Kendra Allgood is a textile designer currently working at Global Textile Alliance, a mattress fabric manufacturer in North Carolina with sister companies in Belgium, China and India. Here she was hired as a knit designer and then promoted to a Technical Knit Designer based on her understanding of knit structures and how to create novel fabrics within the restraints of the machine and manufacturing. She works closely with customers, most notably Tempur + Sealy to create custom designs for double knit mattress panel fabrics. This requires an understanding both aesthetically and technically as these components go hand in hand to create a fabric that knits effectively on a circular knitting machine and looks good in final application.
During her time at NC State she concentrated in textile design, guided by professors with industry experience her passion for knitting grew. This led her to choose Hong Kong Polytechnic University as her study abroad destination for their robust textile offerings. There she learned more about the push for sustainability in apparel as well as apparel technology and production. She was able to gain a hands-on international perspective on textile business and manufacturing by touring factories in Mainland China.
Kendra’s hobbies include researching textiles, following apparel trends and sewing. She also loves learning about how new companies are innovating and seeking out sustainable practices in our global climate. She feels the combination of slow fashion, wholegarment knitting in apparel and footwear and circular knitting with recycled and natural yarns are some of the most lucrative assets to the industry at the moment.