Mimaki USA and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) arranged a contest on digital textile innovations. Mimaki USA is a leading manufacturer of wide-format inkjet printers. The contest presented emerging young designers with the challenge of incorporating digital textile printing into their cutting-edge fashion collections.
The award for the top prize was the opportunity to have the winner’s senior thesis collection printed and sponsored by Mimaki USA.
The first-place prize was awarded to Shine He Sang, a FIT MFA Fashion Design student.
He Sang’s concept was based on an “Ideal Tomorrowland,” utilizing her background in architecture and fashion to reflect society free of bias.
He Sang’s winning piece was printed with acid inks on the Tx300P-1800B belt model printer. The inks were fixed to silk organza with the Tr300-1850S, compact continuous steamer unit. Ac400 acid inks were selected for their vibrancy of color, capable of achieving the designer’s goal to excite and attract attention visually.
The content was judged by a panel of print industry experts, which showed a wide range of techniques from dye-sublimation, reactive, acid, and pigment inks, used with polyester, cotton knit, nylon, as well as silk organza, chiffon, and charmeuse. “The versatility of application type allowed the fashion students to experiment and push the boundaries of digital printing to materialize their vision,” commented Victoria Nelson Harris, Mimaki USA, Senior textile segment specialist.
