Two Advanced Textile and Clothing Events in Boston

July 29, 2016, I attended the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America Inaugural Membership Day at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

AFFOA’s mission is to enable a manufacturing-based revolution by transforming traditional fibers, yarns, and fabrics into highly sophisticated, integrated and networked devices and systems.

Guiding principles:

• Lasting Institute – AFFOA is conceived and constructed with the goal of establishing a financially viable organization that will have a significant and enduring impact on the U.S. fibers and textiles manufacturing sector.
• Dedicated Mission – AFFOA NPO’s sole purpose is to administer and carry out the mission of AFFOA.
• Sustainability – AFFOA’s governance structure works now and will work five years from now.
• Independence –AFFOA should be perceived and act as an independent organization and be held accountable to all of its stakeholders.
• Transparency – Responsibilities and roles of the various components of the governance structure are clear.
• Representation and Integration – Governance structure engenders communication and participation of AFFOA stakeholders across the AFFOA ecosystem through representative bodies.
• Simple and efficient decision making – Governance structure enables efficient and rapid decision making and operations (not business as usual).
• Product – Product context, product roadmaps and the ability to engage industry in proprietary ways are critical to AFFOA’s engagement of industry now and in the future.
• Government Involvement – Governance structure enables Federal Government participation now and in the future.

Learn more at http://join.affoa.org/.

Thursday, August 25, 2016, I attended the Proof Challenge Kickoff: Designing the Chemical Biological Defense Suit at the Boston Museum of Science, organized by the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense. See more information at www.proofchallenge.com.