Seth Winner

About Seth Winner

I’m a textile designer and inventor with over 30 years of hands-on experience. With a career spanning a broad range of textile constructions and market segments, the common thread has always been a search for enabling structures within fabric construction. My roots are in the Craft tradition and with that comes a belief that creating with your hands allows for an inventive mind. My education is different than many designers, having graduated from Craft programs at University of the Arts and Cranbrook Academy of Art with a BFA and an MFA in Fiber Arts. In those studio based programs, I immediately took to hand weaving, and quickly found a love for new woven architectures. Even before that, I was an intuitive maker, weaving and woodworking since childhood. I find this background gives me a perspective that allows divergence from conventional textile trend perspectives. I’ve always had a love for digital technology, starting with our first Apple IIe. I raced towards computer technology in relationship to textiles, starting with the AVL Compu-dobby loom in university. When I started at Studio Z Textiles, I was eager to dive into Jacquard weaving, which was just beginning to transform from punch card looms to digital, which allowed the designer to go directly to the loom rather than through a technician. From then on, the path to new structures was much shorter. Enabling new textile technologies is a through-line of my career. Finding different ways to shape textiles is passion. At Studio Z, we developed JacqForm, which was a method of pre-weaving products on the Jacquard loom. At Secant Group, I earned four patents,(with several pending) that are new enabling textiles using shuttle loom weaving, braiding, and knitting. At Cotton Incorporated, I am pursuing weave structures to allow better climate control for the wearer, as well as developing E-Textiles.I love the mechanics of textile equipment. I started as a hand weaver, and in university maintained the handlooms. I’ve never met a textile construction I didn’t like, and have hands on experience with broad and narrow weaving, warp knitting, braiding, circular knitting, and embroidery. I currently have a laboratory of CCI weaving equipment, both dobby and Jacquard, and a ZSK embroidery machine. I bring with me an open, inquisitive mind, a passion for textiles, and a willingness to share my knowledge and experience. Besides my design work, I have travelled extensively domestically and internationally for presentations, trade shows, and industry outreach, including a TED Talk on artificial organs.

Experience

1. Technical Manager, Wovens

   Cotton Incorporated

   Jan 2017 — Present · Cary, NC, US

   At Cotton Incorporated, I am charged with developing new woven textiles using cotton. The mission is to show cotton is a leader in technology, and to expand its functional capabilities. Development occurs with a laboratory of CCI sampling equipment, including a dobby loom and a Jacquard loom, which I operate and maintain. We work domestically and internationally with outside mills for further development. I also do embroidery development, as well as e-textiles. We travel extensively for outreach, research, and presentations.

Education

• Cranbrook Academy of Art

  MFA, Textiles

  1995 — 1996

• University of the Arts

  BFA, Textiles

  1988 — 1992

Skills

• Wordpress
• Sketching
• Product Development
• Critical Thinking
• Cad
• Wovens
• Microsoft Office
• Creative Solutions
• Geometric Design
• Weaving
• Concept Development
• 3d Visualization
• Furniture
• Textile Design
• Strategic Planning
• Blogging
• Intellectual Property
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Textile Industry
• Art
• Jacquard
• Product Design
• Inventiveness
• Apparel
• Art Direction
• Fabric Development
• Manufacturing
• Design
• Creative Direction
• Textiles