New Research Trends for Textiles, a Bright Future

The Textiles journal is a peer-reviewed, open access journal, officially launched in 2021. It concerns research and innovation in the field of textile materials. This field is very broad and covers many topics. Textile materials composed of fibers linked by weaving, braiding, knitting, or sewing constitute a wide range of materials and are essential for many applications. They are ancestral materials used since antiquity and yet find themselves utilized in advanced applications, such as in composites in aeronautics or the medical industry [1].

Textiles, an open access international journal by MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), focuses on the broad field of textile materials and topics including, but not limited to, the following: fibers and yarns for textiles, properties, and microstructures; advances in weaving, braiding, and knitting technologies; 3D textiles; nonwovens; the structure and properties of high-performance textiles; the characterization and testing of textiles; fatigue, damage, and the failure of textiles; friction in textile materials; simulations in textiles; textile and clothing science; sustainable fibers and textiles; dyeing textiles; microbial [2,3] and plant pigments for the textile industry; microbial enzymes in the textile industry; bio-polishing; the bioconversion of waste fabric; microbial wastewater treatment; microbial silk; bacterial cellulose; recycling in textiles; fashion and apparel design; textile composite; preform and prepreg draping; medical textile materials; textile materials for civil engineering applications; geotextiles; smart textiles; protective and thermal protective textiles; textile history and archaeology [1,4].

To date, Textiles has published 115 articles that can be found here:

https://www.mdpi.com/search?q=&journal=textiles&sort=pubdate&page_count=50 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

In order to demonstrate the huge impact of textile research and technology on the world, the Publisher, the Editorial Board, and myself decided to invite contributions and feature papers from key world-class researchers which were collected in a single Special Issue entitled ‘New research trends for textiles, a bright future’, from September 2022 to May 2023.

In total, 17 papers were submitted and 12 published. These 12 papers can be roughly subdivided into four parts: functional textiles; process and modeling; control; consumers and behavior.

1. Functional Textiles

Tanasa, F.; Teaca, C.; Nechifor, M.; Ignat, M.; Duceac, I.; Ignat, L. Highly Specialized Textiles with Antimicrobial Functionality—Advances and Challenges. Textiles 2023, 3(2), 219–245; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3020015. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/2/15 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Girase, A.; Thompson, D.; Ormond, R. Comparative Analysis of the Liquid CO2 Washing with Conventional Wash on Firefighters’ Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Textiles 2022, 2(4), 624–632; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles2040036. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/2/4/36 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Bolaji, J.; Dolez, P. Supportive, Fitted, and Comfortable Bras for Individuals with Atypical Breast Shape/Size: Review of the Challenges and Proposed Roadmap. Textiles 2022, 2(4), 560–578; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles2040032. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/2/4/32 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

2. Process and Modelling

Filippi, J.; Silva, A.; Marangoni, C.; Correia, J.; Valle, J.; Valle, R. Turkey Red Oil as a Renewable Leveling and Dispersant Option for Polyester Dyeing with Dispersed Dyes. Textiles 2023, 3(2), 163–181; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3020012. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/2/12 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Dils, C.; Hohner, S.; Schneider-Ramelow, M. Use of Rotary Ultrasonic Plastic Welding as a Continuous Interconnection Technology for Large-Area e-Textiles. Textiles 2023, 3(1), 66–87; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3010006. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/1/6 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Ebrahim, S.; Othman, H.; Mosaad, M.; Hassabo, A. Eco-Friendly Natural Thickener (Pectin) Extracted from Fruit Peels for Valuable Utilization in Textile Printing as a Thickening Agent. Textiles 2023, 3(1), 26–49; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3010003. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/1/3 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Akhtar, W.; Watanabe, C.; Tou, Y.; Neittaanmäki, P. A New Perspective on the Textile and Apparel Industry in the Digital Transformation Era. Textiles 2022, 2(4), 633–656; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles2040037. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/2/4/37 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Mamun, A.; Bormon, K.; Rasu, M.; Talukder, A.; Freeman, C.; Burch, R.; Chander, H. An Assessment of Energy and Groundwater Consumption of Textile Dyeing Mills in Bangladesh and Minimization of Environmental Impacts via Long-Term Key Performance Indicators (KPI) Baseline. Textiles 2022, 2(4), 511–523; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles2040029. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/2/4/29 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

3. Control

Wang, Y.; Li, X.; Xie, J.; Wu, N.; Jiao, Y.; Wang, P. Numerical and Experimental Investigation on Bending Behavior for High-Performance Fiber Yarns Considering Probability Distribution of Fiber Strength. Textiles 2023, 3(1), 129–141; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3010010. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/1/10 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Romao Santos, R.; Nakanishi, M.; Sukigara, S. Tactile Perception of Woven Fabrics by a Sliding Index Finger with Emphasis on Individual Differences. Textiles 2023, 3(1), 115–128; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3010009. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/1/9 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

Ahirwar, M.; Behera, B. Prediction of Shrinkage Behavior of Stretch Fabrics Using Machine-Learning Based Artificial Neural Network. Textiles 2023, 3(1), 88–97; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3010007. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/1/7 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

4. Consumers and Behavior

Miyauchi, R.; Zhou, X.; Inoue, Y. Design Elements That Increase the Willingness to Pay for Denim Fabric Products. Textiles 2023, 3(1), 11–25; https://doi.org/10.3390/textiles3010002. https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7248/3/1/2 (accessed on 14 August 2024).

I, as the Guest Editor, trust all readers of this Special Issue to enjoy the contents, and I would like to deeply thank all the wonderful authors who contributed, Prof. Philippe Boisse, Editor-in-Chief of Textiles, the numerous reviewers, and the whole team at MDPI (editing, production, website, etc.).