Cork as a Relevant Material in Fashion: A Study of Socio-Cultural Trends and a Semiotic Reading of the Cork-a-Tex Yarn

Abstract

The main objective of this research is to understand the symbolic and cultural readings that the Cork-a-Tex yarn can have as a new fashion design textile. The methodology is divided into two parts: literary review and analysis. The literary review contextualizes the main themes of this paper and the analysis approaches both semiotic and trend methods, framing the case study as a ‘cool signal’ of socio-cultural trends. Both analyses contribute to a cultural reading of meanings behind the case study and promote a better perception of contexts and mindsets. Through this combination of methods, we understand the framework of meanings imprinted on the object. Understanding its cool nature and association with trends reinforces the need for developments of new materials from cork and stimulates research on socio-cultural trends.