Supplying forces

November 1, 2015  |  Features, Markets

The U.S. relies on the domestic industrial base to meet military needs. In enacting the Defense Production Act of 1950, Congress listed eight findings to support its “statement of policy.” The last one states that “the inability of industries in the United States, especially smaller subcontrac…
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Back to the future

November 1, 2015  |  Features

From 1915 to 2015—and beyond—we’ve gone from horsepower to hovercraft, yet business basics still surround technology. If the only constant in life is change, that’s also certainly true for the specialty fabrics industry and Specialty Fabrics Review, whether from a perspective inside the indu…
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Iconic intervals

November 1, 2015  |  Projects

To connect the city parks along the Hillsborough River, the city of Tampa, Fla., wanted an iconic centerpiece that would attract joggers, bikers and visitors to the area when designing its Riverwalk project. Span Systems Inc., Manchester, N.H., was tasked with bringing the design to life—six tensi…
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Members make the industry

November 1, 2015  |  Features

As the Specialty Fabrics Review turns 100, we honor the members, readers and contributors who help keep the industry a strong and evolving economic force. For 100 years the Review has been the voice of the specialty fabrics industry—but it is the members of IFAI who helped to create and have suppo…
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Ad Vantageous

November 1, 2015  |  Features

Review advertisements commemorated key events and trends throughout the years. Shown here are some of our favorites.  
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Celebrating 100 years of Review

November 1, 2015  |  Features

In its earliest incarnation, the Review began as a newsletter shortly after the National Tent & Awning Manufacturers Association was formed in 1912, and gradually took on characteristics resembling a journal of record for the industry, reporting on trends and important industry developments. It …
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Engaging the workforce

November 1, 2015  |  Features

Finding, training and retaining skilled employees remains a vital issue. Labor and workforce issues have always been an industry concern, and from the first issue to the current one, the Review has run frequent and regular articles about how readers can improve the bottom line by getting a better gr…
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Airline-material accessories take flight

November 1, 2015  |  Products

Fasten your seat belts: Flug zeug is now landing Pan Am fashion belts on a runway near you. Flug zeug, a Vienna, Austria, business selling airline-material accessories for people who like to wear good plane fun, is the brainchild of Andreas Roesler-Schmidt. Roesler-Schmidt worked in marketing, publi…
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Air-inflated awareness

November 1, 2015  |  Projects

While Israeli Doron Gazit attended college to learn industrial design, he also worked as a street vendor selling twisty balloons. Gazit’s success in business (he founded Air Dimensional Design Inc., or AirDD®, in Los Angeles, Calif., in 1989) and artistic life stem from his recognition that a lon…
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It’s alive! Nature sets Finnish hut in motion

November 1, 2015  |  Projects

When city living crowds the souls of the outdoor-loving Finns, individuals and families escape to their “mökki,” a basic hut that provides both protection from and connection to nature. This inspired NEON, a London-based design firm, to create a weather-responsive installation for the Barfotast…
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