Hello All,
Today I am going to write a critique of a online Fabric source called Fabriclink.com. As a designer, it is important to first and foremost know about your fabrics. Since fabric is the most expensive item in production you want to make sure you understand the properties of fabrics so that you can understand how to care for the garment after you purchased it. Fabric link is divided into five catagories: Consumer Guide, Fabric Care Center, Fabric University, Retailer's Forum and Branded Products. Let's look a little into each catagory. Consumer Guide has an internal search engine for the customer to look up fabrics and fibers and is almost up to date with any recalls on any fabrics, like if a fabric was found to be flammable and not safe for children this is where you could reference it. Sustainability and what you wear is referencing how the fabrics are to be cared for while used and how to properly dispose of the garment once you are done with it and making this environmentally friendly. It contains a fabric library of fabrics and has a link to further analyze the sustainability of a fabric, it gives examples of sustainable products like ecospun; polyester fabric made from recycled plastic bottles. It discusses how to launder the fabrics that will have the least impact on the environment as well as how to recycle them. It also list examples of organizations that can help you making safe decisions when you want to be eco-friendly. This part has an online blog to field questions and asks for your input.
The next catagory is the Fabric Care Center which not only discusses garments but also for upholstery and carpets. This is always a necessary reference to have available because stains always happen and you need a quick reference before it has time to set in. They also have a special features discussing products like spray n wash, uniform care instructions, storing garments, special care garments, care symbols and frequently asked questions. The followining catagory is Fabric University (a cute title) and this talks all about textile science of fabrics Fiber history, production and charactereistics. Yarn facts, sweater and knit resources, science project ideas, University links and career paths for those wanting to focus their careers on fabric textiles.
A great source to have.
The next catagory is Retailer's Forum, this is where you can search certain retailers apparel and home furnishings. They also have brands discussing their fabrics with a further internal search engine to research that product like Schoeller of Switzerland. It also discusses Hang tags and has an online blog called Fabricville where they discuss fabrics and fibers. The final catagory is Branded Products which discusses Product knowledge, current trends and textile fabrics. It features an internal library of fibers that are in apparel, active sportswear, home furnishings and health care. Each brand is linked to further research fabrics and/or fibers.
I think Fabriclink is great and will be in my fashion folder to reference at all times.
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