Wristwatches date to the 16th century—and for most of their history, they’ve functioned as a woman’s accessory. (Men stuck with the pocket watch until the early 1900s.) Until recently, the watch served one practical purpose: to tell time. Today, our watches tell us our heart rate, sleep activity, the number of steps we take in a day, our location—and, of course, the time.

For many businesses, just keeping the doors open was a challenge in 2020. But for many shade fabricators and manufacturers, as the year progressed, the shade market heated up, and business became surprisingly good. Pandemic-related projects—including those related to the increase in outdoor gathering spaces and the need to enhance them with shade products—drove work for many shade companies. “Now more than ever we realize the necessity of outdoor spaces with amenities—not just for shade, but for shelter, power and lighting as well,” says Colin Touhey, founder and CEO of Pvilion, a solar-powered fabric products company based in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Southcentral Alaska is filled with spectacular natural beauty, hardworking people and an array of fishing boats and other vessels that are often in need of repair. The latter fact creates an opportunity for Monica and Mike Stockburger, owners of the marine fabricator business Salty Cushions in Homer, the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World” on the scenic Kachemak Bay 200 miles south of Anchorage.

Innovation and creativity in the world of textiles are always worthy of attention. But because the textile industry—like so many others—has been dominated by men, the contributions of women have often gone unnoticed. Women have always participated in and led the textile world in meaningful ways; however, often the spotlight has not landed on them. Here, we’re highlighting three women who have established themselves as innovative leaders.

The market for ballistic protective clothing has traditionally functioned as a small slice of the military and law enforcement protective markets. Today, however, demand for such apparel is growing at an unprecedented rate across the globe, reflecting changing political and social circumstances. Factors including the modernization of military forces in developed and emerging nations, international and domestic terrorism, and civil unrest have combined with breakthroughs in technology to expand the market for both tactical and concealed body armor.

In May of 2020, the construction and installation of the memorial for General and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was finally finished. It was a process that took more than 15 years of internecine delays and objections put forth by pro- and anti-memorial groups and the descendants of Eisenhower himself.

When a client brought the first vehicle he had ever owned—a 1955 Ford Consul Mk1—to Napier Auto Upholstery of Napier, New Zealand, the motor trimmer and upholstery specialists knew they had a sentimental treasure on their hands, as well as a research project. With the proper rebuild, the

Custom canopy projects can present unique challenges to their creators, but that’s a reason many designers, fabricators and installers enjoy them. These projects give them a chance to flex their creative muscles while solving problems.

Capital Crescent Trail users in Bethesda, Md., are enjoying an aesthetically pleasing facade of digitally printed blue sky and bird silhouettes, designed and installed by Big Span Structures as part of a parking garage expansion project. In addition to the eye-catching view in place of an otherwise typical

In the midst of the reworking of so many segments of the textile industry due to the pandemic, one market segment that has been able to stay focused on the basics of what it does is e-textiles, including conductive fibers and yarns. This technology is no longer just an interesting experiment but has created a viable and growing range of applications.

The advent of 3D printing (3DP) has drawn considerable interest from academia, industry and amateur hobbyists as a novel method of producing objects layer-by-layer (LbL) via a bottom-up manufacturing approach. This method of “additive” manufacturing (used interchangeably with the term 3DP) builds objects via the addition of material and subsequent solidification (if needed), distinct from the traditional subtractive