Integration of Cotton Performance Technologies into Apparel Product Development

The goal of the proposed project is to enhance East Carolina University (ECU) merchandising students' knowledge of cotton performance technologies and to identify potential markets for cotton products. An additional goal will be to educate students on the cotton-related resources available to them after they graduate and enter the industry. Students in the Apparel Product Development course will research cotton performance technologies using the CottonWorks? website. Using their research, they will be required to develop a product line incorporating a specific technology along with a marketing strategy and related materials. The students will present their product lines and marketing strategy to industry experts and faculty. The top three presentations will receive a scholarship. Since the students with the winning projects in the course will receive a scholarship, this will help to create a competitive and exciting environment for the students to learn about cotton. In addition, two undergraduate research assistants will conduct a cotton related research project using the CottonWorks?, CottonToday? and CottonLeads? websites to identify a topic. They will submit the abstract to a national conference. Both projects provide an experiential and product-based learning opportunity that will further the understanding and knowledge of cotton among ECU merchandising students.

Scholars @ ECU