The practice of sustainable fashion of luxury boutique fashion brands in Vietnam: What go right, and what go wrong.

This study investigated the current practices and challenges for the sustainable fashion of luxury boutique fashion brands (LBFBs) in Vietnam. A series of in-depth interviews with 20 founders and managers of LBFBs in Vietnam was conducted. Findings show that sustainable practices improve ethnic cultures, strengthen the usage of local resources, promote sustainable lifestyle, and thereby contributing to sustainable development of the boutique fashion brands. However, the brands face some challenges while dealing with their stakeholders such as shortage of available internal resources, bias in consumer perception and purchase behaviors, and legal barriers to achieve accredited environment certification that, in turn, weaken the sustainable practices in the local context. Results also provide some insightful information for small & medium sized enterprises (SMEs) to adjust their sustainability practices in order to improve their competitive advantages in the marketplace.

Polypropylene-nanodiamond composite for hernia mesh.

Commercial hernia mesh is commonly made from polypropylene (PP), due to its inertness, biocompatibility, physical properties, ease of processing and versatility for conversion into flexible shape. However, reportedly hernia mesh prepared from PP experienced issues such as diminished long-term strength, foreign body rejection, lack of biocompatibility and high adhesion to the abdomen wall. Infiltration of the mesh by soft tissue (called remodeling) results in an integration of mesh into the body, leading to a rapid reduction in mesh mechanical properties and potential infection. Here, this study addresses these issues through the incorporation of nanodiamond (ND) into PP filament and coating on the surface of plasma-treated PP-ND mesh. The results show that the dynamic modulus of the PP-ND mesh increased significantly, without compromising its flexibility. Coating PP-ND mesh with hydroxylated ND led to a reduction in nonspecific protein adsorption onto the surface of nanocomposite, which is an important characteristic for hernia mesh to prevent foreign body reaction, attachment of mesh to the abdominal wall and nearby organs. In-vitro study with mammalian cells shows that coated PP-ND mesh with functionalized ND exhibits a significant increase in the number of adhered cells with more elongated morphology in comparison with other PP meshes, due to the better hydrophilicity. Therefore, the ND coated nanocomposite mesh can be a promising candidate for hernia repair in the future; however, more investigation is required.

Nanodiamond Fabrication of Superhydrophilic Wool Fabrics.

Nanodiamonds (ND) have been gaining impetus in fields such as medicine and electronics. ND has been widely used to modify polymer surfaces and composites for improved functionality. However, there have been limited research on ND application in regard to textile substrates. In this study, we presented a sustainable coating method, adapted to functionalized ND particles that would be coated onto wool fabric surfaces to enhance hydrophilicity. The application of an ND coating was found to increase wool hydrophilicity because of the presence of additional polar groups, shown by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry, which increased surface energy and fiber roughness. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the polar ND-coated wool scales demonstrated improved fiber hydrophilicity. Water absorbency, wicking, and contact angle results for coated fabrics confirmed significant improvement in hydrophilicity, which was directly related to the concentration of ND particles. The optimal concentration of ND was therefore selected to coat the wool fabric. Furthermore, tensile strength and abrasion resistance of the coated fabrics were increased due to the exceptional mechanical properties of ND.

Nanodiamond/poly-ε-caprolactone nanofibrous scaffold for wound management.

We describe preparation, characterization and cytocompatibility of nanodiamond (ND) dispersed in poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) based nanofibrous scaffold. The results show that this unique scaffold potentially provides essential properties for wound healing by enhancing proliferation of epithelial cells, in addition to restricting the microbial activities. Electrospinning technique was used to fabricate and develop PCL-NDs nanocomposite scaffold. The developed nanocomposites were characterized for morphology, thermal, surface and biological properties. The incorporation of ND into the PCL matrix resulted in better moisture management and higher thermal stability. Transmission electron microscopy images and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy showed existence of ND particles on the surface of the nanofibers. The aggregation of ND particles increased with the increase in their concentration in nanofiber. The developed scaffolds showed no cytotoxicity and, due to improved hydrophilicity, better cellular activities with Chinese hamster ovarian (CHO) cells, 43%, 38% and 22% more cell proliferation for PCL-5% ND for 1, 3- and 7-days incubations in compare with PCL. Furthermore, Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) showed significantly less affinity to the scaffold surface with the increase in ND concentration, ~56% less for PCL-5% ND in compare with PCL, indicating that such ND dispersed nanofibrous scaffold maybe asuitable choice for complex wound management.

Preparation, characterisation, and in vitro evaluation of electrically conducting poly(ɛ-caprolactone)-based nanocomposite scaffolds using PC12 cells.

In the current study, we describe the synthesis, material characteristics, and cytocompatibility of conducting poly (ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL)-based nano-composite films. Electrically conducting carbon nano-fillers (carbon nano-fiber (CNF), nano-graphite (NG), and liquid exfoliated graphite (G)) were used to prepare porous film type scaffolds using modified solvent casting methods. The electrical conductivity of the nano-composite films was increased when carbon nano-fillers were incorporated in the PCL matrix. CNF-based nano-composite films showed the highest increase in electrical conductivity. The presence of an ionic solution significantly improved the conductivity of some of the polymers, however at least 24 h was required to absorb the simulated ion solutions. CNF-based nano-composite films were found to have good thermo-mechanical properties compared to other conducting polymer films due to better dispersion and alignment in the critical direction. Increased nano-filler content increased the crystallisation temperature. Analysis of cell viability revealed no increase in cell death on any of the polymers compared to tissue culture plastic controls, or compared to PCL polymer without nano-composites. The scaffolds showed some variation when tested for PC12 cell attachment and proliferation, however all the polymers supported PC12 attachment and differentiation in the absence of cell adhesion molecules. In general, CNF-based nano-composite films with highest electrical conductivity and moderate roughness showed highest cell attachment and proliferation. These polymers are promising candidates for use in neural applications in the area of bionics and tissue engineering due to their unique properties.