Discovering the design and textile world

Hello everyone!

As I have already mentioned the marketing department where I have been doing my internship is situated next to the product development one, meaning also a close cooperation with the design team. At the beginning I was working with designers in order to get familiar with all the products the company offers and the design process itself.

First of all I have mastered the ability of textiles construction, different types of fibers as well as production methods. I could see and learn a lot from really first design steps, through the verification of initially arriving textile samples, wash tests until the confirmation of the final production order and the quality control of the already produced textiles. It was very interesting to get familiar with all the creation and production steps performed especially while dealing with individual orders, particularly of carpets. The design and production process is really as complex as it is described in the academic literature, especially if the company stands for the highest quality of provided textiles, sustainability and high standards and requirements concerning its suppliers.

In my opinion only the real work experience allows for the most exciting form of teaching and introduces various and numerous alternatives of production as well as types of fabrics which can be chosen depending of the pricing strategies but also end use of the textiles.

As the fabrics and textiles are designed for the commercial and domestic use it is necessary to meet required standards and assure that all of the products will pass all applicable tests. First of all I got familiar with the abrasion test which is performed mostly with upholstery fabrics as well carpets and is caused by rubbing and contact with another fabric. Additionally I got familiar with the measure of colorfastness to light and colorfastness to wet and dry rubbing as well as crocking. As many of fabrics are intended for the commercial end use it is also necessary to ensure high fire-resistance. Therefore I have learnt about different flammability tests and their applicability depending on the end use of the fabric and their construction.

Each day brings a new challenge and knowledge and I am really happy that I can compare the theory with practice, especially if surrounded by so many different textiles!