Setting up a Fibre-to-Fabric Material Lab at IIT BHU

We recently worked with IIT BHU to set up a fibre-to-fabric material lab using contemporary hand-operated systems.

The intent was to enable material exploration beyond fibre-level testing. While a great deal of research today focuses on alternative fibres, their behaviour changes significantly when they are converted into yarn and further into fabric. This lab is meant to support that transition.

Working with the Researchers:

 As part of the setup, two research scholars spent a week with us at the studio.

Both come from microbiology and biotechnology. Textiles was new territory for them.

Over the course of seven days, they moved from understanding fibre behaviour to carding the fibres to spinning the yarn, and from there to setting up and working on a multi-shaft loom. The learning was hands-on throughout, with repeated cycles of preparation, spinning, loom setup, and weaving.

By the end of the program, both participants were able to operate the full system independently. From fibre preparation and spinning to loom setup and weaving, they worked with clarity and growing confidence.

From Fibre to Fabric

 Working at the fibre stage gives only a partial view.

As the same material is drafted into yarn, subjected to twist, placed under tension, and then structured into fabric, its behaviour begins to reveal itself more clearly.

Questions that do not arise at the fibre stage become important here.

Can it form a continuous yarn?
Will it hold under tension?
How does it behave when interlaced into a fabric?

This is where material understanding deepens.

The Role of the Lab

Such labs allow materials to be processed at a small scale, observed across stages, and iterated without dependence on industrial systems. This makes them especially useful in early-stage research.

Moving Forward

With the lab now set up, the researchers are in a position to begin working independently and take their material investigations further into yarn and fabric.

It will be interesting to see how this develops within their research context.