2013 Textile Design Exhibition

Keystone Weaving Mills Field Trip

On Thursday November 7, 2013, Textile Design students, faculty and administrators from PhilaU, toured Keystone Weaving Mills, in Lebanon, PA.  Alumni Sloan Caplan and Kristan Steigelmann greeted us and provided a great tour of the Keystone manufacturing plant and design studios.  Following the tours, we had a good discussion regarding design industry trends.  The Keystone design studio also includes alums Rebecca Kean, Tara Mayer and Regina Burkholder.  Please see the photo below of the entire group.

The Design Center at Philadelphia University teams up with Art In The Age

The Design Center at Philadelphia University teams up with Art In The Age to create a small run apparel collection with prints inspired from our historical textile archive. These designer pieces show off Philadelphia's rich history in domestic textiles and display quality design at its finest!

Check out the full story here!
See the whole collection when it debuts this Friday at the Art In The Age store at 116 N. 3rd Street from 6-9pm.

PhilaU Textiles participates in POST.

Textile Selected as Gift for Alumna

Graduate Textile Design student Sriranjini Raghuram was honored to have a jacquard tapestry she created selected as a gift for alumna Robert M.Gordon, class of 1938.  The textile was presented to Mr. Gordon when he returned to campus for Homecoming 2013.  Dr. Spinelli, PhilaU President, and Elona Lakuriqi, Director of Alumni Relations presented the gift.

Mohair Field Trip

On Friday September 27, Textile Design and Fashion Merchandising students and faculty traveled to Glen Cauffman's farm in central PA.  Glen, the driving force behind Pure American Naturals is sponsoring a project to create innovative mohair products.  We met his angora goats, from which mohair fiber comes, on one of two annual "shearing days".  Angora goats are sheared twice per year, as the fiber grows so quickly.  See below some photos from our beautiful day in the country.

Philadelphia Open Studio Tour - Save The Dates!

Join us for our open studio tour, October 19th & 20th!

Summer Internship Experience : 3

Many of our undergraduate and graduate students held internships this summer near and far. Here is a peek at how a few of our students spent their summers:

Meet Erin Stevens!

Where did you intern this summer and what was your main role?

I worked at Eileen Fisher this summer as a design studio intern in New York City. I assisted all creative teams: Sweaters, Fabric, Cut & Sew, Wovens, and Line Operations. It was really a mind-blowing learning experience, as I got to see the company from so many angles.

What surprised you the most during your internship experience?

I was pretty surprised the first time the company masseuse came to my desk and asked me if I wanted a ten-minute massage. Aside from how fantastic the company is to its employees, I was surprised to see a designer's process from intangible concept to a product in stores. They make it look easy. I was also fascinated by the amount of team work and collaboration between teams that I witnessed during design meetings.

How did you feel your experience at Philadelphia University prepared you to take on and understand the tasks you were given this summer?

Eileen Fisher makes products that are entirely designed around the fabric or materials. I felt fully equipped with the textile vocabulary, understanding, and language obtained at Philadelphia University to be able to communicate and participate in decision making while at EF. I also felt that my CAD skills were at the right skill level so that I could keep up with any design assignments on the computer.

What new skills did you learn throughout your internship that you might not have learned in the classroom?

On the job, I learned so much about how all the pieces fit together because in the classroom any discussion of industry is mostly theoretical. At Eileen Fisher, I gained a solid understanding of what it means to be a ethical and sustainable company without sacrificing the quality of the product. I mastered little things that are specific to the industry such as specification sheets, which tell the production team exactly how to reproduce a product.

Spending a summer in New York taught me the invaluable skill of how to live on a very tight budget :)

What was your favorite part of the job or working at the company?

I loved working for a company who's design aesthetic and company ethics I so passionately agree with. I also loved how much the designers cared about my learning experience. They always took the time to explain new things to me and I was able to shadow design meetings or accompany them to fabric shows and vendor appointments. All in all, the experience sufficiently exceeded all of my wildest dreams!

Summer Internship Experience : 2

Many of our undergraduate and graduate students held internships this summer near and far. Here is a peek at how a few of our students spent their summers:

Meet Lauren Westenhiser!

Where did you intern this summer and what was your main role?

This summer I was a textile design intern at Target Headquarters in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I worked with the ready to wear textile team, and was assigned a project for the juniors label, Mossimo Supply Co. I worked with another intern in design to create a collection of dresses for next Summer.

What surprised you the most during your internship experience?

The team I worked on and everyone I met at Target was so welcoming and helpful. No one was too busy to get to know or give advice on my project. I was able to connect with many new people and gain insight on the work culture and their design process. I was surprised to be given so much responsibility as an intern, and that I felt like an actual employee.

How did you feel your experience at Philadelphia University prepared you to take on and understand the tasks you were given this summer?

My computer skills and experience with textile design process helped me to create a mood, color palette, and exciting print collection for my project. In the print design graduate program, hands on and experimental image making is emphasized. Most of my designs are painted, drawn, or assembled by hand at first, and then scanned into the computer. Everyone at Target responded positively to this way of working when I shared my process during my final presentation.

What new skills did you learn throughout your internship that you might not have learned in the classroom?

I was able to experience and understand the role of the textile designer in an apparel design setting for a discount retailer. Often, there are printing constraints that the textile designer needs to anticipate when coming up with a repeat or color way so that it is cost effective and aesthetically pleasing. It is also important for the textile designer to be aware of the customer and how she responds to different design motifs and colors. Having access to that information and talking with other designers was the best way to learn how decisions are made when designing clothing in this type of company. In school there is more freedom during the design process.

What was your favorite part of the job or working at the company?

My favorite part of the job was the fast pace of designing because I surprised myself at how much I was able to accomplish over the summer. I also loved the how inspiring my manager, mentor, and other team members were throughout the process.

Summer Internship Experience

Many of our undergraduate and graduate students held internships this summer near and far. Here is a peek at how a few of our students spent their summers:


Meet Emily Weiss!


Where did you intern this summer and what was your main role?

I interned at Ralph Lauren in the Home Design Department. My main role was to assist the senior designers in bedding and bath design. I worked with mainly with the designers for TJmax, Kohls, and Chaps, but also with the designers for the Ralph Lauren Collection.

What surprised you the most during your internship experience?

I was surprised to learn how much work goes into making designs for the home. Especially at Ralph Lauren, every single aspect of a pattern or color has to embody the Ralph Lauren lifestyle. Everyone works so hard going back and forth with other designers to make the perfect textile for Ralph Lauren Home.

How did you feel your experience at Philadelphia University prepared you to take on and understand the tasks you were given this summer?

My experience at Philadelphia University has taught me a great deal over the years, but what really prepared me for this internship were my many design classes. Whether it was weaving, knitting, or print design, I used a little bit of everything working with the designers. They were surprised how much hands on work we do here, but I learned that it really gives you a strong background. Knowing how to use the basics of Photoshop and illustrator ahead of time also really helped, because everything is done on the computer! I was able to work closely with the senior designer, Jacqueline Beaulieu, who actually went to Philadelphia University! She taught me a lot of cad skills through giving me various design projects.

What new skills did you learn throughout your internship that you might not have learned in the classroom?

The internship at Ralph Lauren was a great experience for meeting people in the industry. We always discuss making connections for jobs after school, but doing this internship was the perfect opportunity to meet new people in the company, no matter what their position was. I learned it’s really all about making connections and that can take you anywhere. 

What was your favorite part of the job or working at the company?

My favorite part of the job was getting to experience the city. I’ve been there a million times before, but I’ve never lived and worked there every day.  It’s really an eye opening experience. There’s inspiration literally everywhere you go that you wouldn’t find somewhere else. My other favorite part of working at the company was being able to work with the people I did. I wasn’t expecting everyone to be so friendly and welcoming in such a big corporation, but they were more than that. They taught me new things every day and made sure I was enjoying myself. They take really good care of their interns.  

Graduate student attends the WithIt Conference in Raleigh, NC

Deb Spofford, a graduate student in the print textile program, had the

opportunity to attend the WithIt Conference during the summer break.

WithIt is a leadership development-networking group for the

furnishings industries that champions the advancement of women.

The group encourages female leaders to grow by recognizing

excellence, promoting leadership and positioning member at the

forefront of the industry.

With the generous support of several WithIt members, 18 students

from different universities were invited to attend the annual

conference. Deb Spofford flew from Seattle, WA and was greeted at

the airport by WithIt member Pat Bowling. This was just the beginning

of the hospitality shown to the students and first time attendees of the

conference. Jackie Hirschhaut, VP of Public Relations and Marketing

for the American Home Furnishings Alliance hosted the students and

was instrumental in connecting them with industry professionals that

matched their specific field of study.

The following three days were filled with amazing speakers, round
table discussions, and networking opportunities. Some of the break
out session topics discussed were Building a Premiere Design
Business, Launching a Career in the Home Furnishings, Creating a
Fabulous Blog, Critical Thinking, and Building Organizational Culture.

There were also many inspirational and informative speakers, which
included Mary Lou Quinlan, author of The God Box, Emily
Bennington, author of Who Says it’s a Man’s World, Mary Knackstedt,
author of The Interior Design Business Handbook, and Arlene Blum,
author and director of the Green Science Policy Institute.

Calling All Artists: Design NPR's Next Tee

NPR is teaming up with Threadless to host a tee shirt design competition.
Details can be found here: http://www.threadless.com/npr/
Cash prize!

Colleen O'Donnell in New Zealand

Textile Design undergrad Colleen O'Donnell is spending the Fall semester studying abroad at Massey University in Wellington, New Zealand.  In addition to her courses, she has spent time hiking and traveling.  Recently Colleen did a Lord of the Rings tour and hiked the Tongariro Crossing.  Watch the blog for more images and stories from Colleen's adventures.

Colleen in front of Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings.

Alumna Marnie Gayman Collins

Alumna Marnie Gayman Collins, Textile Design '86, recently had a brush with royalty.  Here below she is seen with Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, during their recent visit to Heriot-Watt University in Galashiels, Scotland.  Marnie is a Teaching Fellow in the School of Textiles and Design at Heriot-Watt.

Textile Design Workshop Day Four

The Summer Textile Design Workshop concluded with a great lecture by Kelly Chaido of Anthropologie, followed by a wonderful day of knit design. 







 

Kelly Chaido, Catalog Merchandiser for Anthropologie,
discusses her globe-trotting career.

Happily knitting.
 

Textile Design Creations from the week.
 

 

Textile Design Workshop--Day Three

On the third day of the textile design workshop, students enjoyed a presentation by Anastasia Frandsen, Senior Designer of American Silk Mills.  Beautiful jacquard and dobby textiles were shown, prior to the day focused on woven design.  Images from Day Three are here below:

Anastasia Frandsen of American Silk Mills

Inserting fabric strips into a handwoven textile.

A new filling yarn for the loom.

Weaving in the Textile Design Studio.

Textile Design Workshop--Day Two

Students participating in the Summer Textile Design Workshop accessed the extensive Textile Collection at The Design Center at Philadelphia University, as part of a creative session on sketchbook development.  They also enjoyed a great speaker.  Please see below for images from Day Two.

Debby Stirner, Vice President of Design at John Ritzenthaler Co. shares some of their textile products.

The perfect sample for the sketchbook is
on the far side of the table.

Developing color stories in the sketchbook.