Kent State Fashion Week showcases innovative designs blending art and advanced tech.
KENT, Ohio — It’s Fashion Week at Kent State University, a showcase of creativity, innovation and high-tech design from the School of Fashion. Science and technology are woven into the very fabric of what these students create.
Kent State University’s annual fashion show is the crown jewel of Fashion Week. This year’s show features 161 looks created by 41 designers. The artistry is obvious. The science may not be … but it’s there.
“The amount of technology that goes into creating, even a cotton garment, is amazing. And it’s increasing continuously,” stated Mourad Krifa, the director of the Kent State School of Fashion.
Students are turning to advanced tools, like Kent State’s Digital Knitting Lab. Think of it like 3D printing — but with yarn. The technology allows Mandalyn Maglione to create intricate details in her collection.
“So, I programmed the top and knit it all out of the machine. And it has this, like, raglan sleeve detail with these point towels,” said senior fashion student Madalyn Maglione. “It’s using technology to your advantage of cutting down the time, cutting down the labor.”
The technology goes far beyond fashion pieces. High-performance polymers can be knitted into protective gear for first responders, or even parts for cars and planes. The university is taking it further, experimenting with knitting medical implants. But for these students, they’re all in on embracing the technology to create designs.
“For the entire collection, we use digital designing software, the cool 3D, to create the garments before we make them out of fabric, which helps visualize them and problem solve the fit and the pattern before we move on to the fabric,” explained Parastoo Aramesh.
Imagine shopping online, customizing a garment’s fit virtually and having it made only after you purchase it. That’s the promise of “made-on-demand” fashion as the industry is becoming more sustainable.
“On the garments, instead of using metal rivets to reinforce high-stress areas, I used cutouts of leather dots to be a little more sustainable,” explained Branch Zimmerman, as he showed off part of his collection.
“There is a lot of effort to capitalize on new materials that are more biodegradable, that are more compatible with the human body,” said Krifa.
Today’s fashion students are reimagining what fashion can be.
