Watching Cotton Come to Life

Malvina J D’Alterio

Malvina J D’Alterio

Recently I had an invaluable experience and opportunity—to visit a cotton farm and ginning facility in North Carolina. As a student studying Textile Development and Marketing (TDM) at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, we are exposed to various segments of the textile industry and the lifecycle of products.

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However, the beginning stages of any education are usually theoretical. We read about relevant topics, see pictures and view videos, but to actually see fiber from its starting point is something that brings the knowledge to life.

I am an advocate for natural fibers. I have always used them as much as possible – from the point of origin through the spinning, dyeing and knitting – for the products that I create. I have ready access to wool in New England by attending sheep and wool festivals, farmers’ markets and participating in knitting groups.

But I had to travel to North Carolina to observe the cotton production lifecycle in its entirety. It’s a fiber I wear almost every day, but I had almost no first-hand knowledge about the steps involved, from initial fiber processing all the way through to yarn production. As future members of the textile, garment and home textile industries, students in the TDM program are taught all of the facets of industry. We diagram the lifecycle process of fibers and develop our fabric-forming skills through weaving and knitting. We learn about the science behind how fibers react and why, how to dye and finish them to impart the qualities we desire in the end products.

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Finally, for our senior capstone thesis, we go through the entire process of product development by applying what we have learned by designing, marketing and presenting collections of jeans through the eyes of someone who understands textile technology.

I completed the FIT Denim project last year. I’m a second-career student and so I’ve taken an unusual (but not unheard-of) route to get my degree. Most seniors in the TDM program visit the cotton farm before they develop their products. But I did the opposite, which I now see as an advantage. I was able to approach our cotton farm visit as a learning experience, but also observe my classmates as an adult who has already spent 12 years in the workforce. My fascination and delight mirrored theirs, but I also saw the enormous advantage of first-hand experience in realizing conceptual ideas. I saw future members of the world’s workforce being given a unique opportunity that will not only enrich their careers and enhance their competitive advantage, but also as human beings learning about a vast and complicated world.

All that we have learned was suddenly put into a real-life context. While touring the farm and ginning facility, we were guided through the fiber lifecycle by cotton researchers and the owners of the gin and farm. They took the diagrams we’d only conceptualized and walked us through step by step: seed, plant, growing, harvesting, ginning, initial cleaning, baling, and shipping. Machinery does almost everything today. The sheer size of the equipment was enough to stop people in their tracks, but watching fluffs of raw cotton go from module to bale was enthralling.

It was only a single farm, and a single ginner. They represent a tiny percentage of the industry’s size, and yet it inspired us to reevaluate everything we were doing – from accountability of our actions, our obligations to the environment, sustainability and trade, to what students will be doing during their final months of college. Even our internships now take on a wholly different meaning now that we have seen a more complete picture of the industry. It’s not just theory anymore. It has reshaped our thought processes and will impact the way we approach our work.

We know what it takes to produce cotton and make it into a product that the consumer wants. Cultivating cotton requires hard work and dedication, and our experience gave us a taste of what goes on within the third-largest producer of cotton in the world. We know cotton isn’t just a commodity farmers produce – it’s their life. And to us it is not just an ingredient, but a tool that enables us to be successful in our careers.

The farmer is grateful for a good crop. His customer is grateful for a consistent high quality fiber. This enables the mills and manufacturers to output a better product, and the retailer provides comfortable and performance-enhanced products to consumers, who are happy when they put on their favorite shirt in the morning.

And if the complete cotton lifecycle wasn’t a consideration before, it is now. We’ve now seen a glimpse of the whole picture – and when we have questions, we know where to find the answers.

Malvina J. D’Alterio is a graduating senior in the Textile Development and Marketing Department of the Jay and Patty Baker School of Business and Technology, at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

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