Cutting-edge scrubs

July 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Medical scrubs need to be practical and comfortable, but that doesn’t mean they can’t be stylish. That’s the proposition behind Barco® Uniform’s Grey’s Anatomy™ collection of medical apparel for women and men. Recently, the company upped its game with the introduction of Grey’s Anatom…
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Common mistakes cost more than you think

July 1, 2019  |  Business

There’s a high cost to being too busy to get work done. By Randy Westlund I was consulting for the owners of a company recently. They’d worked hard last year. They did a record number of jobs. They even had to hire two installers and a welder to get it all done. But at the end … <div…
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Laminated fabric for distinctive building design

July 1, 2019  |  Swatches

The Horw Secondary School located in Lucerne, Switzerland, was ready for a facelift. Built in the 1970s, the dated building needed to join the modern world, including meeting the requirements of Minergie, the Swiss sustainable building standard, as well as improving its overall appeal. One key to me…
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Memories and history in thread and paper

July 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Berlin’s historic museum Gropius Bau was recently the setting for a distinctly modern exhibition. “And Berlin Will Always Need You. Art, Craft and Concept Made in Berlin” ran from March to June 2019 and featured commissioned works that explored crafts and handmade processes in Berlin’s conte…
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Expo 2019 Exhibitor Product Preview

July 1, 2019  |  Exhibitor Product Preview, Features

Your first look at the new products and value-added services waiting for you on the show floor at IFAI EXPO 2019 in Orlando, October 1–4. This fall, hundreds of exhibitors will bring you the latest products and information from the entire textile supply chain, from fibers to fabrics to shade syste…
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E-textiles in health monitoring

July 1, 2019  |  Advanced Textiles, Markets

Progress, potential and challenges for next-generation applications.  by Debra Cobb Among the many benefits promised by the smart fabric revolution has been the “consumerization of health care.” Wearables are enabling the remote monitoring of a wide range of chronic medical conditions, from…
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Creativity CUBED

July 1, 2019  |  Markets

Electra’s inventive flat-top temporary fabric structure helps it keep pace with Dubai’s fast-evolving event industry. By Holly Eamon In a world where customers increasingly expect their demands to be met instantaneously, companies that don’t prioritize active listening—or engagement—risk b…
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The Hot Pocket for outdoor comfort

July 1, 2019  |  Swatches

When the nights get cold or a chilly rain falls during a camping adventure, wouldn’t it be great to slip into a heated, cozy sleeping bag? That’s the idea behind Hot Pocket, a stuff sack that includes a heating element to warm whatever is stored inside. Made by outdoor gear designer Sierra Madre…
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Swimming—fast—with the sharks

July 1, 2019  |  Swatches

Competitive swimmers know that the right swimwear is essential for the swift swim they seek: The suit needs to be drag-resistant to achieve maximum speed. Iconic swimwear brand Speedo has introduced a new Fastskin line of suits that utilizes a resistance technology that ups the game by providing sup…
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A bright future: fabrics that generate electricity

July 1, 2019  |  Features, Perspective

Pvilion’s Colin Touhey is working to forge strategic partnerships to integrate photovoltaic technology into all kinds of fabric products.  by Jill C. Lafferty Every time you are building what you think is a one-off project, you’re probably going to do something similar a second time, a thir…
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