Team Members:
Shennon Espinoza
Keywords
- HERITAGE
- LENO
- PERFORMANCE
Summary
Leno weave is investigated as a heritage weave with potential to support more sustainable, high-performance sportswear and technical textiles. The aim is to critically examine the historical and cultural development of Leno in China, tracing how twisted-warp gauze structures evolved into complex multi-warp configurations associated with lightness, openness and refined status dress. We emphasise on the distinctive structural properties of Leno — including porosity and stability — and explore how these characteristics may influence comfort, breathability and mechanical performance in comparison to conventional weaves and knits. We may then identify potential applications across different markets, while interrogating issues of scalability, authenticity and the risk that heritage and sustainability narratives are mobilised primarily for branding and greenwashing rather than for substantive transformation of production and consumption systems.