Local textile producer Technical Fabric Services is on the cusp of releasing a fabric made 50 per cent from milk. Erin O'Loughlin reports on the commercial partnership that will see dairy fibres hitting fashion shelves.
Bamboo. Aloe Vera. Hemp. Soybeans. Bananas. It reads like an indiscriminate panda diet, or a hippie's trippy menu. But it also represents the diverse range of products that have made their way into textiles in recent years.
Now, Queensland-based fabric producer Technical Fabric Services (TFS) is unleashing a milk fibre fabric on the market.
TFS director and owner John Agius believes fabrics incorporating milk fibres have been floating around for the last six to 12 months, but says the few that have appeared on the market have yet to capture the fashion industry's imagination.
“People may have picked up a fabric that contained 20 per cent milk fibre blended with cotton [and thought it] pretty much felt like a cotton fabric,” Agius explains.
He hopes to change all that with the release of TFS's own milk fibre fabric, scheduled to hit the market by the close of the year. It will make its debut in the one item every body needs: smalls.
“We're actually ready to co-launch it with Aussiebum,” Agius says. “We want to allow them to launch it into the marketplace because they've helped us, given us an outlet for the fabric and the development.”
The fabric that TFS and Aussiebum will reveal is a milk-cotton-lycra blend, with the fabric's milk content sitting at the 50 per cent mark. Getting that high milk concentration was a “technical challenge” but one Agius was determined to pursue.
“With a concept like this, you've got something that really is out there and different, you don't want to be watering it down with everyday fibres,” Agius says. “There are milk fibre fabrics out there but as far as I know we're the only ones that have developed one with such a high content of milk.”
Which brings the conversation back to the original concept: why would someone think to put milk into fabrics? What properties do milk fibres have that make them suitable for fashion?
“Apart from being something that's really quite different, we think it comes back to what we desire as human beings,” Agius says.
“We all want to feel good and have that sense of wellbeing. What we put against our skin goes a long way to achieving that sense of wellbeing. Fabrics that are made from the milk fibre do have a very natural and soft, soothing feel about them.
“I guess the other thing is knowing that it comes from such a natural substance aids the 'mind over matter' [battle] as well, gives you a bit of peace of mind.”
TFS' milk fibre fabric incorporates a combed cotton which Agius says adds to the softness of the milk. Other properties the fabric offers include a natural antimicrobial function and unique handle and drape. As for which fashion producers the milk fabric is best suited to, Agius says the choice is limited only by a designer's imagination.
“The sky's the limit because it's a fabric. Depending on what weight you use, it could be perfect for underwear, it could be perfect for tops in fashion, yoga – absolutely brilliant. Could you imagine a milk fibre in yoga garments? It's like bread and butter.”
The release of the milk fibre fabric comes in the wake of TFS' development of a banana-cotton-lycra fabric, also launched by Aussiebum. Agius says the company's emphasis on naturally derived fibres is two-pronged.
Firstly, the company's business model has been centred on innovation since its inception in 2004.
“Anything that's new, we really like to be first to market with it,” Agius says.
Secondly, naturally derived fibres are a good marriage with the company's sustainable manufacturing ethos.
“A lot of our processes are eco-friendly. We do a lot of recycling; we recycle the use of salt and dyes and that sort of thing. As far as the natural fabrics and fibres go, we think that's pretty much hand-in-glove with our philosophy.”
But is there demand for fabrics incorporating materials humans could once bite, chew or drink? “If you're talking about fashion and underwear and intimates, yes, we are hearing that,” Agius says.
“It's up to us to win those customers over with new and innovative products that are not being produced overseas. That ball is in our court when it comes to that, and we are definitely putting a lot of our effort into that.”