Kasandra Wright and Annalise Robins, a pair of apparel merchandising and product development majors, claimed the top two spots in the recent national NEXTILE: Soy in Textile Design Challenge.

The contest introduced college-level fiber, textile and design students to the challenges, opportunities and advantages of incorporating soy-based products into their designs.

Both students were mentored by Lance Cheramie, teaching assistant professor of AMPD in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences' School of Human Environmental Sciences.

The competition, sponsored by the United Soybean Board, aimed to support professors teaching sustainability and textile designs. It provided college students with an opportunity to showcase their creative and problem-solving skills, leading to contributions to increased sustainability of textiles for various applications.

Students had to create products using soybeans. Participating individuals or teams received a design kit including seven sustainable, soy-based materials: thread, leather, French Terry, organic pigment and other products, all soy-based. Project entries leveraged one or more ingredient to produce new textile threads, dyes, paints, designs or other elements.

Wright placed first, and advances to NEXTILE's national finals, while Robins finished second.

"Contributing to the first year of the NEXTILE Design Challenge with the U.S. Soybean Board was incredibly fulfilling," Cheramie said. "Kasandra and Annalise excelled in demonstrating their creative and problem-solving skills, significantly addressing sustainability in the textile industry."

Wright incorporated the Batik textile technique, utilizing sustainable soy sources involving the application of wax and dye to fabric in order to craft intricate patterns.

"The use of soy as the main ingredient in textiles not only reduces our dependence on non-renewable resources, such as petroleum-based textiles, and the reliance on animal-based textiles, but also helps minimize carbon emissions and promotes a circular economy,"  Wright said.

Robins crafted thread-weaving art by using materials sourced from sustainable soy-based materials.

"I am honored to have competed and placed in the NEXTILE competition," Robins said. "During this competition, I learned about natural dying pigments, thread spinning, yarn weaving and much more. I was continually impressed with NEXTILE's promotion and implementation of sustainability in this challenge. I can only hope to be a part of many competitions like this one in the future."

NEXTILE was created to put sustainable soy materials into the hands of young designers to create eco-friendly textile solutions.

"It's been incredible to see how our soybeans come to life in the hands of these talented students," said Carla Schultz, Michigan soybean farmer and United Soybean Board Director who served as a judge of the competition. "I've been so impressed with the creative thinking in the NEXTILE Challenge, and I'm excited for the future of each competitor as well as how their inventions can expand soy uses."

Soy has long been a key ingredient for product innovation, going back to Henry Ford, who used soy-based paints, textile materials and plastics for automobile design. U.S. soy is in more than 1,000 products on the market - from tires and shoes to fabrics and artificial grass. Soy is a renewable crop, replenishing soil annually with each growing season, and is important for biobased products.

About the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences: Bumpers College provides life-changing opportunities to position and prepare graduates who will be leaders in the businesses associated with foods, family, the environment, agriculture, sustainability and human quality of life; and who will be first-choice candidates of employers looking for leaders, innovators, policy makers and entrepreneurs. The college is named for Dale Bumpers, former Arkansas governor and longtime U.S. senator who made the state prominent in national and international agriculture. For more information about Bumpers College, visit our website, and follow us on Twitter at @BumpersCollege and Instagram at BumpersCollege.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas' economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.