IFAI is now ATA
The Next Generation of Textiles
November 30th, 2022
It's time to nerd out on material sciences. This episode of Talking Textiles interviews George Sun, founder of Nextiles, a company merging electronics with textiles to measure range of motion, micromovements and more. We learn how George walked a path from creating shoes to conductive fabrics and hear his advice for job seekers to get […]
Building Sling Packs, Knowledge and Relations through ATA and the IFAI Expo
October 7th, 2022
Hear from two textile product business owners, their history, challenges, and involvement with the Advanced Textiles Association and the Demo Area at Expo. Jonathan Sweet interviews Tom Auer, Bearse USA, a third-generation business owner and Bob Rosania, CEO Ehmke Manufacturing, a company that was started by a baseball player. Discover what’s happening in the ATA […]
Building Multiple Structures, Winning Friends and Influencing the Textile Industry
August 24th, 2022
Jamie Gallagher has over 50 years of experience in the fabric engineering business and the relationships to prove it. Working along the way with his 4 brothers, Jamie explains why a bit of healthy family competition can fuel innovation. Born into a family with an already successful textile-based business, the brothers were not content to […]
Manufacturing the Next Textile Experts
July 20th, 2022
Dan Walczyk and Glenn Saunders have always enjoyed tinkering and taking things apart. This passion eventually led them to work as engineers and professors in the study of industrial robots, textile automation, fusing and composites. Today, as professors at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, they strive to produce the best engineering students and thus restore the […]
Fawcett Passes the Torch…Again!
June 22nd, 2022
From Fawcett to Fawcett to Fawcett! Lethbridge Canvas has been in business going on three generations. In our latest episode of Talking Textiles, Craig Fawcett and heir apparent, Jonathan Fawcett share the history of the family’s shade and covers business, the handing down from one generation to the next, and the lessons learned bringing the […]
The Magic of Fabric Solar Cells
April 15th, 2022
What do a Smithsonian exhibit tent, a synthetic leather clutch and renewable energy all have in common? On today’s Talking Textiles, learn this and more from Colin Touhey, founder and CEO of Pvilion, a company whose mission is to integrate solar cells with fabrics and build fabric products that generate electricity. Interviewed by Haskell Beckham […]
Puzzles, Problem Solving and Fabrics
March 15th, 2022
Thad Ribner loves problem solving. Now a research and development senior engineer, learn how a young adult adventure novel helped to shape his future career and peak his interest in the engineering and fabric fields. From early projects designing lift systems for helping patients with muscular dystrophy to working with unmanned underwater vehicles—Thad looks at […]
The Golden Age of Textiles
March 1st, 2022
King Mukherjee knew he was destined to work in the textile industry. His interest piqued after grading a student’s essay, Mukherjee began researching different types of mills and from there his fabric career was born. Today he is still a professor as well as founder and director of a custom fabric company. In this episode, […]
Innovation axée sur le développement des équipes : une conversation avec Claude LeBel de Sollertia
January 27th, 2022
Du Cirque à l'industrie du tissu, découvrez comment l'entreprise canadienne de textile architectural, Sollertia, s’est établi. Sollertia a déjà pris en charge et réalisé certains des projets de structure textile les plus ambitieux au pays. Dans cet épisode, Claude Le Bel nous raconte en toute franchise comment entreprendre de nouveaux projets, ses débuts dans l'industrie, […]
If You Build It, They Will Come
January 10th, 2022
From the circus biz to the fabric biz, learn how Canadian architectural textile firm Sollertia built its business. Sollertia has taken on and completed some of the most ambitious fabric structure projects in the country. In this episode, If You Build It, They Will Come, Claude Le Bel shares candidly about taking on new projects, his […]