Spray-on fabric creates clothes out of a can

Instant spray-on fabric lets users spray clothes directly onto their bodies.

British company Fabrican has created a new spray-on fabric that instantly sprays onto any surface. Dr Manel Torres from Imperial College in London developed the Fabrican technology at the London Bioscience Innovation Centre. Fabrican technology combines engineering, material science and design and is the product of interdisciplinary research. Its developers are currently working to produce a commercial version of the product.

Fabrican works by bonding and liquefying fibres to produce a non-woven fabric. When users spray the liquid using an aerosol can or spray gun, the dissolvent evaporates and the fibres bond. Upon application, the fabric seamlessly takes the shape of any structure. Fabrican uses a range of different fibres including wool, mohair, cellulose, nylon, carbon nanofibers and cotton. In addition, by adapting the properties of each Fabrican, different shapes, sizes, textures, colours and scents are achievable.

As well as its obvious uses in the fashion industry such as customisation and speeding up garment construction, Fabrican has applications in a variety of other industries. It is usable for household purposes such as creating wipes, tea-towels and instant sponges. Workers in the automotive industry, can use Fabrican to customise and renovate car interiors. For healthcare services, Fabrican is ideal for producing casts and bandages. Fabrican’s ability to absorb oil also gives it potential environmental uses such as cleaning up after oil tank disasters.

Here at Springwise, we have seen many material innovations that produce smarter textiles. Some are inspired by nature such as this company that makes clothing with bioengineered spider silk. Others are enabled by technology such as this washable smart fabric that stores data using a magnetic thread. What will the future of fabric look like?