EFI included teen fashion designer Ariel Swedroe in a special ‘Future of Print’ keynote session. Swedroe’s session was held on 24 January at the EFI Connect conference in Las Vegas, which also featured a fashion show with some of Swedroe’s creations, along with samples showing how up-and-coming designers innovate using leading-edge, streamlined digital production technologies like EFI Reggiani textile inkjet printers.
At seven years old, Swedroe knew she had a passion for fashion. Swedroe enjoyed making dresses for her dolls, and when she saw a flyer about classes at Design Lab Miami, her mother signed her up. These classes gave her more skills to explore her interest. Swedroe has been surrounded by art, architecture and fashion. Her grandfather is architect and collage artist Robert Swedroe, who emerged in the art scene in 1963 and has been going strong ever since. Ariel has passed countless hours in his studio, absorbing lessons on composition and colour, and ‘developing an appreciation for beautiful things,’ she said.
Swedroe got the idea to print her grandfather’s colourful and intricate collage designs onto fabric. She thought they would be beautiful prints for apparel, and she also loved the idea of extending his creative work in an entirely new direction. That idea was really the spark that led to her own business, Swedroe by Ariel.
‘Attending EFI Connect will allow me to learn about the latest trends in digital textile printing and the software tools that make designing faster and easier, helping to unleash even more creativity, said Swedroe.’
‘Not only are we dedicated to advancing the analogue-to-digital transformation in textiles and apparel with our suite of textile-related solutions, but we are delighted to be able to shine a light on the great work that is being done by Gen Z-ers, such as Swedroe, to transform this important market, building profitable businesses based on digital technologies,’ said Frank Mallozzi, chief revenue officer, EFI.
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