Index [TC]²'s 2006 Summer Student Internship The Digital Zone: Philadelphia University [TC]² Activity - The NTC Forum Member Profile - Hartmarx Important Dates A Look Ahead

Zara – Fast Fashion Workshop
March 6, 2006 – 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Seats Still Available

Co-presented by [TC]² and the UK’s Industry Forum at [TC]²’s Cary, NC facility, this one-day workshop will focus on speed to market initiatives and customer retention methodologies. Zara is considered a leader in fast fashion market with short lead times and above industry averages for customer return visits.  The program will discuss the methodologies used by Zara to achieve its rapid sales growth.

Join the over 40 individuals who have already registered to attend.  For more details, or to register, call Maria Muñiz at 919.653.3507, or visit http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html.

[TC]²’s 2006 Summer Student Internship
Application Deadline – March 15th

[TC]² seeks rising seniors in apparel-specific programs for management, engineering, or design/development at U.S. universities for its 2006 Summer Internship study program. The summer internship will run from May 30 – July 21, and the main focus areas will include Supply Chain Strategies, Product Development, and Business Planning.

A 1996 student intern, Alex Levinson, now Executive VP of Paramount Headwear, states,” The [TC]² student intern program I attended was invaluable.  We learned about the latest technology and were molded to find a new way of thinking.  I am constantly referring back to the experiences I had and feel they still are an important part of my career development.  I would highly recommend this program to any individual who has an opportunity to participate in it.”

The internship includes paid travel to Cary, NC, housing, and a stipend during the internship program. Final selection will be made by the AAFA Human Resources Leadership Council. To request an internship application, click here.

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The Digital Zone:
 Philadelphia University
By Kim Anderson, Ph.D., writer/reporter for [TC]²

Hitoshi Ujiie is a consummate artist and educator specializing in digitally printed textiles. Ujiie was inculcated into the world of textile printing at an early age. Growing up in Kyoto, Japan, Ujiie developed an early appreciation for beautiful textiles while working in the family business designing and printing kimonos via a wax resist process.

After acquiring a BFA and MFA, Ujiie worked with some of the best—a stint designing at the Jack Lenor Larsen Design Studio and teaching at the Rhode Island School of Design. Hitoshi Ujiie, now Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University, is well aware of the implications digital printing is having on the textile and apparel industries.

In a paper to be published this summer, Ujiie outlines the numerous benefits of the emerging technology. The ability to quickly and easily produce strike-offs and short run samples, as well as drastically minimize inventory are just a few of the logistical benefits.
 
For the designer, the implications are both massive and exciting. As Ujiie points out, design styles that are impossible or extremely difficult to achieve with existing conventional printing technologies can now be produced using digital printing. The technology allows designers to manipulate and print patterns containing millions of colors for over-the-top detail with perfect registration.

Equipped with printers capable of handling reactive, acid, disperse and pigment inks, the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles is a creative haven for the serious design student. Under the direction of Professor Ujiie, students are turning out some printed designs worth checking out.

Patricia Ferrera’s piece illustrates what Professor Ujiie refers to as extreme tonal with diminutive effects. A conventional designer might peg this intricate design as a warp print. However, with digital printing technology, a talented designer can create the look on any fiber—unlike traditional warp prints that require a synthetic or synthetic-rich warp, specialized equipment and a hefty amount of yardage.

Patricia Ferrera
Courtesy of the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University

Through photographic manipulation, Elizabeth Tuva has created a wonderfully intriguing design. Tuva’s piece is reminiscent of a discharge print, except that it’s produced without finicky dye formulations and specialized equipment.  

Elizabeth Tuva
Courtesy of the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University

Heather Ujiie’s design appears to be filled with luminous energy. Professor Ujiie explains that the design was achieved by using special digital effects.

Heather Ujiie
Courtesy of the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University

Designers can now explore the world of gargantua. Images can be large, very large. In conventional flat-screen or rotary screen printing, the lengthwise design repeat is subject to limitations of the screens or rollers. In digital printing the only size limitation is the width of the printing machine.

Hitoshi Ujiie
Courtesy of the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University

Hitoshi Ujiie
Courtesy of the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University

As with any new technology, digital printing has a few kinks to work out. Professor Ujiie points out that printing reliability; speed; cost of machines and supplies; a sufficient color gamut; and penetration and fastness of the inks are some of the issues that need a little fine-tuning. Regardless, there is no doubt unbridled creativity will continue to stream from the Center for Excellence of Digital Ink Jet Printing for Textiles at Philadelphia University.

http://www.philau.edu/textiledesign/center.html

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[TC]² Activity

Hello, World – The NTC Forum

The National Textile Center (NTC) is a research consortium of eight universities: Auburn, Clemson, Cornell, Georgia Tech, NCSU, UMass Dartmouth, Philadelphia University, and UC Davis.  Their annual forum was held at Hilton Head Island and with the theme of sustainability, presented an amazing array of academic research projects ranging from electospinning of carbon nano tube fibers to the value of information sharing in a textile supply chain.

The keynote speaker, L. Hunter Lovins, President and founder of Natural Capitalism Solutions, Inc., spoke about the issues of sustainable development, energy and resource policies, climate change, globalization, and land management. She challenged the textile industry to begin adopting sustainable practices and shrink our “carbon footprint” with recyclable and renewable products and materials. Hunter’s web site is at www.natcapsolutions.org.

The graduate student technical presentations were enthusiastic and consisted of one from each NTC school:

• The Role of Body Mass Index and Body Shape in Perception of Body Attractiveness from Auburn.

• Structural Analysis of Spunlaced and Meltblown Nonwovens Using Digital Image Processing from Philadelphia University.

• Synergistic Actions of Nitrogen on Flame Retardant Cotton Fabrics from UC Davis.

• Polydiacetylenes Analysis from Clemson.

• Graphite Fiber Integrated MEMS (Micro-electro-mechanical Systems) from Cornell.

• Micro and Nano Structural Polymer Materials from Georgia Tech.

• Development of Core-sheath Nano Fibers for Tissue Engineering from NCSU.

• Soft Structured Sensors and Connectors by Inkjet Printing from UMass Dartmouth.

During the NTC Forum there was time allotted to review poster displays of the more than 50 research projects. There were several having to do with supply chain studies including the value of data sharing, improving competitiveness in the US textile supply chain, knowledge management as a competitive advantage and optimizing color throughout the supply chain.  The picture below shows an example of the poster display.

In the sizing and fit projects, there were studies on improved apparel sizing and fit using 3D body scan data, Hispanic characterization of sizes and preferences, and plus sizes for tweens and teens. 

There were quite a few very technical projects, too many to mention, but a description of all the current projects can be seen at www.ntcresearch.org.  Some representative projects in the bio-medical field are bioactive bandages, electrospun core-sheath fibers for soft tissue engineering and nano fiber formations.

Several projects had implications for inkjet printing technology like a universal set of dyes for inkjet printing.  Pictured below is Jud Early from [TC]² viewing a project on Inkjet Deposition of Complex Mixtures to Textiles.

The NTC Forum closing speakers presented arguments for sustainability in architecture and in the case of Patagonia, how they “use business to inspire and implant solutions to the environmental crisis” with the purchase of wind energy, solar panels in the parking lots, recyclable polyester fabrics, and products from organic cotton, hemp and wool.  Questions or comments on this article can be sent to Jim Lovejoy at [TC]².

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Member Profile - Hartmarx

With over 100 years of service to the industry, Hartmarx remains the top US maker of men’s suits, but as business dress has gone casual, you could say the company has loosened its tie along with the trends.  Best known for tailored suits and sport coats, the company also produces golf wear under the Bobby Jones label, slacks under the Sansabelt label, and women’s suits and separates under the Austin Reed and Barrie Pace labels.  They even have formed distinctive lines of clothing produced under license from Tommy Hilfiger, Kenneth Cole and other large designers. 

Hartmarx clothing can be found in select department stores and specialty stores, pro shops, resorts, and catalogs in the United States and more than a dozen other countries. In 1879 Marcus Marx joined the partnership and started working towards feeding the hunger and city’s urgent need and demand for clothing. As the cities around the US grew rapidly, so did this demand.  In 1887, Joseph Schaffner came along and the company arrived at the name that would follow it for more than 100 years:  Hart Schaffner & Marx.  Schaffner ushered in a creativity that was unrivaled and an industry first. 

Innovations included standard pricing, selling from swatches instead of cumbersome trunks, the first zippered pants in 1936, and the first national men’s apparel magazine advertisement.  After surviving the Great Depression, the company was able to provide uniforms throughout both wars. The 1950’s and 1960’s saw new fronts conquered. New acquisitions were made, endorsements with brands including Jack Nicklaus were born and the reputation as “America’s First Name in Tailored Clothing” became a permanent one.

In 1983, the company changed its name to Hartmarx to reflect its diverse holdings and growth and the Hart Schaffner & Marx name became a flagship label.  Hartmarx remains a stronghold in the industry.  With a proven track record of quality and commitment to industry and its customer satisfaction, the company continues to produce apparel its customers seek – with style and momentum - even into the next century. 

For more information, please visit www.hartmarx.com.

Prime Source, a new networking event for the international apparel industry, will be held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre from March 28-31. The 2-day forum will bring together 200 participants who have significant influence in shaping the future of the International apparel industry. Participation is by invitation only and has been targeted at high-level representatives from apparel brand owners, retailers, importers and manufacturers, as well as ministerial-level government officials from apparel importing and producing countries.
The 4-day trade show will be the venue where senior management of large importers and retailers, buying and purchasing offices of major brands, executives of brand label manufacturers, and merchandisers can meet with service providers. These exhibiting companies will introduce their production capabilities and strengths to buyers, allowing both to gain new, high-level business contacts and to meet with companies that can provide solutions to improve business.

Find out more about the forum at www.internationalapparelforum.com
Find out more about the trade show at www.primesourcetradeshow.com

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Important Dates

February

March

April

For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com

Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Intentia, Lectra and Methods Workshop.

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A Look Ahead in the Newsletter

Body Scanning University Research
MAGIC Show Review

View previous editions of this newsletter

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