Curtin University fashion students utilised a revolutionary, high-performance fabric, which has the capacity to cool down athletes up to 30 per cent more effectively than any other material currently available on the market, on the Cool Fusions runway last weekend.
The Cool Fusions runway event was part of the 2016 Telstra Perth Fashion Festival and showcased high performance sports apparel and streetwear. The new sportswear designs were created as part of a collaboration between Curtin and Perth start-up company ArmaCool, using CoolCore fabrics.
Dr Anne Farren, Head of Fashion at Curtin, said the collaboration offered students the opportunity to engage with a new and exciting fabric not regularly found in the classroom setting. The goal was to improve garment cooling comfort properties, and therefore performance, in active, sport, street and luxe wear, with an innovative fashion focus.
“The students have loved it – they found the fabric really great to work and it added an exciting aspect to the brief given to them by Armacool to ‘design unique sportswear’,” Dr Farren said.
“As part of this brief, the students were asked to select a specific sport to research, which would inspire the aesthetics and determine the performance guidelines for their garments.
“They then developed a small range of garments which addressed the needs of performance sportswear, and nd designed streetwear and sports luxe garments, all with a focus on ‘cool comfort’.”
Curtin alumnus David Lambasa, a design consultant for ArmaCool, said the makers of CoolCore fabrics believe the fabrics have the potential to transform the sportswear industry.
“CoolCore fabrics have been scientifically proven to be the world’s most advanced cooling textiles and they have really allowed us to push the envelope in terms of apparel design. Best of all, the cooling effects of the fabric are achieved without the use of any chemicals,” Mr Lambasa said.
The Cool Fusions fashion event also showcased a range of ‘SunSmart’ clothing designed and made by Curtin students, supported through a collaboration between the Cancer Council Western Australia and Curtin University.
“These collaborations are a perfect example of industry and university coming together to help our students gain new skills and experiences that they can utilise post-graduation in the fashion industry,” Dr Farren said.
