At age 19, Karl Deardorff bought a sewing machine from Leo Robbins, his first sailing instructor. “I wanted to be able to fix and alter my own sails,” he says. The machine went with Deardorff to California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, where he was also on the sailing team.

James Wines is known as a provocative artist who creates building-sized installations that some would say are more architecture than art. Indeed, he wrote a book about the fusion of these two artistic expressions called De-architecture, where he insisted that “buildings don’t need a defensive rationale to explain their existence,” but that if art wants to claim the attention of any public space, it should be raised to the same regard, and it should engage fully.

Standing out from the crowd has become more important than ever for businesses of all stripes, and many turn to vibrant, riveting digital graphics to get their messages across.

The transportation industry is undergoing massive disruption, driven primarily by the climate change imperative: electric and hybrid automobiles; e-vans to deliver our online purchases; mandates for fuel economy, emissions and noise reduction; material sustainability; and pandemic-related concerns with health and safety.

Awnings, tents, shade sails, marine upholstery, protective gear, furniture: regardless of the end product, the fabric needs to perform in harsh conditions while looking good, keeping the planet green and fitting into a client’s budget. For our two-part annual showcase, we asked contributors to send us information about their latest high-performance textiles. We’ve organized the information into performance categories, and Part 1 is included in this issue. In the May issue, Part 2 of the showcase will cover water repellence; sustainability; flame retardance and fire resistance; printability; health, safety and protective; and activewear applications.

In the summer of 2020, Scott Sutherland was elated with record-shattering sales, but he was also in a situation he had never imagined: out of aluminum, out of fabric, out of nearly every component used to make tents.

For the new terminal complex at the Salt Lake City International Airport, a specially commissioned public art installation involved architectural fabric. The visually stunning fabric sculpture “The Canyon” by public artist Gordon Heuther was accomplished by a dedicated team of fabric engineers and fabricators who interpreted the artist’s vision. The scope of the project is examined in “The Art of Fabric Architecture” in the May 2021 issue of Specialty Fabrics Review.

Recent reports illuminate key factors that will influence the automotive textiles segment in the future. Most notably, the automotive lightweight material market is expected to reach $247 billion by 2026, according to Global Market Insights Inc.

Most of us still can’t (realistically) answer the siren song of working in pajamas. However, we’re certainly becoming au fait with the comfortable, functional clothing that can help us power through long, testing days at an essential workplace or hours of Zoom meetings for those working from home.

When a client requested a cover for the entry of a workshop/studio, Schafbock Design Workshop of Gujarat, India, took on several challenges, according to Schafbock’s Shehzad Irani. These included the timeline, which was just 45 days from concept design to installation, and the site, a fully functioning hand-printed garment design workshop in a residential area. In addition, the team was challenged with new design processes for the form-find as well as design-engineering and manufacturing of the structure.

Shade is on everyone’s mind, according to Margueritte Ramos, owner and sales manager of ShadeFLA. The Miami, Fla.-based company designs and installs shade products ranging from awnings and canopies to retractable roofs and tension sails. Lately, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing.

The client brought this 36-foot Spectre Cat to B’s Kustom Kreations of Jefferson City, Mo., because he was looking for custom upholstery work from a reputable shop, and B’s fit the bill, says owner Bryan Lute. “We specialize in custom automotive upholstery so we love opportunities to work on boats and show the boat industry what we can do.”