RESEARCH. PRESS. UPDATES.
In addition to workshops, studios, lectures and independent studies, FTL collaborates with faculty from other colleges at UC, nationwide, and internationally on research and design projects related to fashion, textiles and technology.
Our labs have gained notoriety in publication and press regionally, nationally and internationally. Our student and faculty work have been published in books, international journals, magazines and conferences.
Daap fashion professors Emily Flannery, Ashley Kubley, and 2019 FASH alumni Amanda Howe of Sphene, speak to WVXU on Fashion AI, counter-surveillance, and anthropometric data in the Metaverse:
A sweater that fools facial recognition cameras, and more ways designers are getting creative with tech
Reference: WVXU
Dress for success isn't just a saying anymore. Scanning your rock band t-shirt might bring up videos of a concert you attended. Embedded NFTs can prove you own a limited run clothing item. A special sweater can shield your identity from facial recognition cameras.
Clothing that can speak to our devices, known as e-textiles, is growing at an exponential rate, according to the latest data.
That doesn’t surprise Ashley Kubley, associate professor of fashion design at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP).
"A lot of this is happening in the classroom as we embed more educational content around digital pattern making, avatar creation, for our students in the fashion area in order to prepare them for an industry where people are going to be fitting their garments based off of a body-scanned avatar," says Kubley.
Student Design Competition Announcement
19th North American Student Design Competition
FASHION AND TEXTILE
Sponsored by Alpaca Owners Association, INC. (AOA)
Make plans to participate in the 19th Annual Student Design Competition sponsored by AOA. It’s not just a contest, it’s an experience!! Over 200 North American college-level art and design schools are being contacted for their students to compete for the cash prizes, exciting professional development, and networking opportunities our awards bring.
The competition was created to promote the use of alpaca fiber in fashion, textile, and interior design at the fundamental level of educational institutions. The theme for this year is Alpaca: Sustainability, a new theme reflecting the benefits of alpaca.
Below is a description of what the AOA Student Design Competition can provide for your students:
1. Students will broaden their horizons by learning about this friendly, gentle animal, and its precious fleece thathas been used for thousands of years in luxury textiles and garments — fit for royalty! Alpacas are not harmed when their fleece is harvested. They are an environmentally friendly livestock.
2. There are two categories in the competition; fashion design and textile design. No garment construction is necessary, entries only require a presentation board, swatches, and a one-page essay. By following the guidelines for entries, students will have a portfolio-quality piece. Selected entries will be on display at theAOA National Fleece Conference and listed at www.alpacainfo.com/fashion.
3. The top three entries in each category will receive cash scholarships! Ribbons will be awarded to firstthrough third place entries in both the textile and fashion categories.
4. The top three finalists (residing in North America) in each category will be invited to be our virtual guests of honor during the AOA Education and Fleece Conference in Burlington, KY (Cincinnati OH area) July 14-16, 2023
5. The winners will be spotlighted in our award-winning nationally distributed publication Alpacas Magazine andat www.alpacainfo.com/fashion.
The competition will be judged by industry professionals who will provide a critique for each entry. The scoring is based on an evaluation of individual entries rather than a comparative system.
Available information here: www.alpacainfo.com/fashion.
Click Here for the required files: Design Competition
Official Rules, Entry Form, Announcement, Sample Order Form
Are you a bachelor's or master's degree student? Your scientific work is about fashion and circular economy, textile recycling or the innovative use of biobased fibers? Then join our Lenzing Young Scientist Award 2023. Competition for bachelor’s and master’s degree students, with awards ceremony at the Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress in September 2023.
© Lenzing Group
The Lenzing Group is all set to present the Young Scientist Award for outstanding research in the field of fibres and textiles again in 2023. Bachelor’s and master’s degree students will have the opportunity to submit their scientific work in the categories of fashion and circularity, textile recycling and the innovative use of biobased fibres to a jury of well-known industry experts.
The jury consists of Karla Magruder (Founder of Acceleration Circularity), Friedericke von Wedel-Parlow (Beneficial Design Institute Berlin) and Dieter Eichinger (Head of Standardization and Innovation, Secretary- General of BISFA).
All winning projects will be duly awarded a cash prize of EUR 5000 at the 62nd Dornbirn Global Fiber Congress (GFC), which is organized by the Austrian Fibers Institute and will take place from 13th-15th September 2023.
The Institute focuses on issues relating to the future such as fibre innovations, sustainability and circularity, which will also be on the agenda at the GFC. The aim of the Young Scientist Award is to promote the students’ work and create a platform for networking with the textile and fibre industry.
“As one of the leading innovators in sustainably produced fibres and nonwovens for decades, Lenzing is best positioned to make a real difference and create a better future for the generations to come. Driving research and development forward and supporting young scientists in realizing their ideas at all times is not just a matter that is close to our heart. We are convinced that innovation and technological progress are vital to our success in tackling the pressing environmental challenges we face”, says Robert van de Kerkhof, Member of the Managing Board at the Lenzing Group and President of the Austrian Fibers Institute.
Applicants for the Young Scientist Award can submit their work (final-year projects, papers etc.) in English between 9th December 2022 and 16th July 16 2023 to the following e-mail address: YSA2023@lenzing.com.
Further information is available here.
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recognizes University of Cincinnati Fashion Technology Center project as part of their Education and Research Centers
The University of Cincinnati ERC has developed the On-Demand Active Cooling (ODAC) Textile System, an intelligent fabric composition that offers integrated cooling and respirating function.
Written By: DAAP Fashion Alumni Molly Cohen
Featuring: DAAP Fashion Assistant Professor Ashley Kubley
FASHION SHOW
MODEL CALL
If you are interested in being a volunteer fit model for the Spring 22 DAAP Fashion Show, please see the information here!
Contact Laurie Wilson with questions.
DAAPFASH22 VIRTUAL MODEL CALL FLYER.pdfPDF Flier
Women's Measurement Statistics Sheet.pdfWomen's Measurement Sheet
Men's Measurement Statistic Sheet.pdfMen's Measurement Sheet
Open to all SOD Design Students:
The Woolmark Performance Challenge is an open-source problem-solving platform designed to
facilitate innovative, forward-thinking product solutions for the sports and performance market, by harnessing the unique natural properties of Australian Merino wool. The challenge brings together leading performance apparel brands with a global pool of world-class talent. It provides a unique learning experience for participants, and awards the finalists and winners with opportunities for travel, financial rewards, and potential for career development.
FIND OUT MORE BELOW:
Fashion in Extended Reality Online Conference
Please join the exthereal virtual conference on Nov 29-Dec 1 and discover digital fashion with industry visionaries! Registration is free. Sign up at www.exthereal.com
Click the image to view the documentary film produced in collaboration with the Digital Media Collaborative and students from the Electronic Media program at UC. The documentary showcases the FTL's Wearable Futures Lab and highlights the innovation of the Fashion Technology Lab its impact for the future, as well as examining future risk factors for wearable tech.
In collaboration with the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (CEAS). A collaboration with UC Nanoworld Laboratory
Fashion Technology Lab has played a vital role in developing Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Textiles for use in personal protective equipment (PPE) and other commercial applications. The CNT team, led by Assistant Professor Ashley Kubley, has been working on developing smart material composites with superior properties like extreme heat resistance, superior contaminant filtration, moisture wicking, conductivity, hydrophobicity and many other customizable properties. These materials are designed to be included in firefighter turnout gear and baselayer garments, face protection for healthcare workers and first responders, and can also be custom-designed for commercial applications for garments and textile products that can outperform the materials on the market today. The team has patented the technology and is currently in prototype development. The project has utilized machinery and software in each of the Fashion Technology Labs for this research. The project was part of the 1819 Innovation Hub's Venture Lab Pre-Accelerator program and has received multiple grants and publications.
Producing Masks for First Responders and Healthcare Workers in Need During the Pandemic
The University of Cincinnati Design Innovation team is addressing the worldwide challenging epidemic, by hacking the production system and using our FTL and DAAP technology enabled facilities.
The Covid-19 Quick Response Team led by Myron E. Ullman Jr. College of Design faculty (Claudia Rebola, Ashley Kubley, Steve Doehler and Nick Germann of the DAAP Rapid Prototyping Center) created social impact by collaborating with innovators from 1819 Innovation Hub, engineers from CEAS, healthcare professionals from UC Health, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and TriHealth and a network of over 100 students, faculty and staff volunteers to quickly retool our Fashion Technology Lab and DAAP studio spaces into a PPE manufacturing hub. In March of 2020, in-person contact was not permitted, so the team was able to strategically and safely activate a distributed production system. This effort would not have been possible without the passionate individual volunteers who pitched in to help cut, assemble, finish and deliver the items to those in need. The effort of our collective team produced over 4000 masks and respirators for local hospitals, first responders, educators and patients in the local area.
In the face of early material shortages the team responded quickly to consider using sterile materials donated from the hospitals, up-cycled fabric waste from our fashion studios and donations of deadstock fabric materials from our local industry partners including Fechheimer, Scrubs + Beyond and donations of aluminum milled nose clips donated by the local sheetmetal workers union. We utilized laser cutting, ultrasonic welding and specialized industrial sewing equipment in the Fashion Technology Lab and the Rapid Prototyping center to produce the masks.
For this project, DAAP Fashion students in Surface Design course were asked to creatively apply the embellishment techniques to design and create a custom mask that conceptually speaks to how the COVID-19 crisis has affected them or someone that they know. Students carefully considered materials, scale, placement, execution, technique and finishing for the design and creation of these unique, decorative and functional pieces.
