Fabric Link Network Hosts Textile Mixer

Fabric Link Network Hosts Textile Mixer and
Meet the Winter Market 2012 Project OR Student Designers
Kathy Swantko- Founder of FabricNetwork Supports Outdoor Retailer with Student Qualifiers

Tarzana, CA. December 14th, 2011- FabricLink Network invites you to mix and meet the talented contestants of Project OR, and make new contacts in the Design Center during Winter Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City.

This popular networking event provides manufacturers, designers, and suppliers the opportunity to make new contacts and explore new business opportunities, all the while generating innovative ideas for product developments that drive the outdoor market. The event will be held in the show’s Design Center on Friday, January 20th.

“The OR show is a fast, intense time for buyers and sellers alike, with minimal time available to network.” explains Kathy Swantko, founder of FabricLink.com Network. “This is why, the Networking Mixer has been so popular. It’s held at the end of Day 2 when everyone can find time to drop by for a beer and a chat.”

The Design Center, sponsored by Outdoor Retailer and the FabricLink Network, is where visiting attendees and exhibitors can see a broad display of fabrics and trim/zipper samples from supplier exhibitors. Designers and manufacturers can browse the Design Center for inspiration and find the latest fabric developments and component materials currently available in the market.

YOU’RE INVITED TO OUR TEXTILE NETWORKING
HAPPY HOUR IN OR’s DESIGN CENTER!!
Make New Contacts, Exchange Ideas, Discuss Product Development Concepts

When: Friday, January 20th
Time: 4:00 to 6:00 pm
Where: Design Center
Salt Palace Convention Center

FREE RAFFLE DRAWING! COME & GET OUTFITTED

Adjacent to the Design Center is Project OR, which offers endless sources of encouragement for young designers. Swantko is a textile aficionado, writer, teacher, and college liaison with connections to the country’s top design schools. As a member of Project OR’s Organizing Committee, Swantko unites Outdoor Retailer with five promising design colleges that select their top students to represent their schools in the competition. These finalists are now ready to deliver their creative, innovative designs at ORWM’12. Join FabricLink and Outdoor Retailer as we watch these young designer at work, right on the trade show floor, and see their cutting edge designs first hand.

The student competitors come from around the country and have been chosen to compete in Cycle 8 of Project OR, the industry’s original 48-hour concept-to-prototype design competition held during Outdoor Retailer Winter Market January 19-22, 2012.



The five Winter Market 2012 competitors include:

Paula Lam – Senior at San Francisco State University. Raised amid the high-tech community of San Jose, Lam has a passion for combining unexpected materials for aesthetic design and function.
Julia Mangelsdorf – Senior at Kansas State University. Mangelsdorf is currently a teaching assistant in aesthetics courses with a love for camping and hiking.
Lauren Mellor – Senior at Auburn University. A recent intern at Stephanie D. Couture in Portland, Oregon, Mellor balances collegiate athletics and honor roll academics
Kelsee Morefield – Senior at University of Idaho. Morefield was recently featured in an International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) fashion show and is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.
Margaret Mussman – Junior at University of Cincinnati. As a former competitive snowboarder, Mussman is a life-long adventurer with an eye for a career in the outwear industry.

Expanded biographies of the each of the contestants are available on the Winter Market Project OR web page.

“Project OR continues to bridge the gap between classroom academics and the outdoor industry work environment. Attending Outdoor Retailer, interacting with the professionals in the industry, and working with the suppliers’ innovative garment components and fabrics is a once in a lifetime opportunity for these students,” said Kenji Haroutunian, vice president at Nielsen Expositions and OR show director. “We look forward to seeing the inspired designs from our newest round of student competitors.”

Come and join in on all the fun! Mix, Meet, and Network! Enjoy a FREE Beer and the “Come & Get Outfitted” raffle!

About the FabricLink Network:
Kathlyn Swantko, a textile advocate and educator, is president of FabricLink (www.fabriclink.com), and founder of FabricLink.com and TheTechnicalCenter.com (www.TheTechnicalCenter.com) on-line textile resources, which make up the FabricLink Network. FabricLink.com (trade to consumer) and TheTechnicalCenter.com (trade-to-trade) provide information about new products and marketing opportunities for specialty textiles, textile-based products and services. The two sites offer valuable content and technical information; new releases on innovations; fabric descriptions; usage and care; supplier history and contacts. Seven Searchable indexes makes the FabricLink Network web sites the “go to” resources for developers of textiles, fashion designers, and researchers. In addition, the Network offers effective platforms for all businesses, from small niche-based companies to large broad-based textile manufacturers, to reach other businesses within the supply chain and the consumer. Visit the FabricLink Network (www.fabiclink.com and thetechnicalcenter.com) on twitter at fabricLinkNet, and on facebook at FabricLink.com.

Kathy Swantko can be reached at (818) 345-7501, or at