It was a busy week on the Guest Lecture Series for Hyosung!
Claire O’Neill our European Marketing Manager presented Enhancing Fashion Through Technical Fiber Innovation to 100 students attending London College of Fashion’s Fashion Design and Development, Fashion Contour, and Fashion Sportswear courses.
Mike Simko, our Global Marketing Director addressed students attending the Fashion Institute of Technology’s (FIT) Textile Development & Marketing curriculum. His interactive guest lecture titled ‘The Power of Ingredient Fibers – desirable, technical, sustainable’, opened the students’ eyes to the world of textile fiber innovation and the importance these fibers play into the apparel we all wear today.
Claire and Mike share some notes on their experiences below.
Claire O’Neill
According to a report by McKinsey – “Up to four-fifths of a product’s lifetime emissions are determined by decisions made at the design stage’’. This was a key message I delivered to the students at the London College of Fashion (LCF) this week. I wanted them to feel empowered to create designs that not only look fabulous but also perform technically and deliver on sustainability goals too.
I started my talk by explaining the importance of understanding what goes into making a great garment – ‘it’s what’s inside that counts- and textile fibers can certainly deliver some magic to garments.
I was so impressed by the students I spoke with and by the quality of their questions – they were engaged with this topic and curious to learn more about how their designs can offer solutions, both technically and sustainably.
Many thanks go out to Eve Lin – Acting Course Leader | Fashion Contour BA (Hon), Eunju Macmahon, Ana Ogunsanya for helping to make it happen – and to all the students from Fashion Contour, Fashion Sportswear and Fashion Design and Development for attending and being so engaged. I left LFC with the feeling that the future is bright!
Mike Simko
It was great to be greeted by students so eager to learn more about ‘stretch’ and other synthetic fibers and how they play such an important role in much of the apparel we wear today. Sustainability was of great interest and we discussed how this movement sparked major innovation in fiber development.
I enjoyed our lengthy Q & A at the end of the presentation and was impressed by their inquisitive questions. Their eyes were opened to the wonderful opportunities in material sourcing, design and development.
Many thanks go out to Sean Cormier, Associate Professor Chair, Textile Development & Marketing Department, Fashion Institute of Technology for hosting my lecture. I look forward to becoming a regular guest lecturer at FIT if they’ll have me!
Stay tuned for more information on our Guest Lecture Series as we further develop speaking engagements and student projects with prestigious fashion and design schools around the globe.
