Knitting the Future.
Redefining the textile industry through an environmental product lens.
Client: Knoll Inc.
Industry: Contract Furniture
Services: Strategy Development, Industry Research
Design Brief.
KnollTextiles is one of the largest textile suppliers in North America, with products developed for healthcare, hospitality, educational, corporate, and residential interiors. As a leader in the commercial textile world, the Knoll team sought opportunities for innovation and market leadership.
Outcome.
FutureTogether identified process, technology, market, and product opportunities which informed a research report and insights book that was shared widely within the organization. In addition to these reports, we designed schematic products and worked with potential vendors to determine their feasibility. These findings and products highlighted opportunities to strengthen the KnollTextiles’ brand and offering.
Social Impact.
We challenged ideas held by the KnollTextiles team through a different kind of design journey—and ultimately, we saw positive cultural shifts reflected in the organization. By introducing technologies that reduce the environmental and social impact of the textile industry, our outlined path to profits—one that was better aligned with social impact—was ultimately incorporated.
Environmental Impact.
The textile industry is conventionally quite wasteful. Our aim was to uncover on-demand solutions and technologies that limited waste during production. Through benchmarking and research, we landed on technical knitting as a viable vehicle for textile product innovation. It offered on-demand, customization, and a virtually zero waste approach.
A Distinct Focus On Focus.
With a fashion-driven calendar for new launches in addition to countless brands competing for attention, we found that what textile specifiers are really seeking included aesthetic novelty, customization, and ease of specification with unparalleled environmental credentials and pricing. Through our research, we helped envision a KnollTextiles that led with proprietary materials and a more product-centric approach to fabrics.
Cross-industry Innovation.
Our research uncovered ways other industries—like apparel, medical, and sporting goods—were using technical knitting, creating market-leading products, and eliminating waste through just-in-time and on demand fabrication models.
In addition to our industry research, we reached out to leading technical knitting manufacturers to better understand textile possibilities and document the technologies affordances. Those findings opened new product conversations inside of KnollTextiles while allowing us to propose how these opportunities could deploy across the entire organization.
Links & Media.