What is a Fabric Technologist?
The technical department in most retailers will always consist of garment technologists or product technologists, but the role of fabric technologist seems to be diminishing, and this is a great shame, and an opportunity missed.
We all know what garment technologists bring to the business: they ensure that garment is that is designed will fit and perform in a way that fit’s the brand’s aesthetic and sizing and will meet the customer’s requirements. They work closely with the design & buying teams to turn the design into a functioning product and then work with the factory to ensure the product delivered meets the expected quality.
So what does a fabric technologist do? Manufacturing of clothing is a series of stages and, like dominoes, you need each stage to work with the next otherwise the dominoes do not fall correctly. Fabric technologists are at the beginning of the journey, they help define the materials that are going to be used to ensure the end product does what it is supposed to.
What do Fabric Technologists do Anyway?
Fabric Technologists should be experts on:
Raw materials
How yarn is spun
How fabric is manufactured
Dyeing and finishing
Printing
Is this all that a fabric technologist can bring to a business?
No.
They are often seen as the people who oversee the test report process. This is far too simplistic a view of what a fabric technologist can and should do!
As the fabric technologists are expert in raw materials and yarn and fabric manufacturing then it stands to reason that they will also understand what happens at the end of the product’s useful life. Knowing the differences and nuances of closed loop recycling, whether that be mechanical recycling, enzyme based recycling or feedstock for other more traditional processes such as waste cotton into a viscose/ lyocell process. They should understand the pitfalls of certain processes and also the potential issues that could with using recycled yarns depending on what processes that the yarns have gone through.
Do all Fabric Technologists Know all of the Above?
No, not at all but they should know some of it and should be able to ask the right questions to be able to find out anything that they don’t know.
Can Garment Technologist or Product Technologists do This?
Yes and no, it all depends on their experience.
Myself and Josh have many conversations about test reports, we both write Performance Manuals, we are know what tests are required for different fabrics or product types and we understand the results that need to be met, but we are looking at it from a different perspective.
Josh is looking at the fails, and to see if these could be commercially acceptable with a low enough risk to proceed with production or acceptance of a product.
I am looking at the results to understand how a fabric or product has been manufactured and, if it fails, what has been missed or done incorrectly and what can be done to correct it.
This is the difference between fabric technologists and garment technologists and both are needed and bring complimentary but different focuses to the world of retail or brands.
Can My Brand Function Without a Fabric Technologist?
What do I do if I don’t have a fabric technologist or if my fabric technologist is at a junior level?
Don’t worry! Help is always at hand whenever you need it. The Knowledge Nexus have developed training and mentoring schemes to suit all retailers or brands. Upskilling your staff in key areas is one of our strengths. We offer:
Short-term mentoring where they can ask any and all questions and we offer advise and guidance.
In depth training courses to cover yarns, fabric, printing & dyeing
We would not expect the mentoring sessions to last forever, we plan a decreasing schedule to help build knowledge and confidence to allow your team member to be able to effectively and independently answer all enquiries that may come their way.
Are These Sessions Just for Fabric Technologists?
Not at all! Our sessions are suitable for anyone working on products. Buying and Design teams also benefit from these sessions, from giving the teams understanding of what to look for during factory visits to new techniques.
Our training can be run for teams at any level, for a single person or the wider team but our mentoring sessions are one to one.
If you are interested please visit our training page:
or contact us on enquiries@theknowledgenexus.co.uk