It is one of the most popular events at the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology at Hochschule Niederrhein: the presentation of the results of the project assignments from the fifth semester. "The students gain valuable practical experience in this special course, as they work on the problems of real clients under industry-related conditions," says Professor Dr. Kerstin Zöll, head of the steering group. "They cannot learn skills such as communication, teamwork or project management from a book," Zöll adds.
The students work on the projects for an entire semester. The 14 teams were randomly assembled on an interdisciplinary and sometimes international basis, and the project and client were assigned by lot. The results clearly reflect what is particularly important in the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology: The solutions are innovative, smart, sustainable and resource-saving. Many products can be used in several modular ways or reused after use. First place went to Team 09, which won over the jury with its project "Multifunctional Outfit for Children for a Safe Way to School." The project was supported by Epson Deutschland GmbH Meerbusch.
Since children are exposed to a number of dangers on their way to school, especially in the dark winter season, the project team designed an outdoor jacket with matching accessories, which ensures greater visibility thanks to bright and fluorescent colors. "High-visibility vests are rather reluctantly worn by children," says Andreas Stephan, Manager Business Development Commercial & Industrial Printing at Epson. So the students conducted surveys with elementary school children and then created a timeless design with colorful monsters (the "Loumis") and a dark, plain reflective fabric. In addition, the outfit is designed to be gender-neutral in order to think freely of classic gender roles. And the idea of sustainability also plays a decisive role, because with this design the jacket can also be passed on to next generations.
Eight students from Team 07 worked on an innovative and sustainable solution to support fan interaction at Borussia Park, the stadium of Bundesliga soccer team Borussia Mönchengladbach. The client was electrical wholesaler Sonepar Deutschland GmbH. The result is a vest made of sustainable materials that impresses with its special function. The volume of the goal cheer is converted into vibration by a microphone sensor in the vest, which can be felt in the shoulder area. The entire project is based on the research question of whether the vibration of the vest helps people who are hard of hearing or deaf to participate more intensively in the game.
The students of project team 03 paid homage to the Ruhr region with their fashion collection on the theme of "slag knights". The theme was thyssenkrupp AG. The focus of the concept was on sustainability and the thematic reference to the Ruhr area. The inspiration was the work clothes of the slag knights. This is the name given to the men who work at the blast furnace in long, mostly silver protective coats. The modern, stylish collection dedicated to the Ruhrpott and its industry consists of seven pieces: a hoodie, cargo pants, jeans pants, two T-shirts, a shirt and a bag. Whereby these are largely ready-to-wear for both women and men as unisex.
The vacancy of numerous stores in Rheydt's city center is a problem that the nine students of Project Team 02 have addressed. They have developed a solution concept that will make Rheydt's inner city a lively place again. At the center is the concept for a cultural center that welcomes all people.
To the sounds of Scott McKenzie's 1967 hit "San Francisco," Project Team 12 presented an interior design for an Estafette camper (built in 1967). Inspired by the flower power era, many orange tones found their way into the vehicle provided by Multiplot Europe GmbH by means of textile printing. It was enriched with special features such as a beamer screen, which can also be used as a sun awning. The camper can currently be seen at the Heimtextil trade fair in Frankfurt/Main.
