Press: SEAMS Spring Networking Conference highlights collaboration, leadership and innovation

GREENSBORO, N.C. — From trade policy and manufacturing technology to leadership, denim heritage and AI-driven workforce training, the 2026 SEAMS Spring Networking Conference brought together leaders from across the U.S. sewn products industry for three days of networking and forward-looking discussions at the Grandover Resort & Spa in Greensboro, N.C.

Held April 29-May 1, the “Empowering the Made in America Movement” event combined educational sessions, industry dialogue and relationship-building opportunities that reflected both the challenges and momentum shaping the domestic textile and sewn products sector.

The conference opened Wednesday with a golf tournament and the WOVEN (Women Optimizing Vision, Excellence & Networking) Walk and Talk before transitioning into two days of programming focused on sourcing, manufacturing, technology and leadership.

Will Duncan, executive director of SEAMS, and SEAMS President Brent Jones of Henderson Machinery welcomed attendees Thursday afternoon as the organization continued emphasizing domestic supply chain collaboration and the importance of strengthening U.S. manufacturing capabilities.

Sourcing shifts, policy pressures

One of the conference’s headline presentations came from Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, whose session, “Threading the Needle: Policy Pressure, Sourcing Shifts, and What Comes Next,” explored the evolving geopolitical and sourcing environment facing the industry.

Trade policy, tariffs and regulation are reshaping the apparel and footwear industry — whether companies are ready or not, he said. Lamar noted that complexity is rising across every part of the supply chain.

From counterfeit goods flooding digital marketplaces to new sustainability mandates and shifting tariff strategies, the operating environment is more challenging — and more interconnected — than ever.

A few key takeaways:

• Counterfeiting is no longer obvious — today’s fakes are sophisticated, often indistinguishable and increasingly sold online

• Product compliance expectations are expanding — from chemicals and labor to traceability and transparency

• Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws are coming — shifting end-of-life responsibility back to brands and manufacturers

• Tariff policy remains volatile — with ongoing legal battles and new authorities shaping global trade flows

Lamar emphasized that these pressures aren’t isolated — they’re converging. And they’re forcing companies to rethink how products are made, sourced and managed across their lifecycle.

Technology, AI and modernization

Technology and operational efficiency were recurring themes throughout the conference.

A fireside chat featuring Justin Hershoran of Aptean and Duncan explored “The State of Manufacturing Technology,” focusing on how manufacturers are increasingly leveraging automation, software integration, analytics and AI tools to improve responsiveness and productivity.

While brands and retailers have embraced advanced digital tools on the front end — from product development to e-commerce — the factory floor still lags behind.

Hershoran said that in many facilities, technology “stops at the production floor.” Think handwritten quality tags, disconnected systems and limited real-time visibility.

But that’s starting to change — fast.

With AI layered onto shop floor systems, manufacturers can now:

• Capture real-time production and labor data

• Identify bottlenecks instantly

• Automate payroll and reporting workflows

• Generate complex formulas and insights in minutes instead of hours

The shift isn’t about replacing people — it’s about unlocking efficiency.

As Hershoran put it, AI’s real value is helping teams move faster, make better decisions and focus on growth — not manual processes.

The tools exist and the opportunity is real, Hershoran said. Now it’s about closing the gap between what’s possible and what’s actually happening on the factory floor.

Artificial intelligence remained a major topic the following day during a fireside conversation with Amy Bircher Bruyn, founder and CEO of MMI Textiles and newly elected chair of the National Council of Textile Organizations.

Speaking during “From Fiber to Future: Leadership in a Changing Textile Industry,” Bircher Bruyn discussed using AI to improve operational efficiency while cautioning against losing the human relationships that define the textile business.

“Use it as a tool, not a trophy,” she said of AI. “You cannot replace human interaction.”

Bircher Bruyn explained that MMI has integrated AI tools into areas such as inventory analysis, ERP systems and operational workflows to improve speed and decision-making, while emphasizing the continued importance of meaningful customer and supplier relationships.

“We’re not trying to replace people,” she said. “We’re trying to equip our good people with being faster at their job.”

She also discussed how augmented reality and AI-assisted systems could play an important role in training the next generation of textile workers, particularly as experienced manufacturing employees retire.

That workforce and training conversation continued later Friday with a presentation from Tanya Wade, PPE/Textile Resource Lab manager at the Manufacturing Solutions Center and sewn goods workshop instructor at the Carolina Textile District, along with Chris Farr, managing director of simulation and data at Analog. They introduced THREAD-X — a new approach to one of the industry’s biggest problems: losing knowledge faster than we can replace it.

THREAD-X (Textile Handling, Real-Time Expertise and Data Exchange) combines AI, cloud and augmented reality to capture expert knowledge and deliver it directly to the factory floor.

The goal is simple — but ambitious: turn months of training into days. And the early results are hard to ignore:

• Training time reduced from months to weeks

• New operators running production lines in days, not months

• Dramatic reductions in downtime through real-time troubleshooting

• Institutional knowledge captured before it walks out the door

As Wade put it, the challenge isn’t just recruiting the next generation — it’s making sure decades of experience don’t disappear with retirements and turnover.

Farr added that the real power of AI in manufacturing isn’t generic — it’s specialized, built from the knowledge of experts on your own floor.

From immersive simulations to on-equipment AR guidance, THREAD-X is designed to meet workers where they are — whether that’s on a headset, tablet or phone.

Leadership, culture take center stage

Leadership emerged as another central theme during the conference.

Al Carey, executive chairman of the board at UNIFI Inc., delivered a presentation on “Servant Leadership,” focusing on culture, resilience and leadership development.

Carey reflected on lessons learned throughout his business career and emphasized the importance of trust, accountability and investing in people during periods of change and uncertainty.

Carey didn’t sugarcoat the moment: “This is one of the toughest environments I’ve ever seen,” he said, pointing to ongoing supply chain disruptions, tariffs and shifting retail dynamics. But his message was rooted in perspective — and action.

He leaned on a simple but powerful idea: “Don’t waste a crisis.”

Drawing from his time leading teams of more than 100,000 at PepsiCo, Carey shared how adversity can become an advantage — if leaders stay calm and focused. “People look at you to see how to react,” he said. “If you’re in control, the team will be in control.”

One of the most resonant takeaways: flip the traditional org chart. Instead of top-down decision-making, Carey emphasized listening to those closest to the work. “The people on the front line know how to fix the business,” he said. “Your job as a leader is to remove obstacles.”

He also mixed in memorable anecdotes — from Michael Jordan turning failure into fuel after being cut from his high school team, to lessons learned navigating downturns at PepsiCo — underscoring a consistent theme: positive energy and decisive leadership matter in tough times.

And perhaps the most practical advice of the day: focus on big changes to big things. Not incremental tweaks, but bold moves — paired with continued investment in innovation, even when conditions are uncertain.

Those themes carried directly into Bircher Bruyn’s fireside discussion with longtime friend and supplier Jim Hopkins of Hamrick Mills.

Hopkins first met Bircher Bruyn when she was just 14 years old, working summers in her father’s National Dye Works factory in Lynchburg, S.C.

Now widely regarded as one of the most respected leaders in the U.S. textile industry, Bircher Bruyn reflected on building MMI through trust, troubleshooting and long-term relationships.

“I didn’t set out to build a big company,” she said. “I set out to solve problems… the growth came because the problems got more complex and the trust went deeper.”

She also emphasized the importance of hiring and empowering strong teams.

“You hire people that are smarter than you… and you get out of their way,” Bircher Bruyn said.

Throughout the discussion, she repeatedly returned to the importance of trust and follow-through in both leadership and business relationships.

“Trust was the biggest thing… your customers have to trust you,” she said. “You have to show up, do what you say you’re going to do and follow through.”

Denim heritage in ‘Jeansboro’ and beyond

Denim runs deep in North Carolina — and that story came to life at the conference.

Led by Xochil Herrera, founder of The Chicago Pattern Maker, a powerhouse panel explored where denim has been — and where it’s headed.

Panelists included Victor Lytvinenko, co-founder and designer at Raleigh Denim Workshop; Kristie Rhodes, manager of Woven Product Development at Cotton Incorporated; and Paige Mullis of White Oak Legacy Foundation (W.O.L.F.) who works in sales and business development at MMI Textiles.

From Greensboro’s legacy as “Jeansboro” to today’s global supply chain challenges, the conversation didn’t shy away from reality:

• Making denim in the U.S. has gone from local to global — and back again, but not without friction

• Tariffs and shifting supply chains have reshaped even the most committed American-made brands

• Cotton remains a critical anchor, with innovation driving performance and sustainability

• And perhaps most importantly — the industry risks losing hard-earned knowledge if it’s not passed down

Lytvinenko put it plainly: the brands that win are the ones telling a real story — not just marketing, but truth.

Meanwhile, Mullis and the White Oak Legacy Foundation are working to ensure that story doesn’t disappear — preserving craft while training the next generation through hands-on education.

Industry relationships remain central

Beyond the presentations, networking remained at the heart of the conference. Attendees gathered during receptions, meals and evening events to strengthen relationships across manufacturing, sourcing, brands, technology providers and academia.

That spirit of collaboration surfaced repeatedly throughout the event as speakers emphasized the need for partnerships across the domestic supply chain.

Bircher Bruyn perhaps summed up the broader tone of the conference best: “The U.S. textile industry is critical,” she said. “We have to partner more than ever.”


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