{"id":26410,"date":"2022-04-28T09:11:50","date_gmt":"2022-04-28T13:11:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/?p=26410"},"modified":"2024-07-19T14:06:14","modified_gmt":"2024-07-19T18:06:14","slug":"shyann-setzer-19-designing-whats-next-in-home-textiles-from-her-hometown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2022\/04\/shyann-setzer-19-designing-whats-next-in-home-textiles-from-her-hometown\/","title":{"rendered":"Shyann Setzer \u201819: Designing What\u2019s Next in Home Textiles from Her Hometown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

By Sarah Stone<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even though she grew up in the Furniture Capital of The World, Shyann Setzer didn\u2019t see herself entering that industry when she was admitted to the fashion and textile design<\/a> (FTD) program at the Wilson College of Textiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBack in high school, I concentrated more on pottery, photography and other fine arts, so I thought I wanted to be in fashion design,\u201d the Hickory, North Carolina, native says. \u201cBut when I interviewed with my FTD professors they said, \u2018Actually, based on your sketchbook you would probably be a better fit for our textile design concentration.\u2019 They were completely right because I definitely didn’t enjoy draping and pattern making.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, the textile design alumna spent most of her time in college planning to work in the apparel industry until an internship with Valdese Weavers changed her mind. That led to a job offer for the 2019 graduate, who now serves as an associate designer. Now, Setzer creates home textiles for leading international brands like Crate & Barrel and Pottery Barn just half an hour from the small town where her dreams of working in design began. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fabric<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tell us a little bit about Valdese Weavers. Why do you enjoy working there?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Valdese Weavers is a vertically integrated company, so we have four different plants that do every part of the process from spinning fibers to weaving and finishing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We develop fabrics for everyone from lifestyle retailers like Crate & Barrel and West Elm to classic North Carolina furniture brands like Wesley Hall and Century Furniture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valdese has a very family oriented feel. I’m really close with all of my coworkers on the design team, and we do a lot of fun trips to get our creative juices flowing. Recently, we went to the Mint Museum in Charlotte to see textile designer Anna Sui\u2019s art exhibit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does it mean to be an associate designer for a residential textile company?<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I’m on the residential design team and I design for every brand that we have. Art vendors will come in and we will purchase art from them as inspiration for our upcoming lines. Then, our brand managers assign artwork to each designer, so I\u2019ll have a certain amount of designs for each brand that I work on for the line each season. We have two \u201cseasons,\u201d which revolve around the High Point Market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Samples<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

When I’m not designing for a specific line, I\u2019m working on special project requisitions [SPRs]. That\u2019s when customers come to us and ask for something specific. That could mean changing one of our existing line items to make it less expensive, for example, maybe changing a pattern from UV to non-UV. SPRs can also be completely unique and one of a kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, I\u2019m working on fabrics based on other constructions with an existing weave bank, and other times I\u2019m creating a new design with my own weaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s the most rewarding part of your job?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I love going to High Point Market and Showtime. Usually, at Showtime I’ll walk with a sales rep while they introduce our new collections to customers. It\u2019s very gratifying to see the customer look at your designs and say, \u201cI love that.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, when we get to go walk our customer showrooms and I see my fabric on a sofa or on a pillow, it makes me happy to see that we are actually selling it and it’s going somewhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"fabric
Valdese samples on display at High Point Market.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How did your coursework transfer to what you\u2019re doing today?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The class I use the most is probably one Assistant Professor Janie Woodbridge<\/a> teaches where we learned EAT software, the different types of weaves and how to build them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also feel like I use a lot of what I learned about technical processes, machinery and yarn numbering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did you develop for your Emerging Designers Collection, and how do you feel it contributed to success in your current position?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n