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What’s the next wave of sustainable fashion? The answer…soy-based textiles which are on the rise. To spur innovation in this space, U.S. Soy announces Clara Padgham from the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the national winner of the NEXTILE: The Soy in Textile Design Challenge. In its second year, the NEXTILE competition is designed to highlight the creativity and originality of students studying design by encouraging the use of sustainable textiles, namely soy-based products. This year’s competitors were provided with a soy-based product design kit, which included soy silk, soy cashmere, organic pigment, soy wax and other soy products. Participants then had three weeks to submit a textile that could be used in fashion, furniture, décor, or another outlined area for consideration. Judges included representatives from design and textile industries, U.S. soybean farmers, and Qualified State Soybean Boards. They based their decision on several key areas, including originality, innovation, practicality, and execution. “We saw another year of incredible talent in the NEXTILE Challenge,” said Carla Schultz, Michigan soybean farmer and United Soybean Board director, who served as a judge of the competition. “The students who participated really displayed creativity and innovation in their designs. It was exciting to see how their soy-based textiles could be utilized in the sustainable products market.” Padgham’s winning design is a soy woven textile bucket hat which utilizes a number of soy-based components, including soy silk yarn. As the competition winner, Padgham will receive a $1,000 scholarship. |
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“Consumers value sustainability – they want to know their money is going to a purchase that is both eco-friendly and can last,” said Padgham. “The benefits of soy lend themselves very well to the summer hat I designed. It is a breathable textile, with moisture wicking abilities and low heat retention. Further, soy yarn is durable, creating a long-lasting product.” Students from 21 universities, colleges, and institutes participated in this year’s competition. Brooke Cowan from Washington University-St. Louis was selected as this year’s runner-up. Cowan will receive a $500 scholarship for their Bio-vera™ clutch with accents. U.S. Soy has long been a critical ingredient for product innovation, going all the way back to Henry Ford, who used soy-based paints, textile materials and plastics for automobile design. Soy is used in every industry. Farmers can find their products in the streets they drive on, the shoes they wear and the biofuels for their vehicles. The possibilities are endless. There are more than 1,000 soy-based products currently on the market – from tires and firefighting foam to fabrics and turf. You name an industry, and U.S. Soy is almost always an essential component. U.S. soybean farmers and industry partners consistently push the limits of innovation to discover and deliver solutions to the most significant challenges our world faces, such as food security and climate change. NEXTILE was created to put sustainable soy materials into the hands of the brightest young minds in design to create the next generation of eco-friendly and biobased textile solutions.
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