Interview with Sarah Perkins

SGIA sees 'digital textile' and 'garment printing and decoration' as two distinct communities. Our goal is to support both, which we do with member-driven committees and events, to arm them to tackle changes and issues in the industry.

Digital textile is becoming increasingly diverse and the technologies within this community can be produced on an incredible scale-and the applications reflect that. There is also a huge amount of science and chemistry that goes into digital textile applications; so the ink technologies are adapting very quickly in and around that community as well. We see digital textile as a chemical engineer meets a genius artist. It is the perfect marriage of function and fashion with unlimited possibilities in the market right now. 

Garment decoration is also adapting at an equally 'blink and you'll miss it' kind of pace, but in a very different way. Garment decorators have discovered that the world is their oyster now that the world has fallen in love with online shopping and personalisation. Their pressing questions are how to get noticed online, how to fulfill as rapidly as possible with the best quality, how to ship most efficiently, how to fully automate and how to become a marketing firm for your non-artist customers. This community is rapidly separating the weekend crafter from the business mogul artist but it is all about diversification, understanding the technologies (and the break over on fulfillment in terms of technology), and having the right tools to respond as quickly as possible. Staying nimble, staying online, and staying authentic are the keys to what is driving this community forward right now. 

SGIA exists to stimulate the growth and advancement of a vibrant printing industry. It is the trade association of choice for professionals in the industrial, graphic, garment, textile, electronics, packaging and commercial printing communities looking to grow their business into new market segments through  incorporation of the latest printing technologies. 

Over the years, the printing industry has changed. The proliferation of digital technologies has triggered the ability to adopt technologies and applications once considered specific to certain market segments. For example, graphics producers are exploring industrial printing applications and apparel decorators are entering the wide-format graphics market. 

Therefore, SGIA is broadening its trade show. The SGIA Expo will retire with this year's event, and the Printing United Expo will launch in Dallas, Texas, during October 23-25, 2019. Printing United will embrace the breadth of printing technologies and applications, becoming a one-stop-shop for printers experiencing the changing marketplace. 

In addition to a committee structure that allows us to hear directly from the digital textile and garment decorating communities, SGIA has planned two major events for the coming months:

i) AATCC/SGIA Digital Textile Printing Conference 3.0: A forum for collaboration…the conversation continues (Durham, North Carolina, USA; December 5-6, 2018)

The collaboration between SGIA and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) continues with this unique conference for the digital textile industry. Topics on the agenda include global market conditions and economic forecasts, technology advances in digital textile printers, inks and production/RIP software and automation in digital textile manufacturing.

ii) Threadx 2019 (San Diego, California, USA; February 17-19)

Over the course of three days, you will explore new approaches to the garment decorating business-from marketing to business strategies. You will hear from groundbreaking speakers, connect with your peers and leave inspired to implement your own innovations. Threadx is a conference designed for and by garment decorators to address the ways the market is changing. (HO)