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For the second year in succession, Kornit Digital and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) collaborated on a unique challenge involving design and digital print-to-fabrics. This project is focused on encouraging Textile/Surface Design students at FIT, a college of the State University of New York system, to create original designs that relate to the concept of sustainable, local, short-run production. With each design printed on the Kornit Allegro roll-to-roll textile system using Kornit’s NeoPigment ink, the three winners of the challenge will have their fabrics replicated as fashion items that feature strong eco-awareness and demonstrate how this process can be successfully incorporated in the reproduction of greener garments.
The uniqueness of this project is that it enables designers to materialize their designs on any fabric on an immediate basis with no minimum yardage requirements, and at the highest industrial print quality and standards. Additionally, the students are able to appreciate the differences between digital and analog production processes, and how their work in the future can influence greener productivity with lower levels of energy consumption and waste creation.
The three finalists in this year’s FIT design challenge are Hyuna Kim, Konchok Bercholz and Elena Kanagy-Loux. Their work was judged and selected by Leslie Baker, Designer at Bon-To; Vanessa DeSousa, Development Manager of Prints and Embellishments; Tom Cody of his own design company, Tom Cody Designs; Melissa Niederman, Art Director of The Style Council; and Joe Castaldo, President of The Style Council.
Representing Kornit Digital was Paul Borucki, Managing Director of Kornit Digital North America; Jim Manelski, North American Wide Format Business Development Manager; and Erin Doty, who is the company’s North American Art Director and Project Manager.
The Kornit Allegro incorporates the company’s NeoPigment inks and prints onto multiple fabric types with 100 percent sustainable results. Its integrated fixation process removes the need for pre-treatment, steaming or washing, making it a truly environmentally-friendly solution that meets the most rigorous environmental regulations, including OekoTex 100 standard and GOTS approval.