INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES The playbook is an outgrowth of the resulting multiyear partnership. Since 2018, students from each institution have participated in three workshops during which they gather in small teams to develop product concepts exploring the use of advanced fibers and fabric technology. The workshops — which have pivoted to a remote ex- perience since the Covid-19 pandemic — have been held collaboratively with AFFOA. AFFOA is a Cambridge, Mas- sachusetts–based nonprofit public-pri- vate partnership whose mission is to rekindle the domestic textiles industry by leading a nationwide enterprise for advanced fiber and fabric technology development and manufacturing, en- abling revolutionary system capabili- ties for national security and commer- cial markets. A key part of AFFOA’s mission is to inspire, prepare, and grow the next-generation workforce for the advanced fiber and fabric industry. Part of the students’ work has been the opportunity to respond to a project challenge posed by footwear and ap- parel manufacturer New Balance, a member of the AFFOA network. Stu- dents spent their first week in Cam- bridge learning new technologies at MIT and the second at FIT, working on projects and prototypes. “Collaboration and teamwork are DNA- level attributes of the New Balance workplace,” says Chris Wawrousek, senior creative design lead in the New Balance Innovation Studio. “We were very excited to participate in the pro- gram from a multitude of perspectives. The program allowed us to see some of the emerging research in the field of technical textiles. In some cases,these technologies are still very na- scent, but give us a window into future developments.” Many ideas Over the years, teams of students have developed innovative and forward- thinking projects that have moved the needle on design and technology. A few examples of the teams are: *Team Natural Futurism, which pre- sented a concept to develop a bio- degradable lifestyle shoe using natural material alternatives, includ- ing bacterial cellulose and myce- lium, and advanced fiber concepts to avoid use of chemical dyes; *Team CoMIT to Safety Before ProFIT, which explored the various ways that runners get hurt, some- times from acute injuries but more often from overuse; *Team Peacock, which prototyped athletic apparel with color-changing material to highlight an athlete's movement and quickly analyze motion through an app; *Team Ecollab, which designed ap- parel and footwear using PE (poly- ethylene) and color changing ma- terial that is multifaceted and envi- ronmentally conscious; and *Team Laboratory 56, which created footwear to enhance longevity of product and reduce waste using PE, while connecting with the com- munity through a recycling app pro- gram. “We’re excited to see how the release of this playbook opens up the minds of students across the country to the possibility of working in an interdisci- plinary environment, and in advanced textiles. We see a continuing need for a workforce that is agile, innovative, and able to apply higher-order thinking to develop the future of the industry, and believe this playbook will play a part in that development,” says Sasha Stolyarov, CEO of AFFOA. “These kinds of partnerships are so valuable for both teams — the design NCM-OCTOBER 2021 60Sasha Stolyarov CEO of AFFOAtextile research that could change the world, while FIT designers, long re- nowned for their creativity, are devel- oping the sustainable fabrics of the future. The overlapping synergies seemed destined for collaboration. What unexpected discoveries might occur if these students worked to- gether? FIT and MIT wanted to find out and approached AFFOA to help real- ize this vision. students get to work in a team envi- ronment engaging in the latest tech- nologies, while the engineering stu- dents use their creativity in a new way,” says Arbuckle. “So if the MIT/FIT col- laboration can be a model for other in- stitutions to do something similar, then these kinds of interactions and the in- vention of products they create to- gether can help define our future.” Yuly Fuentes-Medel Ph.D. MIT the future of Fabrics - Advisor Closed Loop Partners, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Cam- bridge, Massachusetts, United States “When designers and engineers come together and open their minds to creating new technologies that ultimately will impact the world, we can imagine exciting new multi- material fibers that reveal a new spectrum of applications,” says Yuly Fuentes, MIT Materials Research Laboratory project manager for fiber technologies. “Being able to share what we’ve learned through this playbook brings this process to a different level and makes it possible that this kind of thinking will become more widespread.”