Posted Thu, Aug 29, 2024
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spent the week of August 19th in Raleigh, NC for TechTextil North America 2024! I was honored to continue my relationship working alongside amazing industry colleagues and Messe Frankfurt to bring forth important conversations and innovations in textiles and sewn products and had the opportunity to moderate four fantastic Symposium Panel sessions. I also was asked to present this year's Innovation Awards – I was so excited!
After arriving in Raleigh, I worked on wrapping up my prep for the symposiums I was going to be a part of - moderating is hard work! It takes hours of time to research the topic and panelists, gather information, put together slides. It often involves meeting with the panels in advance to make sure I'm highlighting the right things, allowing each person and company to shine, and crafting my questions to stimulate a discussion rather than simply a basic Q&A.
All that work paid off and the first of four symposiums went great. On Tuesday the 20th, we kicked off the show with “Smart Threads and Healing Fibers: Navigating the Intersection of Wearable Technology, Medical Textiles, and Legal Compliance.” I had the pleasure of speaking with Jordan Schindler, Jeffrey Margulies, and Samantha Shintay to discuss the future of healthcare with wearable technology and medical textiles. It was a fantastic conversation and I learned so much new information.
Wednesday was the busiest day of the week. I moderated two talks, beginning with “Real World Circularity: Stitching a Sustainable Future in the Textile Industry” with Shane O'Toole, Bob Carswell, and Sean (Hsun-Cheng) Su. I loved learning about how each company is collaborating across the supply chain to work towards more circular, sustainable materials, as well as acknowledging the challenges faced with various feed stocks. We even discussed the issue of "green washing", and while it can be real, often discourages brands from even putting forth the effort. We agree - this is a Progress over Perfection initiative and all forward movement in this space is a positive to our industry, and to the world.
Later in the day, I moderated “Revolutionizing Apparel Production: Unleashing the Power of Digitalization, 3D Development, and AI Innovation.” It was an insightful discussion on bridging the gaps between technology from design and development through production with Frank Henderson, Ben Mead, and Graham Sullivan.
Rather than using digital tools and data in silos, we need to work up and downstream in the supply chain in order to design for manufacturability, and utilize digital twins in apparel and soft goods manufacturing, like virtually every other industry uses. This benefits both the retailer (fewer returns, reduces excess inventory), and the manufacturer (better allocation of human, robot, and equipment resources for increased productivity). Shared data learning and training skilled workers in all areas will help us to achieve these goals.
On Wednesday evening, I attended the inaugural Alphabet Soup Shindig at Raleigh’s Whiskey Kitchen, and was thrilled to see how great of a turnout there was. This networking event was open to all members of the textile industry, and was an incredible opportunity for people to meet, collaborate, and learn more about all areas of the field.
Thursday was the last day of Techtextil North America, and I had one last conversation to moderate. “Empowering Women at Work: Bridging the PPE and Workwear Equity Gap through Fit and Digital Innovation” was a great discussion, and I learned an immense amount from an amazing panel of women. Melissa Dixon, Cassandra Kwon, and Kelly Franko all are passionate about gender equity and workplace safety for women. Kelly is the Founder and President of a women’s safety apparel company, and Melissa Dixon is the Director of Product Management at National Safety Apparel. We spoke about the challenges women face in accessing properly fitted protective gear and workwear, and how digitalization is paving the way for innovative solutions and a more secure work environment for all.
Later in the day, I had the pleasure of introducing the Techtextil North America tech talk: Unlocking "Made in America" - with Julie Rader at Walmart + Beth Esponnette at unspun™ - and was thrilled to have a twinning moment with Julie wearing our Walmart + American Giant tshirts, which are Made in America.
I learned a lot about unspun's innovative technology, weaving a garment directly from yarns rather than cutting it from a cloth, and about their partnership with Walmart, which is part of their investment in American-made products, and their shared interest in sustainability and localized sourcing.
I’m excited to see more of this support for US manufacturing from Walmart and hope to see a lot more like this from other retailers.
Overall, it was a fantastic week and I’m so glad I was able to be a part of the many thought-provoking conversations that were had throughout the event. It’s always such a pleasure to see both new and familiar faces at these shows, and the turnout at TechTextil North America 2024 was no exception.
Now, time to prep for the SEAMS 2024 Conference in Mobile and the Advance Textile Expo in Anaheim, both coming up in the next few weeks!
You can read more about TTNA24 HERE
HERE,
and HERE
