VF Corp and NC State announce strategic multi-year partnership

By

Cassidy Mantor

Published
Jan 11, 2018

Greensboro, NC-based VF Corporation and North Carolina State University announced a collaborative partnership that will both support student development and advance textile and apparel innovation at VF Corp.

Specific features of the partnership include internships, student projects and competitions at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The partnership will provide research opportunities to elevate apparel and textile product and experiences. It will also offer the chance for VF Corp executives to pursue additional educational opportunities and establish presence for the brand on campus.

NC State houses the College of Textiles, the only university in the US exclusively devoted to textile science.

Steve Rendle, Chairman, President and CEO, VF said, “Through our shared expertise in research and consumer insights, we aim to stimulate apparel innovation while also developing a consistent pipeline of exceptional leaders for our company.”

While VF Corp and the College of Textiles have previously worked together, the new partnership also incorporates NC State's Poole College of Management which will focus on business analytics and supply chain management.

“VF’s presence on Centennial Campus will create a collaboration space where students, faculty and VF employees can come together to solve challenges and accelerate innovation,” said Dennis Kekas, associate vice chancellor of partnerships and economic development at NC State.

The multi-year agreement kicks off at Centennial Campus which is NC State's primary research campus located minutes from downtown Raleigh. There are 75 corporate, government and nonprofit partners affiliated with Centennial Campus.