• 2nd place: Chef-X
• Designers: Gregory Clark, Abby McDonough, Kevin Kolodziej
• Instructor: Bruce Wright
• College: Design Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
The Chef-X team looked at the restaurant kitchen environment, determining that chefs need to keep cool; have protection against food contaminants, virus and bacteria; while being able to work efficiently, safely and quickly.
By redesigning a chef jacket to incorporate climate control fabric at prime body heat exertion areas, it allows more air to circulate around the wearer's body and draws the heat away; while creating an antimicrobial bubble around the chef.
A fabric PDA using e-textiles aids the food service staff in their daily tasks by allowing them to work comfortably to produce food safer, quicker, and more efficiently.
Best of all, each of these advancements looks and feels like regular fabric, while maintaining the classic appearance of a chef jacket.
The 2007 awards were presented October 3 at IFAI Expo 2007, Las Vegas during the S&PPD Annual Meeting. All 2007 entries will be showcased.
Entries will also be spotlighted in a late fall issue of the Industrial Fabrics Products Review, the premiere magazine for the specialty fabrics industry.
Cash awards for the winners are funded by the Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI), a sister division of S&PPD within the Industrial Fabrics Association International.
Many safety products use narrow fabrics like tapes, braids, and webbing and NFI encourages student designers to learn about these unique high performing textiles.
There will be several changes to the 2008 Safety Products Student Design Challenge. The new format will ask students to solve workplace safety problems using textiles, versus designing a product that incorporates a specific fabric.
In addition, the top ten projects will be exhibited at EXHIBITION! Design for Health and Safety, a museum-style showcase of innovative textile solutions for safety and health, staged for IFAI Expo 2008 in Charlotte, NC, October 21 - 23. The prizes will increase to offer more money for the winning designers.
Congratulations to all who participated in the 2007 Safety Products Student Design Challenge. We encourage your students to take the Challenge in 2008.
Industrial Fabrics Association International
marketing@alchempro.com
