NC students use Cordura fabrics to reimagine menswear

Invista’s Cordura brand has teamed with fashion and textile design students from North Carolina (NC) State University’s College of Textiles Fashion and Textile Design Program to create visionary designs of menswear for the modern millennial male. The collaboration nods to Cordura brand’s 50th anniversary theme of ‘heritage meets innovation’.

Students were challenged to create businesswear designed to adapt to various seasonal conditions, combining long lasting performance with stylish versatility. With access to all fourteen of the latest cutting-edge Cordura fabric technologies, the students sketched, designed and created prototypes of businesswear garments ranging from commuter to tactical and workwear-inspired designs.

“The opportunity to incorporate the latest innovative fabrics from Cordura brand to design clothing for the future truly inspired the students, and gave them an opportunity to explore their own modern interpretation of ‘traditional’ menswear,” said Dr Katherine Annett-Hitchcock, NC State’s associate professor in textile and apparel technology and management.

“The students were extremely involved in the fabric selection process, and were able to learn about each fabric technology available in the portfolio and engineer high-quality durable garments. For many, the fabrics also inspired the direction they took their designs,” added Annett-Hitchcock.

Select garments designed by the students will be on display at global tradeshows throughout 2017, including Outdoor Retailer, Techtextil and A+A.