One of the major common threads in this shifting production landscape is communication and information exchange in the digital realm. It’s the lifeblood of the connected world in which we live.

 

American & Efird (A&E), a Mount Holly, N.C.-based global supplier of industrial sewing thread, is among many textile companies that have worked to improve connectivity in the supply chain. Last year, in its 125th year in business, A&E launched Colorlink, the company’s first mobile app with a focus on thread color. Colorlink encourages more interactive collaboration, connecting entire teams across design and production channels in the thread color selection process to ensure color is not compromised.

 

That innovation was among many in the industry that eTextileCommunications took great notice of last year. We saw awe-inspiring advancements in machinery, equipment, processes, services and much more. But Colorlink and its companion device, COLORCATH NANO, was one of the best to emerge last year and, as such, has been named eTC’s 2016 Innovative Technology Award winner.

 

Thread color selection is a foundational element of garment design and production, A&E said when the app was launched last May. But too often this decision is left to the end of the process. But Colorlink empowers garment designers and color professionals at the garment’s inception to know that their color inspiration will match their vision in the finished product.

 

The app's target demographic encompasses the entire apparel supply chain, from fashion designers creating the garment to the manufacturing facility producing the finished piece, according to the company.

 

“The Colorlink app is currently being used in 50 countries around the world,” Jacob Blackburn, A&E’s global marketing coordinator, told eTC.

 

Multiple features make app a standout

 

A&E's revolutionary design app can specify thread color with ease, create personal thread color collections and much more – and we gave it a test run to confirm these claims.

 

Available for both Android and Apple phones and tablets, A&E Colorlink was created to serve as an end-to-end tool to connect designers and production managers in the thread color selection process, the company said. The app offers a vast array of digital color choices and provides more control of thread color selection from design inception to the manufacturing floor, assuring designers that the personal connection to their color story is maintained through production.

 

In addition, its companion device, COLORCATCH NANO, is an advanced, hand-held tool that will identify color on a variety of smooth, structured or patterned surfaces with the touch of a button.

 

Colorlink features include:

 

• The opportunity to easily specify thread color and manage ideas on the go in order to create personal thread color collections; locate complementary thread colors; and place selected colors on sample stiches and fabric types.

• The ability to easily organize and share project and thread color details with colleagues and the supply chain;

• The option of requesting physical thread color samples for confirmation; and

• The ability to connect with A&E global representatives.

 

To the latter point, Colorlink doesn’t just match color – it links users directly to the thread color experts at A&E for input.

 

A cool feature we also noticed from the aforementioned features was the ability to “virtually stitch.” This allows users to try their chosen colors on a variety of preloaded fabric backgrounds and sample stitches.

 

Then there’s an intangible side of working with color – its ability to evoke a feeling, emotion or memory. Or, as A&E says in the tool’s tagline: Every Color Tells A Story.

 

“A&E understands that color matters,” Blackburn said. “For fashion designers, color assists in conveying specific emotion when creating a garment. That emotion is instrumental in ultimately persuading a consumer to purchasing one garment over another.

 

“A&E's Colorlink app provides collaboration, choice and control,” he added. “Collaboration between team members when discussing and reviewing color of a particular project. Choice, by providing thousands of thread colors at your fingertips, along with features that assist in exploration of color. Control – ultimately providing the designer or design team all the color information needed for a garment's technical pack, ensuring that the color chosen during the design process is same color used on the factory level.”

 

Indeed, we believe Colorlink is something of a game-changer in this industry and deserving of our inaugural Innovative Technology Award.

 

To request an unlock code for the free A&E Colorlink app and learn more about Colorlink and the COLORCATCH NANO, visit www.amefird.com/colorlink.