Techtextil North America was held in the US, May 3 to 5, 2016. This is a biennial show. It is the only one in the United States that is dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens.

Students of fashion design and fashion marketing were able to meet top designers and learn about the different machinery and software programs that are used in the industry. Some company representatives took time out to talk one-on-one with students and gave a presentation on how their technology actually works.

Shima Seiki USA showed through their software how knits can be manipulated on screen in 2D before coming to life in 3D form. This hands-on industry experience helped students put into perspective the future of their careers and all that is involved in the process of producing textiles for fashion. They got an idea of what it is to work with innovative ideas and machines.

Axiom America was another national textile company that was present at the fair. Its concentration lies heavily on digital textiles rather than knit manipulation and production. The company’s process is more straightforward as it simply goes from software to printing on fabric to heat press fixation. Not only does it print on textiles for fabrics, but furnishings and decor as well.