Wolftext Textiles Alumni Newsletter

The North Carolina State University College of Textiles’ Fashion Week 2012 will be held from April 11-13 to showcase design leadership and creativity. From the opening session to educational forums, exhibitions and the closing ceremony, the innovation and talents of global fashion students will be the focus.

Fashion Week 2012 is designed to bring the industry and the university community together, creating a leadership challenge for students and faculty while allowing corporations to tap into the highly creative human resources the NC State College of Textiles has to offer. No other event – or quite frankly university program – integrates the educational experience with real world, working professionals and career experiences in quite this way.

Our College’s history and success combines art, science, management and professional experience through internships and other assignments in conjunction with our industry partners, preparing our students to compete in a global marketplace. The College of Textiles is located on NC State’s Centennial Campus which is a unique community of collaboration where corporations, government research partners, and incubator companies, along with NC State faculty and students conduct cutting-edge research in state-of-the-art facilities. Working together on this most prestigious university research campus, they develop the future of great ideas.

Our students are attending the largest College of Textiles of its kind, where we produce more than half of the textile graduates in the United States each year. Almost 20 percent of the graduates serve as corporate managers, and half of those are either board chairpersons or presidents of their companies. The College is the only one of its kind because we are educating students from molecule to market. They learn every aspect of the fashion and textile arena. The College has a unique blend of “art and science” coupled with business, having fiber processing, yarn, weaving, knitting, dyeing and finishing facilities under the same roof with creative design, technical design, textile design, product development, brand management and marketing plus merchandising, supply chain management and sourcing. Our competitive advantage is meshing the art and science and producing innovative, creative students and employees who are driving newness in the textile industry.

And we have the advantage of being located in the heart of a thriving creative-class hub in Raleigh, North Carolina. Businessweek.com recently bestowed the title of Best City upon Raleigh, citing cultural graces and educational excellence as factors that edged out other cities. Additionally, Raleigh ranks high on the Creative Index in best-selling author Richard Florida’s “Rise of the Creative Class.” Consistently recognized as a leading city in innovation and creativity, Raleigh is the perfect home to Fashion Week 2012.

Visit www.tx.ncsu.edu for updated information.

Chancellor Randy Woodson announced a plan recently to position NC State for greater strength, effectiveness and efficiency in the face of a likely state budget reduction. Get the latest information about the strategic plan that will guide NC State for the next 10 years, strategic realignment information and the annual budget process.  To learn more visit http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/bulletin/2011/03/chancellors-message-on-realignment-plan/

After months of planning, the College of Textiles is pleased to introduce its new website. The design and architecture have been enhanced to make your visit to www.tx.ncsu.edu easier with information readily available.

College of Textiles students, with the help of their professors, are working to develop a kneepad prototype that promotes football safety while still allowing a wide range of motion. To learn more visit http://www.technicianonline.com/features/textile-students-senior-project-aims-to-saves-knees-1.2524319

Mark DeMontis founded Courage Canada in 2008, several years after finding out that he suffered from a condition that made him legally blind and unable to play hockey. DeMontis is working with eight textile engineering students from the College of Textiles to develop an improved adaptive puck versus a tin can that is now used to play. To learn more visit WRAL at http://www.wralsportsfan.com/nhlallstargame/story/9001867/

Student delegates left to right: Nicole Machado-Alvarez, Erin Frey, Caroline Cockerham, Katherine Gracz, Jessica Leslie and Claire Stanhope

During spring break a couple of weeks ago, six College of Textiles students were touring Mexico with Bill Harazin, COT professor, and representatives from Wake Tech. The trip was a partnership with the NC and US Department of Commerce to learn about the global textile business opportunities in Mexico through interactions with business and industry leaders. View thier blog at http://www.dbi-mexico.blogspot.com/

Eleanor Hoffman works to complete her garment for Charleston Fashion Week.

Of the 16 designers competing at Charleston Fashion Week, three represent NC State, with two from the College of Textiles. Go behind the scenes as the designers prepared for the runway. To learn more visit http://www.ncsu.edu/faculty-and-staff/bulletin/2011/03/behind-the-fashions/

In 2004 and 2005, Ashley Newsome was just another student rushing to put last-minute touches on her showcased collections for NC State’s annual Art to Wear fashion show. Today Newsome – who graduated in 2005 with a degree in art and design and a minor in apparel technology – owns her own sustainable fashion supply and custom clothing design and production studio in Savannah, Ga., called Haberdashery Eco Fashion Supply.

Her design inspiration for Art to Wear – vintage fabrics that were remade and “upcycled” – is still a huge piece of what she’s doing at Haberdashery.

“I like the idea of taking something old and making it new again,” Newsome says. “Some people see what sustainable designers do as contradictory – since fashion is constantly being renewed and what’s ‘in’ one season is ‘out’ the next. Looking at fashion through affordable and sustainable products that are made with longevity in mind is a very niche market. But I’m hopeful that it is the wave of the future of fashion.”

NC State, Newsome explains, taught her more about fashion than just the fabrics and design. Here, she also learned about the apparel production process – and everything that  goes into mass production. That, she says, piqued her interest in sustainability practices – how we can reuse what we already have instead of producing more and more.

At her Savannah studio, Newsome finds and sells vintage fabrics, renewable ones – made from bamboo or Ahimsa silk (silk processed from cocoons without killing the silkworm), and leftovers or “seconds” from high-end designers like Anna Sui or Marc Jacobs that would normally be discarded. She also uses fair-trade fabrics and products that are made through sustainable practices, even if the fabric itself isn’t.

Newsome, who will be heading back to Raleigh on Tuesday to celebrate Art to Wear’s 10th year, is happy to hear that many students featured in this year’s show are following in her footsteps to apply sustainable practices in their designs.

“I think it’s wonderful. I’m such a huge supporter of anyone using sustainable fashion design,” Newsome says. “What I try to do is encourage people to buy their clothing for longevity – high-quality fabrics with a classic fit.”

See story at http://www.ncsu.edu/features/2011/04/where-art-they-now/

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the German national agency for the support of international academic cooperation, announced that Dr. Helmut Hergeth of the College of Textiles at NC State University has been selected to serve as a Research Ambassador for the 2010/2011 academic year.

The DAAD Research Ambassadors Program is now in its second year, and it honors 18 individuals this academic year who have conducted a long-term research project in Germany at the doctoral level or above. At the end of August, the 2010 Research Ambassadors participated in a two-day seminar  addressing the latest developments in German higher education and research, and the many generous funding programs available to North American scientists and academics interested in conducting research in Germany or initiating collaborative projects with German colleagues.

DAAD Research Ambassadors help to inspire others to conduct research in Germany by working within their respective departments and universities and by serving as a resource to university offices (e.g. the international, fellowships and career development offices). They are also available to answer questions
from students and peers from beyond their geographic areas via email.

For further information about the program, please visit:
www.daad.org/

Fourteen students from the College of Textiles and the College of Design presented their original designs during the 2011 Collection: “Art to Wear” fashion show on April 12.  The show looked back at the last 10 years of the show and as always emphasized a fusion of art and fashion, making it anything but your typical fashion show. For more information about Art to Wear visit http://www.ncsuarttowear.com/index.html

To view the News and Observer article and photo gallery visit http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/04/13/1125781/offal-is-elegant-at-art-to-wear.html