This year’s International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) Meeting will take place October 7-12 at
the Congress Centre Kursaal Interlaken, in Switzerland. The theme of the congress is “Shaping
Sustainability in the Cotton Value Chain.” Over the next few weeks, the Rupp Report is focusing on
this event. This week, the spotlight is on the surroundings of Interlaken. To be more precise, the
report is about the Abegg Foundation, including its museum housing an extraordinary and unique
collection of antique textiles and art objects. The foundation was established by private
collectors Werner and Margaret Abegg, and it is not far from Interlaken.

Unique Collection Of Textiles And Art Objects

The Abegg Foundation’s collection comprises textiles and art objects from Europe, the Middle
East and regions along the Silk Road. Its world-famous collection of ancient textiles dates from
the fourth century B.C. up to the year 1800 C.E. Highlights include large wall hangings from
ancient Egypt, as well as European fabrics and liturgical vestments from the 12th to the 18th
century. Other centers of attention are collections of eighth- and ninth-century Central Asian
weavings as well as silk robes from the Liao Dynasty (907-1125) in China.

In addition to the Abegg family’s private collection, the museum houses both fine and
applied artworks. There are paintings from the workshop of Rogier van der Weyden and Sandro
Botticelli, wooden sculptures from the Middle Ages, gold objects, and ancient bronzes and ceramics
from the Near East.

A Permanent And A New Exhibition

These two areas are the basis of the permanent exhibition. The textile exhibits show their
historical and artistic context. Between August 2009 and September 2011, the museum premises were
completely updated, including a remodeling of the museum.

The Abegg Foundation is now presenting a special exhibition titled “Ornamenta — Textile
Images of the Middle Ages.” The exhibition is open daily from 2:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and closes
Nov. 11, 2012. Exhibits include beautiful tapestries, painted banners, altar hangings with subtle
embroidery and priests’ vestments, which together determined the appearance of church interiors
according to feast days and seasons. It is a breathtaking exhibition and array of textiles and fine
ancient art that should not be missed.

The Foundation

The Abegg Foundation was established in 1961 as a cultural historical institute that aims to
collect, research and restore old fabrics and textiles. The museum presents through every summer an
exhibition dedicated to a special sector of ancient textile art. The foundation also includes a
professional library — a cornerstone of its success and reputation. The library houses literature
covering ancient textiles as well as art in general, painting, architecture, history, archeology
and sculpture from ancient times up to the early 19th century. Interested parties may consult
current periodicals, the card catalogues and the online catalogue in the reading room. The
catalogues list some 60,000 entries and 200 current periodicals.

Education

An extremely important task is conservation and restoration, with the main emphasis on
textiles. No doubt the Abegg Foundation is one of the most prestigious institutes for textile
conservation and restoration. Apart from its public areas, the foundation also educates students in
the art of conservation of old fabric and textile artifacts.

The foundation offers a five-year degree course to one student per year in cooperation with
the Swiss Conservation-Restoration Campus and the Bern University of Arts (BUA). The five students
choose their area of specialization at the beginning of their studies and receive individual
supervision by the head of the textile conservation workshop and the senior conservators.

An important part of the education is the three-year Bachelor’s program, which covers
preventive conservation, an introduction to specific textile topics and basic
conservation-restoration theory. Introductory modules in preventive conservation, humanities and
natural sciences, technology of artifacts and conservation are offered at the BUA. Abegg Foundation
internal and external docents teach specific modules in the specialization textiles.

The two-year Master’s program centered on textile conservation and restoration offers
practical and theoretical modules and is complemented by modules at the BUA. At the end of the
program, students submit a Master’s thesis covering practical and theoretical skills and including
some autonomous research related to a particular textile conservation and/or restoration project.

The course involves lectures at the BUA and practical projects in the Abegg Foundation’s
conservation workshop as well as self-study required for the theory modules. Students receive a
scholarship from the foundation to cover accommodation and living expenses and are expected to
contribute to current projects at the foundation.

Publications

In addition to documentation covering the current special exhibition, the foundation also
publishes scientific works on textile art. ICAC conference attendees who are interested in the
history of their industry should not miss a visit to the Abegg Foundation in its beautiful
surroundings.

September 25, 2012

The American Textile History Museum (ATHM), Lowell, Mass., has inducted Peter G. Scotese and
Masahiro Shima, Ph.D., into the American Textile Hall of Fame (ATHF), Class of 2012. ATHF
recognizes individuals, corporations and institutions that have contributed significantly to the
U.S. textile industry.

Scotese’s textile industry career spanned 35 years. In 1969, he became the first non-family
member to be named president of Fort Mill, S.C.-based textile home furnishings manufacturer Springs
Industries Inc. He continued to serve as CEO until his retirement in 1981. He is credited with
shepherding Springs during a strong period of long-term growth.

Shima, founder, president and CEO of Shima Seiki Manufacturing Ltd., Japan, is the first
non-American ATHF inductee. He founded the company at the age of 24 to develop the first fully
automated glove knitting machine. The company debuted its WHOLEGARMENT® computerized flat-bed
knitting technology in 1995. It opened Shima Seiki U.S.A. in Monroe Township, N.J., in 1987 and the
Shima Seiki Design Center in New York City in 2006. The design center offers full-service
consultation and production services to the North American apparel industry.

September 25, 2012

O’DONNELL, Texas — September 12, 2012 — Over a year in the making, the Content Claim Standard
(CCS), written by Textile Exchange, gives companies a tool to establish a chain of custody for the
materials in their products. The standard sets requirements to ensure that the identity and
integrity of the ‘claimed’ materials are protected as material flows from source to finished
product. The standard makes use of transaction certificates (TC’s) which track the input and output
at each step, allowing for a mass balance calculation that will ensure the accuracy of percentage
claims. Because there are no restrictions on the material to be tracked, the standard has a wide
range of application beyond textiles.

Textile Exchange has partnered with Outdoor Industry Association (OIA) to give the standard a
thorough review from a variety of stakeholders via the Materials Traceability Working Group (MTWG).
The MTWG is co-led by TE and OIA and is a subset of the broader OIA Sustainability Working Group
(SWG).

The standard is largely based on the work of the OE standards, developed in 2004 as a means
to track organic cotton through the supply chain. The OE standards have been highly successful in
supporting the production of organic cotton, without making restrictions on the processing of the
products. The CCS has the potential to support the growth of a variety of raw materials, by
allowing companies to accurately and confidently label the content of their products. As a chain of
custody standard, the CCS provides a greater level of transparency into supply chains, and is a
flexible tool that can be easily combined with other social and/or environmental standards.

“To back up a claim to something with the CCS gives us better footing to know that what we
are claiming is valid, and that’s a real competitive advantage. Additionally, it’s a platform from
which you’re having a discussion with your supplier. If we’re doing it alone, and not to a standard
that other people are using, then it doesn’t influence much broad change. But if everyone is
carrying that same flag, then the supplier has a greater reason to perform to the level we’re
asking.” -Sarah Kelley, Econscious

Textile Exchange and OIA members, via the MTWG, are now working on leveraging the CCS and
existing organic farming standards to create an Organic Content Standard that will replace the
current OE standards and will apply to a full range of organic inputs. The MTWG is also exploring
the possibility of using a similar approach with other materials categories relevant to the outdoor
and broader apparel and footwear industries, including recycled inputs, wool, and down.
Participation in the MTWG and these efforts is open to everyone; if interested, please contact Beth
Jensen with OIA: bjensen@outdoorindustry.org.

The CCS is now open to certification bodies for accreditation. As soon as the accreditation
process has been completed by the certification bodies, companies may begin the process of
third-party certification to the standard. To read through the Standard, Implementation Manual, and
additional information, visit: http://textileexchange.org/content/content-claim-standard.



Posted on September 25, 2012

Source: Textile Exchange

MONTREAL — September 24, 2012 — My Virtual Model (MVM) is proud to announce the acquisition of
Mimicme, a European leader in virtual fitting room applications. 

This acquisition provides MVM with state-of-the-art technology to add to its portfolio of
world class solutions, making it the worldwide leader in 3D personalized virtual models, fitting
rooms, and on-demand outfitting solutions. MVM allows third parties to quickly and efficiently
bring entire clothing collections online with easy-to-integrate tools, licensed as a white label
“Software as a Service” technology. The acquisition offers a new and innovative way to integrate
the solution within every ecommerce platform within days.

My Virtual Model’s latest product called ‘Dynamic Outfitting’ cuts costs of expensive photo
shoots while keeping full control of the product image creation process. The end result is
unlimited outfitting possibilities that combine products, human models, backgrounds and effects
that are indistinguishable from real photography. Dynamic Outfitting supports different body shapes
and poses for both men and women. The bottom line is that retailers using Dynamic Outfitting save
millions on product photography.   

MVM now has products for every size retailer large and small. ” I can’t imagine a retailer
that would not want to cut photo shoot costs or deliver the best online outfitting experience to
delight their customers,” Luc Lacroix, CEO of MVM.

Xavier Baars, founder of MimicMe, will continue his career with MVM as a member of the
senior management team, overseeing activities in Europe, while based in Amsterdam. Gregory
Saumier-Finch, founder and CTO of My Virtual Model, will be responsible for worldwide technology
development and research.

“We share the same obsession with My Virtual Model, to enrich online shopping experience and
provide retailers unique solutions to improve customer loyalty,” added Xavier Baars, CEO of
MimicMe.

Posted on September 25, 2012

Source: My Virtual Model (MVM)