Material Is Your Business

Reducing waste through creativity… Bunny Yan, Materials Upcycling Specialist and Founder of the Squirrelz (an app allowing designers and marketers to tap into the designer community and benefit from the unused materials they’ve left over – (bio)) joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.From Shanghai to New Jersey, 25 million tons of waste daily, and success stories Yan shares why her name is Bunny, why the company’s name is the Squirrelz, her background as born in Shanghai and raised in NJ, art, drawing, design, FIT, and being in fashion/marketing for 18 years working for urban wear companies, and designing for Busta Rhymes. Reducing waste through creativity, working with brands and turning their materials or marketing waste into products or providing them to others who can, such as trimmings, buttons, extra material waste etc. The first shared economy and free marketplace of its kind, and why Yan wants it to be free right now. How landfills receive 25 million to

Surface design and embellishments in scarves and loose apparel… Elizabeth Gillett, Founder/Creative Director of Elizabeth Gillett (luxury, contemporary scarves & cover-ups for women, designed exclusively in NYC – bio), joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.A lost scarf starts a business, limited runs, and infinite possibilities Gillett discusses her success in spite of no background in fashion or business, being and expert in surface design and embellishments, how she started the company, the desire for an oversize, tactile, soft, comfortable scarf, how she got her first orders and fulfilled them, and transitioning her business one scarf at a time. Stephanie and Samanta receive gifts of personally selected limited run scarves, and how craftsmen allow Gillett to do small run artwork in the form of scarves. Soft accessories allow anyone to easily to bring something for someone. From an idea in Gillett’s mind to being worn by someone. Transitioning from hand appli

Material technology, sustainability, and 3D knitting… Caroline Cockerham, a technology and sustainability focused textile designer/developer with a special interest in 3D knitting – (bio), joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.A family-inspired love of materials, mill vs. brand development, and proving materials before design Cockerham discusses her focus on apparel, textiles, technology, sustainability, and materials development, her background with a family that picked cotton and a great grandfather who was a dyemaster, and how she was always in love with textiles even as a kid. Falling in love with mills, rapid prototyping, material development in a mill vs. a brand, the importance of companies making sure employees understand holistically how things are made, why material development should start before design, tested and proven before being put in a product, and athletic companies leading the way on this. Sustainability, 3D knitting, and the sweater you c

Entrepreneurialism and making a difference… Producer’s note: Recently our producing team sat down for an interview that was so intriguing and informative, we thought it would be valuable to entrepreneurs  in any industry. Thus, we are sharing it with you here. Eli Ostreicher, serial entrepreneur, motivational speaker and Founder/CEO to eleven travel and luxury companies (2x INC 500 #1 in Travel) including Regal Wings, Regal Jets, Regal Card, Regal Solutions, GeeFi, One Bag Tag, GTTFP, Regal Engraving (bio) joins “Travel Is Your Business” hosts Pavan Bahl, John Matson and Marc Raco for Part 1 of a raw and candid interview — along with some sushi – about travel, entrepreneurialism, being successful “in spite of”, and “saying no to political correctness” at the MouthMedia Network studios.A rags to riches journey to success at 33, One Bag Tag and Regal Engraving, and an uncle rescued Ostreicher brings sushi, reveals why he went into the travel industry, his rags to riches journey that came from a lot of pain,

Smart textiles and wearable tech with Interwoven Design Group… Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman, Founder of Interwoven Design Group, LLC and Adjunct Associate Professor at Pratt (bio), joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.Loving fabric, a tool for athletics, and what a wearable can be Pailes-Friedman discusses specializing in wearable tech and smart textiles, how she loves fabric and worked for years with athletes for their clothing, looking at clothing as a tool for athletics. How she started working in smart textiles beyond clothing to objects that measure biometrics, wrote “Smart Textiles for Designers”, and is looking at what a wearable can and should be, with a focus on making life better.A glove, a TV show, and Mars A weightlifting glove, a stint on reality TV with “America’s Greatest Makers”, a prediction that we won’t always be carrying a phone in hand, working on getting people to Mars, working on spacesuits, and the critical nature of collaboration.Student

Trims and embellishments with Trimworld… Louis Nunez, Owner of Trimworld, Inc. (a full service fashion embellishment-manufacturing studio located in the heart of New York City Garment industry – (bio)) joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.Madonna, baseball, and FIT Nunez discusses how Trimwold work with almost every major designer on trims and embellishments, including Madonna, and has been working almost every type of material, and his favorite is leather. Laser cutting, fringes, a background in professional baseball, learning at FIT, opening up a shop at 29 years old, and how the experience has been wonderful ever since. How the shop set up as a studio and 3,000 feet of factory space, and being in the process of making Olympic Patches. Theatre, 3D printing molds, and restaurants Working around trims and embellishment rules, working with theatre companies and how prepared they are, how innovation of machines and technology has affected the industry, how 3D

Materials in architectural models with Kennedy Fabrications… Michael Kennedy, Owner/Creative/Engineering Director of Kennedy Fabrications (Interactive real estate development displays, retail / museum installations and architectural model fabrication – (bio)), joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.The impact of 3D printing, machines to cut and shape, and model-making as a career Kennedy discusses his architectural model shop making high-end residential architectural models around the world for more than 25 years. How he had one of the first 3D printers, dealing with the change in architecture shapes, how 3D printing is very useful, the changes in material technology and changing polymers, and looking at a blueprint sand instantly knowing how to build a model. The complexity of using machines to cut and shape, why there aren’t a lot of people who start companies in the model-making industry, how people just want something interesting and awesome, and model-maker

Computerized grading and marking of materials… Paul Cavazza, Owner of Create-A-Marker (a computerized grading and marking company serving a range of industries – (bio)) joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto and Samanta Cortes at the MouthMedia Network Studios.Grading and Marking, three generations of factories, and efficiency goals Cavazza discusses how many industries bring a pattern in, Create-a-Marker digitizes the pattern, and provides a cuttable fabric width of the item, and how the designer or company must provide all the information about the fabric and pattern. He talks about grading the pattern, proportioning it into different sizes, how designers commonly design things that cannot be done, how his company likely has the most software systems for marking of anyone in the US, giving the most compatibility with users’ softwares and also overseas, so the company doesn’t have to turn down business. He looks back at three generations of factories, being in factories his whole life, cutting fabrics since he w

3D Printing and Design Innovation for Clothing and Wearables with Sylvia Heisel… Sylvia Heisel, Fashion Designer, 3D Printing and Design Innovation for Clothing and Wearables (bio), and Creative Director of Heisel, joins Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto at MouthMedia Network’s studio at VoyagerHQ.Applying 3D printing to fashion, sustainability and compostable possibilities, sugar-based polyester, and 3D printed jewelry Heisel reviews how she got her start, but was doing same thing over and over, stopped being creative, and concerned about sustainability issues. How she got into 3D printing and applied it to fashion, how 3D printing wasn’t really a new technology, the first thing she made was customized iPhone cases, and how innovations allowing fast growth are close to mass production of 3D printed clothing. Cool new compostable fabrics, made of sugar and other materials, making the fast fashion trend not harming the planet. How the speed of 3D printing is improving. The first mass market example is t

Performance-based natural, cotton fibers via material science and process technology with Dropel… Sim Gulati, CoFounder and CEO of Dropel Fabrics, which makes clothing life-proof by developing performance-based natural, cotton fibers through material science and process technology – (bio), joins Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto at MouthMedia Network’s studio at VoyagerHQ.Bridging science and fashion, functionalizing clothing, and retail applications Gulati shares the genesis of Dropel, and how Gulati’s background and family’s work was a crucial ingredient, seeing innovation in fabrics but little in natural fabrics. How the goal is to bridge material science and fashion such as stain and oil repellency, wrinkle free, antimicrobial, and use these properties previously reserved for synthetics and apply them to natural fabrics. How in 10 years all clothing can be functionalized even at a nano-fiber level, and the road to that is via advanced fiber modification. Taking scientists with experience with appli

Man-made cellulose fibers with Lenzing Fibers… Tricia Carey, Director of Global Business Development for Lenzing Fibers, a company manufacturing and marketing man-made cellulose fibers (bio), joins Stephanie Benedetto, Samanta Cortes and guest host Marc Raco on location at TexWorld USA 2017.TexWorld, measuring softness, and blending Carey discusses Lenzing’s man-made cellulosic fiber, all from wood pulp from trees, which are ingredients of manufacturers and retailers around the world. She shares how being at shows like TexWorld allows convening, getting together with industries, yarn spinners and fabric mills, exchanging info, and how nothing takes the place of face to face meetings. The Lenzing Innovation Center, highlighting a new fabric concept TENCEL blended with wool for premium fabrics for high-end fashion. A focus on softness, with a measurement of softness demonstration between two fabrics, how everyone is looking to call out the value a garment has and being able to quantify claims, how there is gr

Modern uses for embroidery Machines with ZSK… Julius Sobizack (President of ZSK Stickmaschinen (ZSK Embroidery Machines), the market leader in single and multi-head industrial embroidery machines) joins hosts Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto in the MouthMedia Network Studio at Voyager HQ.New uses in manufacturing, 3D printing vs. embroidery, and zig-zag stitches Sobizack discusses developing what was there before on the field of technical embroidery to create a new field solving 21st Century problems. Logos, lettering, embellishments are also a big industry of embroidery, and used in fashion and the home textile world. Heated car seats a great example of the use of embroidery, with wires stitched to foam or backing that is electrified and heats the seats. Different kinds of embroidery heads with different functions, a wide variety of materials that can be laid down “fixing” with a zig-zag stitch, a “wire hit” detection system to avoid undetected damage, creating electrodes for the wearable market, why

Cotton, textiles, and sustainability… Jeff Wilson (Director of Business Value Strategy & Development for Textile Exchange, a global nonprofit organization that works to make the textile industry more sustainable – bio) and Daren Abney (Membership Engagement Manager of Better Cotton Initiative, a not-for-profit organization stewarding the global standards for better cotton – bio) join Stephanie Benedetto, Samanta Cortes and guest host Marc Raco on location at TexWorld USA 2017.Sustainability vs. business needs, the need for a metric, and adopting standards Abney reviews being a proponent of making cotton production better for the environment and better for the cotton sector future, how BCI has transformed 11.9% of the global market as licensed Better Cotton, out of the goal of 30% by 2020. A Better Cotton standard system, a holistic approach to sustainability with emphasis on business, and a funding mechanism that funds field projects worldwide. Wilson talks about creating overall public good on standards, t

Inside Premiere Vision, a global textile event… Guglielmo Olearo (bio), International Exhibitions Director of Premiere Vision (the global textile event for North American fashion professionals) joins hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Marc Raco on location at Premiere Vision 2016 in New York.History, passion, and learning from Italian fashion culture Olearo discusses being in charge of development of international showrooms, and the birth of Premiere Vision in 1973, its growth into an international show, the desire of wanting to see collections in advance, and the most recent expansion in Istanbul. He talks about different shows for specific markets, his passion for textile and fantastic material in Italy, coming from a background in engineering for chemical materials, always waning to work in the fashion industry, how with emotion and passion everything is possible, and a common deep love for the textile industry. The love for redefining industry products every six months, and the exciting challenge of

Himalayan nettle fibers… Ellie Skeele (Founder and President of Himalayan Wild Fibers) and Pierre Schmitt (President, Philea Textiles) join hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto on location at Premiere Vision 2016 in New York.Deadly cotton, Hemp for Victory, and the beauty of nettle Skeele and Schmitt discuss textiles and how materials make a difference, how behind fashion is material, how we have lost contact with material, and why cotton is a deadly material with Schmitt saying 5-10,000 liters of water are used per pair of jeans, and with 30-50% of pesticides used just for cotton plantations worldwide. The way most of the textile culture has been lost, “Hemp for Victory”, how hemp was a natural local plant excellent for the environment, and why everyone should care about natural fibers that have no impact on environment. How Himalayan nettle doesn’t need any water, or care with fertilizer, and how it is excellent for the body. Looking at how the whole textile industry was killed by co

Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy in materials with CLASS… Giusy Bettoni  (bio), CEO of CLASS (Creativity Lifestyle and Sustainable Synergy), a multi-platform global network showcasing exclusive textiles and materials created using smarter sustainable technology for everyone from business, designers, media and buyers, joins hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto on location at Premiere Vision 2016 in New York.Innovation, critical cotton, and recuperating fibers Bettoni discusses creativity, innovation, taste, and culture, and the relationship of needing to develop something to the whole vision of make fashion. How Italians are advanced. The definition of innovation, sustainable textiles, CLASS, material libraries, how cotton is the most used and critical fiber, working with spinner, recuperating discarded cotton fibers and turning them into a smart cotton while saving 67% of water with zero waste. Made in the USA, new material categories, and education Bringing business to th

Footwear material development at Nike… Ileang Lee (bio), Material Developer, NSW Running, Global Footwear Materials for Nike, joins hosts Stephanie Benedetto, Rob Sanchez, and Samanta Cortes on location at ThoughtWorks.A 3 year plan, flyknit, and Air Force 1 Lee discusses developing materials for tan entire category, working with 150+ models, planning Nike’s 3-year game plan in advance, Nike’s target to become a $50 Billion company by 2020, the innovation and developing of materials, the strict testing for materials for use at Nike, developing materials that sustain the aesthetics of the shoe, testing out to the future, and Nike’s advanced product creation center. Flyknit as an amazing piece of material with no wastage but expensive to produce knitted to shape, and improves performance due to lightweight, the magic of “flying” in footwear, and how everyone should look out for the Air Force 1’s.Being Australian, sustainable materials, and the Making app Being Australian and working as Senior Product Develo

In-house fashion team at global textile event with Premiere Vision… Sabine Le Chatelier (bio), Associate Fashion Director of Premiere Vision (the global textile event for North American fashion professionals) joins hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Marc Raco on location at Premiere Vision 2016 in New York.In-house fashion, fashion identity, and sharing ideas Le Chatelier shares the nature and purpose of the fashion team at this trade show, as a unique internal, in-house fashion team, and as part of the DNA of Premier Vision. How brands can source material for upcoming garment collections, the path of constructing and creating the fashion identity of the season every six months, and the particular process based on international meetings and gathering and sharing ideas and concerns about the future. A six month window, trends, and sensuality of fabric The future of materials, how fashion is a fast evolving business with less than six months for fast changes, a permanent work on the future, and pushing f

Christina Dean (bio), CEO of Redress, joins Marc Raco (host of Fashion Is Your Business podcast) for a Special Report on news that The EcoChic Design Award 2017 has become available in the United States for the first time in its seven year history. The EcoChic Design Award 2017, developed and is organized by Redress, is open to emerging designers and students with less than 3 years’ experience who currently live in Asia, Europe or the USA. According to its website, Redress is an NGO established in Hong Kong in 2007 , “with a mission to promote environmental sustainability in the fashion industry by reducing textile waste, pollution, water and energy consumption. They achieve this by educational sustainable fashion shows, exhibitions, competitions, seminars, research and via their recycled clothing standard. Their profile allows them to collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, including fashion designers, textile and garment manufacturers, brands and retailers, schools and universities, multilateral org

Color-matching and dyes… Chris Hipps (bio), Global Director of Archroma Color Management, joins hosts Rob Sanchez, Samanta Cortes and Stephanie Benedetto on location at Premiere Vision 2016 in New York.Supply chains, lighting, and information meets color Hipps discusses the work that Archroma does in custom color dying and custom matching, making sure colors can be made in the supply chain, and producing products that designers use to create pallets and matching colors. How color is one of the first things customers see, how Archroma works with pretty much everyone in mass, including specialty, outdoor, swimwear, and touches every product category. Larger companies are more developed with processes. Hipps loves educating and helping to streamline processes. Importance considerations of lighting, how inspiration comes at a high level and then executed on many different materials, different dyes used for different materials. Finding a target color achievable on multiple substrates. And the way Archoma is as