{"id":51863,"date":"2023-07-12T21:06:45","date_gmt":"2023-07-13T01:06:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/?p=51863"},"modified":"2023-12-01T13:29:09","modified_gmt":"2023-12-01T18:29:09","slug":"wilson-college-of-textiles-student-grows-her-apparel-business-with-help-from-the-flex-factory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/textiles.ncsu.edu\/news\/2023\/07\/wilson-college-of-textiles-student-grows-her-apparel-business-with-help-from-the-flex-factory\/","title":{"rendered":"Wilson College of Textiles Student Grows Her Apparel Business with Help From the Flex Factory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
By Elyse Boldizar<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Determining start-up costs, developing the product, marketing to potential customers \u2014 starting a small business comes with big challenges. But for Annie Hoyt, those challenges have always been worth it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A junior studying fashion and textile management<\/a>, Hoyt is the founder of Deni<\/a>, an apparel business where she sells hand-crafted wrap skirts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hoyt started Deni during a gap year after graduating high school in 2020, but dreamed of starting her own business long before that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI started sewing when I was around five years old,\u201d Hoyt says. \u201cI later started my own company in high school where I sewed children\u2019s dresses because they were smaller and production turnover was faster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While her children\u2019s clothing business fizzled out due to focusing on classes and other activities, Hoyt\u2019s entrepreneurial spirit remains strong. Pursuing a concentration in fashion development and product management<\/a> and a minor in business entrepreneurship, she says, has only strengthened her passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI’ve always been a very motivated person, and I just really enjoy making things,\u201d Hoyt says. \u201cI’m also pretty stubborn, so the idea of being in charge of my own company is also a leading factor. I like to take control of my own life and try new things and always try to do the best that I can.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hoyt named her company Deni after her great grandmother\u2019s surname, who moved from Italy to the United States to start a family. The inspiration for Hoyt\u2019s signature skirt comes from a skirt her mom wore often. She decided to elevate the skirt with the addition of pockets, a looser fit and an adjustable waist that makes the skirt one-size-fits-all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love the aspect of adjustability in clothing and how your clothing can change with your body throughout the day,\u201d Hoyt says. \u201cAlso, adding things like pockets to focus on comfortability as opposed to functionality in women’s clothing is something that I like to incorporate.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Throughout the manufacturing process, Hoyt has taken advantage of the Wilson College\u2019s Flex Factory. Set to open fully in December of 2025, the Flex Factory is a research and development facility made to support business advancement and textile innovation by providing access to industry-level equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hoyt was introduced to the Flex Factory through her internship with the Zeis Textiles Extension <\/a>(ZTE), an on-campus service for training, certification and access to prototyping equipment. She is one of the first students to utilize the Flex Factory\u2019s printing and cutting machines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI’m using the facility to research how to best get from point A to point B,\u201d Hoyt says. \u201cfrom having the idea of a motif to putting it on a pattern and cutting the fabric using the Gerber cutter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\nEmbracing her entrepreneurial spirit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Designing the Deni skirt<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Utilizing the Flex Factory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n