Kasandra Wright and Annalise Robins, a pair of apparel merchandising and product development majors, claimed the top two spots in the recent national NEXTILE: Soy in Textile Design Challenge.
The contest introduced college-level fiber, textile and design students to the challenges, opportunities and advantages of incorporating soy-based products into their designs.
Both students were mentored by Lance Cheramie, teaching assistant professor of AMPD in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences' School of Human Environmental Sciences.
The competition, sponsored by the United Soybean Board, aimed to support professors teaching sustainability and textile designs. It provided college students with an opportunity to showcase their creative and problem-solving skills, leading to contributions to increased sustainability of textiles for various applications.
Students had to create products using soybeans. Participating individuals or teams received a design kit including seven sustainable, soy-based materials: thread, leather, French Terry, organic pigment and other products, all soy-based. Project entries leveraged one or more ingredient to produce new textile threads, dyes, paints, designs or other elements.
Wright placed first, and advances to NEXTILE's national finals, while Robins finished second.
"Contributing to the first year of the NEXTILE Design Challenge with the U.S. Soybean Board was incredibly fulfilling," Cheramie said. "Kasandra and Annalise excelled in demonstrating their creative and problem-solving skills, significantly addressing sustainability in the textile industry."
Wright incorporated the Batik textile technique, utilizing sustainable soy sources involving the application of wax and dye to fabric in order to craft intricate patterns.
"The use of soy as the main ingredient in textiles not only reduces our dependence on non-renewable resources, such as petroleum-based textiles, and the reliance on animal-based textiles, but also helps minimize carbon emissions and promotes a circular economy," Wright said.
Robins crafted thread-weaving art by using materials sourced from sustainable soy-based materials.
"I am honored to have competed and placed in the NEXTILE competition," Robins said. "During this competition, I learned about natural dying pigments, thread spinning, yarn weaving and much more. I was continually impressed with NEXTILE's promotion and implementation of sustainability in this challenge. I can only hope to be a part of many competitions like this one in the future."
Click here to read more uark.edu
Photo Credit: istock-fotokostic
Categories: Michigan, Crops, Soybeans, Education