RALEIGH, N.C. — September 21, 2026 — The W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory officially opened on Sept. 11 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the occasion.
The world-class center for advancing textile innovation and fostering entrepreneurship is named in honor of the late W. Duke Kimbrell ’49, a pioneering textile leader of the 20th century.
In 1949, Kimbrell became one of the 314 students of the then School of Textiles at NC State. Within 12 years of graduating, he became the CEO of Parkdale, the largest consumer of cotton fibers and yarn manufacturers in the world. In the 1980s, Kimbrell took ownership of the company.
Students, staff and faculty from the Wilson College of Textiles welcomed donors and distinguished guests to celebrate the official opening of the Flex Factory, with the state-of-the-art machinery now being fully operational. The factory offers 17,000 square feet for research and collaboration in a space formerly occupied by the Wilson College Senior Design Lab.
The renovated space continues to house the Senior Design capstone program for textile engineering and textile technology students and adds a new makerspace where students can bring ideas to reality. The Flex Factory also houses a new prototype lab where industry partners and entrepreneurs can create novel textile products.
According to Brownley King, a W. Duke Kimbrell Centennial Scholar and textile technology student, spaces like this that connect the academic experience to the real world make the Wilson College student experience unique.
“There is truly no place quite like the Wilson College. Since coming to NC State, I have experienced the textile industry in ways that I could never do anywhere else,” said King.
The opening of this space will directly impact students just like King, who shared her excitement for participating in the Senior Design experience next academic year right here in the new Flex Factory.
Melissa Sharp, interim director of Zeis Textiles Extension, said this will be a place where companies, researchers, entrepreneurs and students can come not simply to imagine what is next, but to make it.
The Flex Factory is designed to be adaptable to allow for a wide range of textile applications. From eco-friendly materials and smart fabrics, to advanced manufacturing techniques, the mission is to create sustainable and practical products.
Unique to this space will be the access to high-tech classrooms and collaborative work zones. The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial manufacturing.
The opening of the Flex Factory marks the first major renovation project to the college in over three decades. The woven history of the textile industry and the inspiration that will give students and researchers ways to turn their ideas into reality is the thing to celebrate, according to Michael Ward, executive director of the NC Textile Foundation.
“Today is a wonderful example of what can happen when visionary leaders, generous supporters, university partners, students, alumni and friends come together around a shared belief in what is possible,” said Ward.
During the ceremony, Prakash Chand Kochhar Dean Hinks paid tribute to the life and leadership of Duke Kimbrell, crediting him as an incredible motivator with an unmatched work ethic.
“I believe that Wilson College’s commitment to supporting entrepreneurial thinkers and doers will mean we will be having more “Duke Kimbrells” entering our doors in the future,” said Prakash Chand Kochhar Dean Hinks.
This new space will establish the work of entrepreneurs and researchers to feel supported in their projects by making the state-of-the-art textile equipment available to them when they need it. Whether it be in the studios and labs for ongoing research, or technical service with corporate partners the new space will be dedicated to textile workers, according to Dean Hinks.
Dean Hinks also announced an approved proposal plan for a phase 2 of the W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory, in support of The Textiles Futures Institute (FutureTEX). FutureTEX is a 10-year Department of War initiative aimed at modernizing textile manufacturing in the United States to support the defense industry currently led by NC State.
While FutureTEX headquarters will ultimately be located on Gaston College’s Kimbrell Campus, FutureTEX will forever have a node in the Wilson College. With investments like the W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory and FutureTEX, Dean Hinks said North Carolina will be the “obvious location” to build new textile-based businesses and advanced manufacturing capacity.
“Today, we are cutting a ribbon on a remarkable new space. But more importantly, we are opening the door to what comes next for the textile industry,” said Sharp.
Posted: September 21, 2026
Source: NC STATE- Wilson College of Textiles
