Heimtextil showcase for best of Epson ‘Design for Living 2017’ textile designs

5th January 2017 – Epson has chosen a textile design developed by Evgenia Guliev, a young student studying at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Germany, to demonstrate the quality and flexibility of its digital textile printing technology at Heimtextil (Stand C10, Hall 6.0, 10-13 January 2017, Messe Frankfurt).

Epson works closely with textile designers and colleges around the world to explore the power of digital printing within the fashion and décor industries and students from France, Germany, Italy and the UK were invited to submit designs for Epson’s ‘Design for Living 2017’ Award. Evgenia is studying M.Sc. Textile Design and her bold, contemporary design was chosen as the overall winner. For Heimtextil Epson has reproduced her design as a range of soft furnishings and homeware products using its wide-format SureColor SC-F dye-sublimation and Monna Lisa direct-to-textile pigment printers.  Visitors will see a coordinated collection of curtains, lamps, furniture, cushions, tableware and wallpaper and – all produced using Epson digital printers. Even the special-edition Monna Lisa direct-to-textile printer, which makes its debut at the show, will be customised with Evgenia’s design. 

“It is amazing to win this award from Epson and I am very grateful that I have the opportunity to show how it can be used to create a complete professional and ultra-high quality décor collection and all using Epson technology at Heimtextil,” says Evgenia. “Digital textile printing is an essential tool for designers today. It’s quick, easy and affordable and I can use it all at all stages of the design process – from initial testing, to small-batch sampling and then for full production. Epson provides a solution for every stage too so I know the quality will be consistent.”

Regional winners

The regional winners of the Epson Design for Living 2017 Award are: Malek Ben Abdessalem in France; Athena Greta Barbieri in Italy and Ella Hunt in the UK. These students are all developing textile designs and experimenting with digital production techniques and their designs will be printed during the show onto cushion covers, bags and aprons using the desktop SureColor SC-F2000 direct-to-garment printer. These young designers each received a bursary to help fund materials for their studies and their winning design printed onto textile for them by Epson:

Malek Ben Abdessalem, France: is studying BTS Graphic Design at Gobelins and his passion for graphic design, street art and photography is reflected in his highly imaginative designs for T-shirts, magazines, music labels, mobile apps, websites. Interested in the Swiss Design Schools, Malek’s designs are inspired by typography, totems, masks and African motifs.

Athena Greta Barbieri: graduated at IED Moda Lab Milano and her design is inspired by her passion for the cinema and reflects the brutal reality behind the perfect ‘happy ever after’ story. She asks us to think about what happens to the 1950’s housewife when the children have left for school and the husband has gone to work?

Ella Hunt, UK: Ella is studying BA in Fashion Textiles at the London College of Fashion. Her design is inspired by 60s/70s politics, culture and freedom with a modern twist. Ella’s ambition is to take advantage of digital technologies to print her designs onto textiles, wallpaper and many other materials to create unique fashion wear, accessories and décor products.

Giovanni Pizzamiglio, Head of Pro-Graphics Sales, Epson Europe, says: “Epson is at the very forefront of digital textile printing technology and at Heimtextil, visitors will see a choice of printing solutions for a variety of applications and productivity needs from low-volume entry level all the way to high-volume, professional use. By working with young designers we are not only inspired by them but we inspire them in return by demonstrating the considerable potential of Epson technology and the opportunities it gives to them and the home textile industry as a whole.”

More information about Epson at Heimtextil visit: www.epson.eu/heimtextil

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Notes to Editor

About Epson
Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. With a lineup that ranges from inkjet printers and digital printing systems to 3LCD projectors, smart glasses, sensing systems and industrial robots, the company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises more than 73,000 employees in 91 companies around the world, and is proud of its contributions to the communities in which it operates and its ongoing efforts to reduce environmental impacts.
http://global.epson.com/

About Epson Europe 

Epson Europe B.V., based in Amsterdam, is the Group’s regional headquarters for Europe, Middle-East, Russia, and Africa. With a workforce of 1,700 employees, Epson Europe’s sales for fiscal year 2015 were 1,577 million Euros. http://www.epson.eu

Environmental Vision 2050   

http://eco.epson.com/