Crain’s Business Review Interview

Grace Anderson, a senior at KCAD presenting her piece in the GRAM exhibit, was the first student to use FlexLab’s laser engraving technology on velvet. Anderson said she was “a little bit of a guinea pig” when it came to creating her design, which features a black satin dress and a laser-embossed red velvet cape. 

Anderson made several appointments to test the velvet to see how far the fabric would need to be burned so that it would properlycreate an engraved pattern. The experience of exploring technology as a resource in fashion has pushed Anderson’s idea of what thefuture of design could be. 

“I think the possibilities are endless, especially being the first person to use this laser. It just opened my eyes to how many other things we could be using technology for. You know, 3D printing or even screen printing,” Anderson said. “There are so many different ways that you can use it to innovate and create new ideas and new processes.”