Epson partners with George Brown College Fashion Lab to bring Digital Textile Printing to Canadian Fashion Industry

Collaboration makes high-quality digital fabric production accessible to Canadian designers

TORONTO, ON – October 30, 2019 – Canadian fashion designers can now access short run, digital printing technology thanks to a new partnership between Epson and George Brown College. The College’s Fashion Exchange LIFT (Leading Innovation in Fashion Technology) Lab is the first of its kind in Canada and features some of the industry’s most innovative apparel design and production technologies. Epson’s SureColor dye-sublimation fabric printer is a feature technology of the LIFT Lab.

“With Epson’s SureColor printer, the Canadian fashion industry has access to the most advanced, short-run fabric printing capabilities in the world,” says Mark Radogna, Strategic Marketing Manager of Professional Imaging at Epson. “Epson is proud to provide its advanced fabric-printing technology to Canadian fashion designers, helping them turn their vision into reality.” 

The LIFT Lab launched Tuesday with some of Toronto’s top designers touring the facilities and viewing demonstrations of the digital fabric printing technology. At the event, experts from George Brown’s Fashion Exchange and Epson participated in a panel discussion on the future of the digital textile industry and its impact on design, sustainability, and commerce.

“The new resources accessible in the FX LIFT Lab will streamline the creative process for local designers and ultimately bring their creations to life without incurring significant costs,” says Marilyn McNeil-Morin, Director, George Brown Fashion Exchange. “A new generation of fashion designers will benefit from the adoption of Epson’s dye-sublimation printing technology in their design development.”

Digital Fabric Printing can provide reductions in both water and electricity consumption when compared to traditional methods of fabric printing. Epson’s SureColor fabric printer will give Canadian designers and design students the ability to experiment and customize patterns with unparalleled precision, and to efficiently create and produce collections. To learn more about Epson’s digital fabric printing solutions for fashion textiles, visit their website.

About Epson

Epson is a global technology leader dedicated to becoming indispensable to society by connecting people, things and information with its original efficient, compact and precision technologies. The company is focused on driving innovations and exceeding customer expectations in inkjet, visual communications, wearables and robotics. Epson is proud of its contributions to realizing a sustainable society and its ongoing efforts to realizing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than U.S. $10 billion.

Epson America, Inc., based in Long Beach, Calif., is Epson’s regional headquarters for the U.S., Canada, and Latin America. To learn more about Epson Canada, please visit: epson.ca. You may also connect with Epson Canada on Twitter (twitter.com/EpsonCanada) and YouTube (youtube.com/EpsonCanada).

About Fashion Exchange & George Brown College

Fashion Exchange is a working short run manufacturing facility with state-of-the-art technology that offers hands-on education, applied research, manufacturing services and mentorship in support of local brands, designers, researchers and entrepreneurs. Toronto’s George Brown College prepares innovative, adaptable graduates with the skills to thrive in a rapidly changing job market. With three campuses in the downtown core, the college blends theory with experiential learning, applied research and entrepreneurship opportunities. George Brown offers 171 full-time programs and 200 continuing education certificates/designations across a wide variety of professions to more than 31,500 full-time students, including 27 percent international students, and receives more than 65,000 continuing education registrations annually. Students can earn certificates, diplomas, graduate certificates, apprenticeships and degrees. www.georgebrown.ca