Diving Right In
Andy Blab, center, with Otis students
The Otis College of Art and Design, whose fashion department is located in downtown Los Angeles at the California Market Center, churns out a consistent supply of talented swimwear designers for the industry. Think Rebecca Virtue at Lunada Bay in Anaheim, Calif., and Rod Beattie of La Blanca at Apparel Ventures in Gardena, Calif.
To keep those students informed about the twists and turns of stretchable fabric, Invista scientist Andy Blab traveled from Delaware to visit the school on Thursday, giving a crash course to 66 swimwear and lingerie students on circular knits versus flat warp knits, spandex, tricot, denier and color fastness. Naturally, there was also lots of time devoted to Lycra, the trademarked stretch fabric owned by Invista.
The lecture was timed to help students beginnng their first swimwear and lingerie projects under the auspices of Los Angeles designers Trina Turk and Robin Piccone and lingerie label Cosabella.
