Kathryn Dutton, Graduate Student
Dr. Cynthia Istook, Associate Professor
Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management

This fall students from the Fashion Development and Product Management program had an opportunity to show off their garments, made entirely of nonwoven fabrics, in a first ever fashion show at INTC. Two wedding gowns and coordinating bridesmaid gowns graced the stage during the grand finale. The show was the entertainment highlight of the 2005 International Nonwovens Technical Conference held in St. Louis from September 19-22.

Traditional wedding ensemble designed by Cynthia Istook	Modern wedding ensemble designed by Genevieve Garland

Unlike a traditional fashion show, the “technical” show included a presentation, presented by the mistress of ceremonies, Kate Dutton a graduate student who developed and organized the show. The presentation detailed benefits and challenges of the nonwoven fabrics in fashion garments as well as the design techniques used. Design techniques included appliqué, reverse appliqué, a variation of cutworks and embroidery.

Example of appliqué and cutwork designed by Richale Haney	Example of reverse appliqué designed by Kate Dutton
Example of cutwork technique designed by Stacey Frederick	Detailed embroidered hemline by Richale Haney

Some designers chose a raw look, leaving the edges unfinished. Nonwoven apparel fabrics do not fray or tear.

Designed by Kendall Smith	Designed by Genevieve Garland

A suede-like, cotton blend fabric lead to beautiful and rich designs. Deirdra Nance used this suede-like fabric to design a stunning full-length prince seam dress which featured an unfinished scalloped edge hemline. The detailed top stitching and decorative buttons on the suit, designed by Cynthia Istook, gave the garment a designer look.

Designed by Deirdra Nance	Designed by Cynthia Istook

The show was a wonderful experience for the 10 students who served as both the designers and models of the 22 garments featured. In addition, nonwoven accessories, designed by students in the 2005 Spring Semester’s Senior Project Class, were featured in the show.

Hat designed by Karen Burbella Palm Tree bag designed by Karen Mroz Blue bag designed by Jennifer Franklin Bracelets designed by Jennifer Franklin White purse designed by Becky Wazenegger

This project began in the fall of 2004, as a collaborative project between Freudenberg Novolon Business Unit and NC State’s College of Textiles. The project included a number of undergraduate and graduate students who were advised by Dr. Cynthia Istook, an Associate Professor of Fashion Development and Product Management. Stacey Frederick, currently a senior in Textile and Apparel Management, served as the project manager. Frederick kept the students informed and assisted in the organization of weekly meetings.

From left to right: Kate Dutton, Stacey Frederick, Kendall Smith, Genevieve Garland, Beth Newcomb, Julie Gentry, Senadzi Kpelgo, Lisa Jefferies, Carolina Wang, Kate Blair, and Lori Faison.

Freudenberg fabrics as well as fabrics donated by PGI and DuPont were used to construct the garments featured in the INTC show. The project has provided a unique experience for the students to apply research and development technologies to improve upon their design, pattern making, fitting, and construction skills. Due to the success of this project, research and design will continue with Freudenberg throughout the 2005-2006 school year.

College of Textiles
P.O. Box 8301
Raleigh, NC 27695-8301
Telephone: (919) 515-6646
FAX: (919) 515-3733
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Last Site Revision:
February 2, 2006