Coating tests that evaluate five types of durability

September 1, 2016  |  Business

The right coating chemistry can make the difference between a fabric that has long-lasting durability and one that fades, degrades and fails before its expected lifecycle. This is especially true of fabrics used in awnings, tents, flexible decking, outdoor furniture, marine upholstery and automotive…
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Vehicles for change

September 1, 2016  |  Projects

The signature form of transportation in Mumbai, India, is the iconic black and yellow taxi. Many drivers like to make their taxi stand out by decorating it with personalized touches. But designer Sanket Avlani noticed that the seat covers were fairly standardized and dull. He also recognized that in…
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Follow the yellow fabric road

September 1, 2016  |  Projects

Renowned fabric artist Christo has worked his magic again—this time on picturesque Lake Iseo in Northern Italy. The Floating Piers transformed the landscape of the lake and the surrounding area for 16 days between June and July 2016. First conceived in 1970 by Christo and his wife and artistic p…
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Blair Belluomo brings a strong and appreciative management style to the family business

September 1, 2016  |  Business, Features, Management, Perspective

I went to school with many kids whose parents had businesses, and they thought that just because their parents ran a successful business, they could just step in and be successful as well,” says Blair Belluomo, owner and president of Belle Isle Awning in Roseville, Mich. “So many of them failed…
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Furniture meshes with footwear

September 1, 2016  |  Projects

Could athletic footwear inspire furniture design? It did for Benjamin Hubert of the London, England-based experience design agency, Layer. Hubert likes to look at existing materials and technology and consider how they can be re-imagined and used in unique, new ways. For his three-piece Cradle colle…
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Test of time

September 1, 2016  |  Business, Management

Bea Heinz, owner of Jefferson Tent & Awning Co., St. Louis, Mo., has a bit of experience in the custom canvas industry—51 years to be exact. Established in 1911, the majority of Jefferson Tent & Awning’s business consists of the custom manufacture of commercial and residential canvas awn…
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Canada is putting a new emphasis on developing smart textiles and wearable innovations

September 1, 2016  |  Business

Textile is rapidly becoming the most effective wearable technology form factor,” says Tony Chahine, CEO of Myant & Co., a member of the Canadian-based Smart Textile and Wearables Innovation Alliance (STWIA). “Smart textiles and wearables have the ability to provide a holistic picture of the …
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Flotation in style

September 1, 2016  |  Projects

People who spend time on the water, whether for work or play, need to take the right flotation protection with them in the event of an emergency. Damel, a Portuguese textile company that specializes in technical clothing, has introduced outdoor apparel that integrates automatic inflation, eliminatin…
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Textile manufacturers respond to the need for flexible medical and biomedical products

September 1, 2016  |  Features

In the world of bad news/good news scenarios, one can hardly find a more salient example than that presented in the medical arena. Technological advances are gaining traction amid the growing threats of superbugs, global spread of disease and demand for regenerative treatments to address the needs o…
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Business school, and NASCAR

September 1, 2016  |  Resources

The industry, past, present and future: IFAI Expo is the annual event where industry leaders, innovators and market makers connect. Next month in Charlotte, the heart of the U.S. textile industry, you’ll join with more than 5,000 attendees and 375 exhibitors for an industry education in specialty…
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