Ben Jones Sustainable Design Project: Memorial for Extinct Species

Ben Jones, a graduate student in the Textile Design M.S. program, created a sustainable printing project in Print Design Studio I this semester.  His project is entitled "Memorial for Extinct Species".  He shared the following details:

Description: This t-shirt spreads awareness of the loss of biodiversity and species extinction due to industrialization and human carelessness. On the shirt is: Tecopa Pupfish (extinct due to habitat loss/ocean acidification), California Grizzly (extinct due to habitat loss), Passenger Pigeon (extinct from overbreeding and messed up genetics), Golden Toad (extinct from global warming and habitat loss), Viola Cryana (extinct due to people picking them and putting on kitchen table "over hunted"), Bali Tiger (extinct due to overhunting), Kokia Cookei (extinct from habitat loss/overdevelopment of buildings), Cyanea Superba (extinct due to habitat loss), Dusky Seaside Sparrow (extinct due to habitat loss), Newfoundland Wolf (extinct due to overhunting), Myrcia Skeldingii (extinct due to global warming and habitat loss)

Sustainable process:
-Designed digitally, without paper waste

 -Hand printed in an OSHA and EPA compliant, eco friendly,
environmentally responsible print shop with toxic free, soy based screen
printing inks

-Printed on 100% reclaimed and up-cycled textiles (Plain t-shirts
are donated/reclaimed from local thrift stores)

Ben participating in the Peoples Climate March in Philadelphia on April 29th.

Textile Design Collaboration Awards

In the annual Fashion Design Show held on April 27th, many of the collections involved collaboration and original textiles created by PhilaU Textile Designers. Three collections were specifically honored for their original textile design work: 
* Collection XIIX Award for Collaborative Textile Design for Womenswear was awarded to Becky Flax (MSTD) and Soumya Mohanty (MSTD) collaborated with Tae'lor Lambert (BSFD)

*The United Fabrics Award for Original Jacquard Textile Design was awarded to Oluwabusola Duroshola (MSTD) for the jacquard she created for Raiya Jones (BSFD).

*The Woolmark Company Award in Student Innovation was presented to Regan Marriner (BSTD) and Maria Palantino (BSFD).

Jacquard/Advanced Jacquard Final Critique

Our students successfully finished their Jacquard/Advanced Jacquard critique by presenting their beautiful Jacquard Textile Designs. The critics were Marcia Weiss, Director of  Fashion and Textile Future Center, and guest critics Lindsey Baker of United Fabrics and Jamie Liebering of Sunbury Textile Mills. They all provided useful reviews on how students can further enhance their projects.

Textile Design Students and Critics review the work of Nina de Vassal.

Textile Design student Regan Marriner shares her collection.

Lindsey Baker, Jamie Liebering, and Marcia Weiss review the work of Salwa Rasheed.

Textile Design Graduate Student Salwa Rasheed presents her collection.

Textile Designs of Graduate Student Nina de Vassal.

Textile Designs of Industrial Design student Louise Sandstroem.

Graduate Studio Final Critique

Our Graduate Textile Design Students presented their thesis projects during the Graduate Studio Final Critique. Each student had a unique and innovative project. During the review they got feedback both on the current state of their projects and how to enhance it for the upcoming semester.

Graduate Textile Design Student Insiyah Shahpurwalla during the Critique.

Graduate Textile Design Student Oluwabusola Duroshola shares her work.

Oluwabusola Duroshola's woven textile collection.

Graduate Textile Design Student Alyssa Zebovitz explains her inspiration and design process.

Graduate Textile Design Student Drew McKevitt presenting her work.

Knitted Textile Designs of Graduate Student Drew McKevitt

Textile Design Celebration

On May 12th, 2017, the Textile Design Department at Philadelphia University celebrated the achievement of both of our senior undergraduate and graduate students.

The day started off at the Textile Design Studio where students, their families and friends, and prospective students visited the Textile Design Department, met with the faculty and professors, and took a tour of the textile studios.

Later on the VIP Reception took place at the Gallagher Center at PhilaU, where the graduating students showcased their beautiful textile designs at the 2017 Philadelphia University Innovators' Show.

Congratulations to the graduating students and well done for all your great work and achievements during your studies at the Textile Design Program!  We look forward to seeing you move on to even bigger and better things in your careers.

Current students and families, and prospective students at the Open House at the Textile Design Studio.

VIP Reception at the Undergraduate Capstone Showcase

VIP Reception at the Undergraduate Capstone Showcase

Graduating Textile Design student Jessica Thies explaining her design.

Graduating Textile Design student Caroline Kern sharing her work.

VIP Reception guests checking out the beautiful athletic shoes made by Regan Marriner.

VIP Reception at the Undergraduate Capstone Showcase

Maddalena Sutton and her experiences in our Textile Design Program

Maddalena Sutton, a 2017 graduate of the Textile Design program (congrats Maddie!), shared her experiences during her four years of studying at Philadelphia University.

Why did you choose Textile Design?
I didn’t really know what I wanted to do coming into Philadelphia University. I knew I loved fashion and I loved art, but I wasn’t sure how I could combine the two. My cousin went to PhilaU for fashion design and she told me to look into textile design. I started looking into the program and came to an open house here at PhilaU. After that it seemed really interesting to me, so I chose textile design and I have loved it ever since. I love the design aspect along with being able to pair it with fashion.

Did you have any expectations coming into the Textile Design Program?
When coming into the Textile Design program, I was very open minded because I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was expecting them to teach me the ropes and see what would happen. So coming in and being able to knit my own samples and learn how to work with the machines was really an exceptional experience. It is very cool to be able to work with your hands and create samples. That is the cool thing about this major, you are constantly creating and making new thing with your hands.

Maddalena then shared more information regarding her study abroad program:

Where did you study abroad and how was your experience?
I studied abroad Fall of 2015, in Scotland at Heriot-Watt University. I loved the area, the culture, the food, and the people there. The nice thing was that a lot of their equipment was similar to what we have here at PhilaU. But their education system was different. Since their program is bachelor of arts they focused more on the art side of design rather than the science. Which made it feel not as realistic as what we do here at our program. It is a very different way of thinking about it all. What I love about PhilaU is, the faculty have you think about the industry and end use of the product.

What were your expectations going into the study abroad program?
I don’t think I went in with any expectations. It was my first time going out of the country. I was just really excited to see other cultures and to see what the differences are compared to the United States. Overall it was a great experience: all the people that I met, all of my peers and professors were exceptionally nice and always helpful. It ended up turning into a really nice community for the time that I was there.

Did you face any challenges while studying in Scotland?
I don’t think I faced any challenges academically. A lot of the courses related to what I was doing here at PhilaU. I was also able to apply what I learned over there to the classes that I took once I got back to PhilaU. 

Maddalena continued on by telling us about her internship with Lilly Pulitzer:

I got an internship with Lilly Pulitzer which is a resort wear / women wear company. I got the internship through Career Services at PhilaU; they held interviews and Lilly Pulitzer employees came to interview us. I was offered the internship, I started in June of 2016. It was supposed to be a summer internship, but in August they told me they would love to have me in the Fall if I was interested to continue working with them. So I stayed and during the Spring, they again asked me to stay, and I have been working with them ever since. A couple of weeks ago I got called into a meeting and got offered a job. I’m really excited to have that happen.

How was your experience during the internship?
The internship was great because I learned a lot about the industry, from production to execution all the way to marketing and advertising. Every morning we had coffee chats, and each morning it would be with a different department. So we got to learn about what they did and the different processes that they went through. Lilly involved me as much as possible; they made sure I had a great experience and I learned everything before actually tackling it all.

What were your main responsibilities during your internship?
Over the Summer I was working in the Color, Fabric, and Trim Research and Development Department. I was working closely with the woven’s development coordinator. My main responsibility was helping out my manager, who was the woven and trim coordinator, I took on a lot of the trim developments. 

During the Fall and Spring, they put more of the trim responsibility on me, which was really cool. I chat with the designers. I talked with different vendors oversees, and developed different trims and laces. They put a lot responsibilities on me which I was really happy with, I felt like I met their expectations. As I was there longer, I felt that the designers were comfortable asking me to do, or research, certain things for them.

Was it challenging doing both the internship and taking classes together?
It was interesting trying to balance it all. For my Fall semester I worked two half-days and one full day per week. I was able to leave work and go straight to class. I feel like I balanced it all and it was easy for me to stay on top of everything. During my Spring Semester I had been working two full days which was manageable. But it got tough at times, especially because of how far away the office was, I got home pretty late and I had to do homework for school. It was a struggle but I was able to fit everything in and get it together.

Did you face any challenges during your internship?
Originally when I interviewed with them I was hoping for something more of a print internship, or something dealing with design. But when I got placed in the Color, Fabric and Trim Research and Development Department I was working more with the number side of it. Even though I wasn’t doing  much design work, I still feel like I excelled in it. I caught on to it very quickly and I felt it was the stuff that I liked, which is combining the design with the numbers and the hard stuff. Although it wasn’t something that I necessarily expected, it was still a great learning experience.

What were the best experiences during your internship?
I loved learning about the industry and being able to have a lot of responsibilities put on my plate as an intern, and meeting my manager and my bosses expectations. My favorite part would be seeing how everything progressed within a season, such as starting from day one, which is our kick off, and then seeing it go from that to all the different trims, fabrics, and colors. Finally seeing them all being put on garments and hit the stores.

What position will you be taking on when you officially start your job at Lilly Pulitzer?
I will be the Color and Trim Research and Innovation Coordinator. Our team is switching from research and development to research and innovation. This means that we are going to be dealing more with researching the future trends and finding what's new and innovative in the textile world. I’m excited to see how it all turns out.

What are your future goals?
I’m versatile in my way of thinking and I feel like I will be good in a lot of things. I don’t want to pigeon-hole myself so I’m stuck doing the same thing for the rest of my life. I know there are so many different opportunities out there. I know I love the design aspect of it all, and I love working with woven and prints but there are still so many different ways and jobs that I could go about those things. I would love to be able to do as much as possible in different jobs. I’m excited to work in the industry and see what I gravitate towards the most.

What would you like to share with potential students coming into the Textile Design program?
Be as open as possible. Don’t put any limitations on yourself. I know a lot of people cast away the idea of going into Textile Design because they can’t draw or design. I think it is not necessarily about drawing or what you are able to do. As long as you can put whats in your mind down on paper, in a design, or on the computer that is what its all about. It is about your ideas and inspirations. So as long as you are able to somehow communicate that through your designs, thats all that matters.

If you had one word to describe the Textile Design Program at PhilaU, what would that word be?
Innovative, somebody here is always doing something that makes me go “ WOW“. Every single day I come across someone doing something very innovative. There is always something new going on.

Textile Designers 2017 Academic Awards

Congratulations to the following Textile Designers who were awarded top honors in 2017 Academic and Design Awards: 

Alison Ervin BSTD '17 American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists Outstanding Student Award

Jessica Thies BSTD '17 Outstanding Textile Design Student

Megan Onuskanych BSTD '17 Surface Design Association Outstanding Textile Design Undergraduate Student

Rachel Snack MSTD '17 Surface Design Association Outstanding Textile Design Graduate Student

Becky Flax MSTD'17, Fashion & Textiles Futures Center Outstanding Student Award

Textile Design Senior Showcase May 2017

Eight graduating seniors showcased their innovative and beautiful textile designs for fashion and home at the 2017 Philadelphia University Innovators Show, held in the Gallagher Center at Philadelphia University.  The Textile Design Department congratulates Alison Ervin, Regan Marriner, Caroline Kern, Megan Onuskanych, Alyssa Yanni, Maddalena Sutton, Taylor Salva and Jessica Thies for their great work!  Please see the photos below.

Alison Ervin's tortoise-inspired, knit collection of garments and fashion textiles.

Maddalena Sutton's tabletop collection of vegetable-inspired wovens and prints.

Alyssa Yanni's fashion collection of original, embellished woodland prints.

Caroline Kern's colorful, travel-inspired prints for fashion and home.

Jessica Thies showcased prints and wovens inspired by Japanese cherry blossoms.

Megan Onuskanych featured a collection of creative creatures in complex prints, jacquard wovens and embellishments.

The overall showspace for Textile Design. 

Regan Marriner's athleisure collection of knits and jacquard wovens (and shoes too!). 

Another view of the overall showspace. 

Taylor Salva's fashion collection inspired by the National Parks. 

PhilaU Design Students Win Big in 2017 ITA Virginia Jackson Design Competition

Once again, Philadelphia University design students have taken top awards in the International Textile Alliance Virginia Jackson Design Competition.  Students created beautiful entries for upholstery designs in jacquard and dobby woven, and printed textile categories. 
In the Jacquard Design category, First Place was awarded to Industrial Design B.S. senior Louise Sandstroem.  Second Place in Jacquard Design was awarded to M.S. Textile Design student Oluwabusola Duroshola.  First Place in the Dobby Woven category was awarded to M.S. Textile Design student Emily Olsen.  Congratulations to Louise, Oluwabusola and Emily and all of our students who participated! 

Emily Olsen's First Place Dobby Woven

Louise Sandstroem's First Place Jacquard Woven

Oluwabusola Duroshola's Second Place Jacquard

Textile Design Career Discovery Master Class

You love color, art, pattern, and texture. You love to be creative and make things. But you are not sure if Textile Design is for you?

This summer Philadelphia University is offering a three full day Textile Design Career Discovery Master Class, from June 21st till June 23rd.

This Master Class is a great opportunity for high school juniors and seniors to gain an understanding of Textile Design and the Textile Profession. Students will have the ability to work in our studios and learn the basics of Knit, Print, and Woven Textile Designs. Additionally, students will create their own samples of Textiles in all three disciplines to take home with them.

Other than becoming familiar with the Textile Studios and Labs and the Textile Design process, students will also have the opportunity to meet wonderful Industry Guest Speakers.

Master Class tuition is $300 and includes on-campus lunches, course registration, and all materials. Master Class Scholarships are available; however overnight accommodations are not. Registration and Deposit Deadline is June 1st, 2017.

Please direct all inquiries and registration information to: 

Marcia L. Weiss, Director, Fashion & Textiles Futures Center 

Associate Professor, Textile Design at Philadelphia University 

4201 Henry Avenue 

Philadelphia, PA 

19144
215.951.2762 

weissm@philau.edu

Start your creativity and learn more about Textile Design at Philadelphia University. 

Wednesday, June 21st - Friday, June 23rd  

9:00 am - 4:00 pm