Seventeen interdisciplinary teams, each consisting of five to seven students from the German and English-speaking bachelor's degree programs in the department, independently developed innovative product ideas, small collections or marketing concepts.

The teams, most of which received their project tasks from external topic setters, presented their final results to the project partners and the other students and employees of the university. Each team had twelve minutes for the presentation. The event was moderated by the steering committee member and professor at the department Dr. Mathias Mut. At the end of the day, a crowd favorite was chosen.

The team led by project manager Sarah Sairung Klein won. In close contact with her client, the Rotary Club Mönchgladbach Gero, and her supervisor Prof. Dr. Robert Groten, the group has developed a functional winter coat/sleeping bag combination for homeless people. The focus of the product is on the needs of the wearer, who should be protected from wind and weather and the effects of strangers. In addition to a prototype that lays the foundation for a future production, the group has produced an informative accompanying film and flyers.

But not only the winning team delivered great projects. Under the keyword "upcycling", many teams have created new products from old materials. Lea Lüpsen's team breathed new life into used and discarded canvas by making furniture and lamps from the durable material. The project was initiated by the client "Cleen Sailing Initiative".

A textile interior design concept for the employee area was created for the new premises for the jeans production of "C&A Factory for Innovation in Textiles" in the Monforts district of Mönchengladbach.

"We at the department and our project partners are absolutely thrilled with the creative ideas and well thought-out results of this year's teams," says the Dean of the department, Prof. Dr. Lutz Vossebein. The head of the steering committee, Prof. Dr. Kerstin Zöll was full of praise for the students: "Despite the pandemic conditions, the teams delivered really excellent projects with great commitment and showed what the future of the textile industry has in store for us".

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