Cotton Lab 2010
University of Delaware fashion design students and technical design students at Instituto Polytecnico-Centomericano (IPC), Honduras will combine talents to develop and produce innovative and cotton ensembles. Cotton Lab 2010, sponsored by a Cotton Inc. Student Sponsorship grant, is geared toward emerging target markets that embody a meshing of culture, tradition and innovation. Students will develop a first hand knowledge of material origins, properties, understand the significance of cotton across cultures, as well as the capabilities of cotton as a design source and material. Our goal is to foster connectivity between real world technical applications and design and to offer the chance for technical and design students to benefit from other perspectives of how the industry actually works.
Essential to the project is the research and education on ethical/sustainable fashion including consumers, materials, and fair labor practices by suppliers, responsible manufacturing and buying practices. Student designers will be guided by faculty at IPC and UD as well as by Industry partner Gildan and the Fair Labor Association. Gildan will communicate with both student groups via videoconference to deliver the design scenario; will donate cotton fashion fabric, critique designs and review finished designs. Fair Labor Association will lecture twice on Fair labor practice and tools of assessment for small business and at the factory level.
Collaborative teams will research, develop, design and produce prototypes of cotton and cotton blend ensembles utilizing flat pattern and CAD technology. Teams in Delaware and Honduras will communicate via skype, facebook and Cotton Lab 2010 blog to share research, develop designs and problem solve. Cotton Lab 2010 student participants will have two opportunities to meet via videoconference. Student participants will also have the opportunity for face-to-face exchanges; during sample production (spring break 2010) when UD students will visit IPC. During the final presentations IPC students will visit UD.
