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Arc de Triomphe: it’s a wrap
March 1st, 2020
From Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, 2020, the Arc de Triomphe will be transformed by the artist Christo. Photos: André Grossmann; © 2019 Christo. Christo, the artist known for environmental art installations, is returning to Paris for an exciting new project, L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped (Project for Paris, Place de l’Étoile-Charles de Gaulle). The idea […]
Technical textiles go bananas
March 1st, 2020
Sustainable, smart and fashionable bags are sourced from banana trees instead of synthetic textiles that can be environmentally harmful. Photos: QWSTION. When designing a more sustainable future, sometimes the solution lies in unexpected places. That’s the idea behind Bananatex®, a durable, waterproof fabric made from banana plants. The textile is derived from Abacá, also known […]
An exosuit for any gait
March 1st, 2020
The wearable exosuit is lightweight, nonrestrictive and allows the user to move naturally. It may one day be available to aid walking and running in all kinds of situations. Photo: Wyss Institute at Harvard University. When walking, a person’s center of mass is like a pendulum that is highest at midstance, when the leg is […]
Fabric frustrations for great white sharks
March 1st, 2020
Great white sharks, responsible for most unprovoked attacks on humans, were part of a field test to create a fabric that better protects against their bite. Photo: Flinders University. While rare, shark bites can be a serious, dangerous reality for surfers and divers in some parts of the world. Shark bites classically are crescent shaped […]
Bob Grambsch leads Canvas Replacements in making new canvas tent tops for old pop-up camper trailers.
March 1st, 2020
by Jill C. Lafferty We bring over 65 years of knowledge and experience to a growing and changing industry,” says Bob Grambsch, president of Canvas Replacements/Camper & Recreation Inc., a Loyal, Wis.-based manufacturer of replacement canvas tent tops for pop-up campers. “My dad had been building camping trailers since 1957. I was about eight years […]
Custom inflatables are blowing up
March 1st, 2020
Inflatables are in demand, thanks to advanced technologies that create higher quality products and new applications. by Jeff Moravec There was a time when consumers viewed inflatable products as bargain-basement cousins to rigid objects. Think of the air mattress rolled out on the bedroom floor for a middle-school sleepover or the discount-store blow-up swimming pool […]
The wide (format) world of sports
March 1st, 2020
When it comes to printing fabrics, the wide world of sports is beginning to live up to its name. By Jeff Moravec In sports, it’s always about competition—and revenue. As sports teams have established new revenue streams (such as sponsorships that require stadium advertising) and worked to enhance the game-day experience for fans with splashy […]
Seven steps to take your fabrics business to the next level
March 1st, 2020
by Sigrid Tornquist Building a business takes more than a good idea and an interested customer base. It takes planning, investment, a skilled workforce—and a healthy dose of industry knowledge. Got a plan? Rick Ludolph, founder and president of boutique specialty fabrics consulting firm Productive Solutions LLC in Marietta, Ga., has spent more than 40 […]
New standard makes protective apparel safer
March 1st, 2020
by Glenna B. Musante Improving safety apparel for workers operating in hazardous situations is a constant focus of the textile industry, but it is a task not always easily accomplished. Hazardous materials professionals can be exposed to any number of chemical, biological and flammable materials in the same environment, according to The Institute of Hazardous […]
Richard Seaman on sustaining a family business
March 1st, 2020
By Rebecca Post An urgency runs through the pages of Richard Seaman’s book A Vibrant Vision: The Entrepreneurship of Multigenerational Family Business. That urgency stems from Seaman’s understanding that few family businesses survive beyond a third generation. Seaman, the chairman and former CEO of Wooster, Ohio-based Seaman Corp., offers a model to family-owned businesses for […]