Our latest newsletter and press articles

August 2022

Makeover for lab showroom

The Textile and Design lab’s showroom/reception area has undergone a transformation thanks to colleagues, Dan Collings, Finn Godbolt, Jyoti Kalyanji and Susie Cho, who volunteered their time to revitalise this space over a recent weekend. ‘The difference is amazing and makes the space much more welcoming for visitors’, says manager, Peter Heslop.

_{The lab’s new look showroom/reception area}

Taster workshops for secondary schools

The lab will be hosting a series of one-day workshops between early November and mid-December aimed at introducing secondary school art and technology students to the lab’s digital textile printing, felting, knitting and tufting technologies. Students will be taken through the various processes to create tangible outputs from each technology. Each workshop can cater for up to 25 students. Email tdl@aut.ac.nz for full details.

Jacquard knit workshops proving a hit!

Students who attended the recently introduced jacquard knitting workshops have made rapid progress in learning how to programme their designs and photographs to create knitted pieces using the lab’s Shima Seiki Apex design systems and SES flatbed knitting machine. Second year Fashion Design students Esha Dahya, May Huang and Salma Ibrahim were delighted with their knitted jacquard designs that they produced under the tutorship of AUT graduate, Finn Godbolt.

_{Year 2 Fashion Design students pictured with workshop tutor, Finn Godbolt}

Student success

Congratulations to Master of Visual Arts student, Aloisia Ngata, who recently completed her degree and exhibited her final work in the St Paul Street Gallery. Sia worked extensively with the lab during her undergraduate and postgraduate studies to produce her vibrant digitally printed silk fabrics. ‘I am so happy with the way these prints turned out and I received several compliments about how good the colours were from both staff and visitors to the gallery’, says Sia.

_{Digitally printed silk designs by MVA student, Sia Ngata}

Short courses and workshops

Dates have been finalised for the next round of our 2022 short course and workshop programme, which will be held in October, November and early December. The programme includes the following subjects:

• CLO 3D Fashion Design
• Digital Textile Design – Repeating Patterns
• E-Textiles
• Felt making
• Knitwear Design
• Introduction to Textiles
• Introduction to Woven Textiles
• Photoshop Basics for Textile Design
• Wholegarment® (seamless) Knitting

Register your interest here.