textiles. No fibers and no yarns — that could mean reduced energy consumption, fewer emissions, and less transportation between sites. And because nonwoven processing is adaptable, cheap and fast to scale, Louisa hopes it will open the door to plenty of “sustainable fiber innovation”: ever better, more sustainable nonwoven materials may start transforming how we make clothes.