Denim clothing is one of the most versatile, and soon people will be able to strut the streets wearing their best pair of jeans and purify the air at the same time.
Catalytic Clothing is a project that combines fashion and science to create clothing that is good for the environment. It was first introduced to the public in October last year in the form of an air-purifying dress.
The idea of adding catalysts to clothes came to Professor Helen Storey of London College of Fashion and Professor Tony Ryan of Sheffield University in the form of a simple question: “What could clothes do to aid the environment?”
With that in mind, Prof Storey and Prof Ryan worked with other experts to come up with the concept of adapting photocatalyst technology – a process that breaks down nitrous oxide pollutants – into clothing. The idea is to transfer the catalyst onto the surface of clothing through washing.
The process of breaking down nitrous oxide pollutants starts when sunlight comes in contact with the catalyst. When that happens, the catalyst is activated, and causes water in the air to break down and react with the pollutants. The catalyst remains unchanged, allowing the process to be repeated.
The team hopes to create a household product containing the catalyst so everyone will be able to use it. They are collaborating with Ecover, a company that produces environmentally friendly cleaning products, to develop ways to use the catalyst, such as introducing it to laundry detergents.
Field of Jeans
While the air-purifying dress is striking, it is not the most conventional piece of clothing in the wardrobe.
“We wanted something that was clothing that everyone could understand…and nearly everybody owns a pair of jeans,” said Caroline Coates, the project manager.
In addition to it being a wardrobe essential, the team found that denim works well with the catalyst. Coates said that different fabrics were tested to see which would produce the best results, and denim seemed to be the most effective.
Coates thinks it is important to engage the public by getting them involved through a series of displays and exhibitions.
Jeans laced with the air-purifying catalyst were on display at the Field of Jeans exhibition. They were shown at the Chelsea College of Art before moving on to provide a tiny bit of fresh air at Euston Square as part of the London Science Festival. The jeans were donated by fashion students or scientists. Each pair was treated with the catalyst before being mounted on wooden sticks, which were then erected closely together on a patch of grass.
Still a work in progress
Although research for the project is still going on, the team plans to measure the environmental effects of catalysed jeans out of the lab next year.
Coates said the next step is to find out what other types of clothing material can effectively work with the catalyst.
Image: author’s own