Philip Lehner, long-time chairman and CEO of Leigh Fibers, Spartanburg, S.C., died January 5, 2013, at his home in Hingham, Mass. He was 89 years old. During his 65 years with Leigh Fibers, Lehner built the company into the largest textile and fiber reprocessing company in the United States. Lehner was a Phi Beta Kappa [...]

[Fabric Images Inc.] Elgin, Ill., U.S.A. The inspiration for this unique exhibit design was the concept of shadows and the way they change on and around the tension fabric shapes based on light and projections. Seven organic tension fabric shapes created this unique 57-foot-by-20-foot environment, incorporating video, touch screens and scents for a truly multi-sensory [...]

[Transformits] Gorham, Maine, U.S.A. The designers for a hospitality trade show in Nashville, Tenn., assembled a team of suppliers to create a total environment, turning a 60,000 square-foot warehouse into multiple “vignettes” with complete mockups of hotel environments: guest rooms, restaurants, fitness centers and bars. “L’Heure Bleue” was a concept bar fabricated for the show [...]

[Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures Inc.] St. Louis, Mo., U.S.A The client for an exhibit requested a double-sided radius backlit frame for their upcoming trade show, supplying the specs for their existing support frames that Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures’ frame design needed to attach to. The structure also needed to be easy to assemble [...]

More imaginative approaches will drive wearable electronics markets in the future. By Marie O’Mahony What are the most intriguing developments in your area of advanced textiles? One of the most exciting areas for me has been smart materials and systems. These have been around for a number of years, but are only now starting to [...]

Fred Tracy brings creative solutions to his work in the tent industry. By Sigrid Tornquist Change is our company strategy,” says Fred Tracy, owner of Fred’s Tents and Canopies Inc., Stillwater, N.Y. “You can’t be like a horse in a harness race, with blinders on—you have to keep your eyes open and find ideas you [...]

Interview by Sigrid Tornquist Your entrance into the tent industry was a surprising progression for you. How does it compare to your work as an artist? It’s still a creative field. But I’m always aware of how much of an honor it is to work in this industry, from the worst days in our country’s [...]

By Sigrid Tornquist One of the biggest costs for tent rental companies is labor, and Fred Tracy is always looking for labor-saving ideas to use to improve the tent rental industry—in his early days as a tent manufacturer, he became known as “Inspector Gadget.” One such labor-saving innovation Tracy came up with is the “No [...]

Multimedia technology takes fabric exhibits to a new level. By Rob Coco and Bob Sneed Over the past few years, two developments have taken the custom exhibit industry by storm. One is the use of specialty fabrics in the building of custom exhibits for events, trade shows and permanent installations; the other is the integration [...]

The coated textiles industry is currently in a state of flux as new markets are emerging and traditional processes (and partnerships) are being adapted in response. By Adrian Wilson A wide range of coating technologies and processes were showcased and explained at the 2012 International Conference on Textile Coating and Laminating (TCL) held in Valencia, [...]