Heather Kendle, senior product manager for textiles and signage at Epson Europe explains.
The responsiveness of digital print technology and the flexibility and versatility of dye-sublimation is helping fashion and design students across the UK better understand how they can impact today’s production needs and shape a better future.
Ease of use and the ability to create such captivating results is increasingly helping put digital print at the forefront of educational courses. The power of vocational learning is allowing students to develop a thorough understanding to enable them to robustly explore new possibilities.
They can discover how the technology allows textiles and other substrates to be printed on demand, how waste is reduced by the production of only what is needed, and learn how digital print upcycles and revitalises textiles to give them a new lease of life. They can consider the wider positive impact digital print can make on production, such as how the establishment of local production hubs help minimise product miles travelled for a more sustainable approach.
According to online information from universities and colleges, vocational courses featuring digital printing technology include the Contemporary Fashion Design and Digital Creativity course at Liverpool Hope University, which inspires students to practice garment design, styling, print and accessory design. At Newcastle College University Centre, students enrolling in the Creative Enterprise course can access the College’s digital and traditional print room, while the Textile Design course at Nottingham Trent University and Print and Surface Design course at Birmingham City University have also adopted textile printing as a vocational learning tool. At the University of Brighton, the Textiles Design with Business Studies course offers digital printing facilities and boasts a track record of successful graduates working across the breadth of textiles, including fashion, art and interiors.
Digital printing brings a fresh perspective to design, production, and consumption. It presents new ways to inject creativity and vibrancy while also considering the business and sustainability challenges the industry is increasingly keen to address.
This is exactly what Central Saint Martins’ alumni Richard Quinn was able to achieve with Epson dye-sublimation technology and expertise. The ability to print onto different fabrics gave life to Richard’s bright, vibrant collections in his studio, enabling him to take his cutting-edge textile collections from sketch to catwalk.
To further empower students with the future-proof capabilities of digital printing, Epson has supported the University of Westminster with bursary funds for those bringing dye-sublimation to the forefront of their work. The University now has a new SureColor SC-F500 24-inch printer to join their existing SC-F6200 44-inch device to help expand their printing capabilities.
Textile Design students at the School of Fashion and Textiles at Birmingham City University have been using Epson dye-sublimation printing to combine traditional craft with new technology skills. Earlier this year, one such student, Maria Begum, won the Epson Design in Context Award in celebration of printed textile excellence and was awarded a SureColor SC-F100 A4 desktop dye-sub printer.
West Herts College students will explore how the digital print production process influences fashion design and creativity using the Epson SureColor SC-F501. They will see how this dye-sub printer affects design, impacts ordering, enables on demand production, and addresses questions around sustainability. With a very hands-on approach, they will learn how to reframe their designs, test their ideas, and bring their final creations to life. It will help them set their imaginations free.
By involving young and hungry minds at an early stage and providing a clear understanding of the possibilities that technology enables, we can support them as they consider what their next steps could be. And by getting to know the technology in an educational environment, they can then feel confident and comfortable operating it in a professional space.