Bridgewater — Some artists find inspiration in a museum or out in nature, but Rebecca Iafrate of Bridgewater is never happier than when she’s surrounded by the swirl of patterns, colors and textures of a well-stocked fabric store. "In my sophomore year of high school, I made my first dress and wore it to a semi-formal dance. After that I knew that was all I ever wanted to do," said the 21-year-old junior at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. Iafrate, who has a double ma

Textile Testing Workshop to be held December 5-6 at the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C., USA. AATCC procedures for evaluating colorfastness and physical properties will be discussed and demonstrated by AATCC staff. Colorfastness tests to be addressed include crocking, light, washing, and perspiration. Tests for evaluating physical properties include dimensional change (home laundering and accelerated methods), wat

The largest natural fiber festival in the area will be at Young’s Jersey Dairy this weekend, and Ruth Ann Rahim, president of the Midwest Festival of Fibers, says if you want to know anything about fiber or if you just want to look at pretty things, then this is the place to be.The Wool Gathering is in it’s 17th year and features 88 vendors from 12 states. “There will be children’s crafts, demonstrations, live animals and many beautiful items for sale,” said Rahim. Guests can talk to people w

ISLAMABAD: Ministry of Textiles and the National Productivity Organisation (NPO), Ministry of Industries on Monday signed an agreement of Rs9.2 million to benchmark textile sectors like ginning, knit processing, knit stitching and bring it to the international standard, a news statement issued here by the NPO said. Chief executive officer of the NPO Khawaja Muhammad Yousuf and secretary of Ministry of Textile Shahid Rashid closed the deal with a firm commitment to establish quality standards

Alice Temperley, whose fans include Kate and Pippa Middleton, offered an abundance of grace and elegance in her spring collection as a loyal tribe of A-listers lined her front row. Using her tried-and-tested formula of elegance, full skirts, dresses with nipped waists and wide-brimmed hats were the catwalk staples. The show was titled 'Return to Elegance' and taking place in the Grand Connaught ballroom, it combined charm and delicacy and truly lived up to its name. Stars including Friel an

Japan's Fast Retailing Uniqlo closes 19 outlets in China on Tuesday when is the 81st anniversary of The September 18th Incident. One store will be operating at shortened hours on Tuesday, compared with nine on Monday. The September 18th Incident was an early event in the Second Sino-Japanese War, although full-scale war would not start until 1937. On September 18, 1931, near Mukden (now Shenyang) in southern Manchuria, a section of railroad owned by Japan's South Manchuria Railway was dynamited

NEW YORK—Chinese purchases of U.S. and global cotton have kept the market afloat for almost a year, but U.S. forecasters say demand is tapering off. In its latest report on supply and demand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated Chinese imports will fall 51% in the 2012-13 marketing year that began Aug. 1 compared with the previous year. Domestic consumption is also projected to be down 2.6% from the 2011-12 marketing year. China is the world's top producer, importer and consumer o

Toronto-based Yamaha Motor Canada Ltd. has introduced its winter 2012-13 collection of riding gear and all-weather jackets, including six lines incorporating phase-change temperature-regulating, moisture-management technology from Boulder, Colo.-based Outlast Technologies Inc. The collection includes men's and women's riding jackets, bibs and boots. The Yamaha X-Country, Yamaha Revi Mountain, SnoForce X-Country and SnoForce Revi Mountain lines of jackets and bibs feature an Outlast? fleece/tr

This year's International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) Meeting will take place October 7-12 at the Congress Centre Kursaal Interlaken, in Switzerland. The theme of the congress is "Shaping Sustainability in the Cotton Value Chain." Over the next few weeks, the Rupp Report will focus on this event with a selection of issues related to the congress agenda. This week, the focus is on the controversial issue of genetically modified plants in general, and cotton in particular. Allegations And