W.O.L.F.’s Denim 101 Course Dives into Production Process
The White Oak Cotton Mill in North Carolina may have closed in 2018, but its heritage lives on. During its heyday, the mill established denim manufacturing techniques that are still used by the industry.
The White Oak Legacy Foundation (W.O.L.F.) is dedicated to teaching today’s denim professionals these skills. Twice a year—in the spring and the fall—the organization hosts Denim 101 courses for the industry to provide a background on the history of denim and how it is manufactured today.
Lenzing team members Hayato Nishi, business development manager, Americas, denim, and Ashley Buchalter, business development manager, Americas, ready-to-wear, were among the 20-plus students in the spring class. The two-day intensive course included presentations, activities and tours to Hill Spinning Mill and Proximity Manufacturing, W.O.L.F.’s for-profit subsidiary that is located inside the old Cone Denim Mills facilities. There were also opportunities for networking with peers.
“The biggest takeaway from this Denim 101 experience for me was understanding the closely networked denim community and the valuable initiatives that White Oak Legacy Foundation is facilitating alongside Proximity Manufacturing Company to revitalize the next generation of denim enthusiasts through history, education and facility visits,” said Hayato. “In current times, it is truly difficult to get away from the computer screen for more than two hours at a time, and so by having a two-day intensive Denim 101 course, I was able to maximize the limited time to absorb the historical groundwork of how denim became what it is today.”
The classes are taught by educators with a deep history in denim.
One of these teachers is independent textile training consultant Suzette McHugh, who was the textile training manager at the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College from 2009-2021, a role that involved developing and leading training seminars.
Another of the educators is Bud Strickland, whose more than 45-year history in the textile industry included 25 years at Cone Mills leading product development for sportswear and denim, serving brands like LL Bean and Eddie Bauer. He also spent around three years at Cone’s European office in Brussels working with Levi’s Europe. In 2012, Bud joined Mount Vernon Mills as director of product development to develop stretch and performance denims, and he later retired in 2020.
Dennis Sheer is general manager for SST Technology Solutions, Inc., which develops product innovations for textiles, apparel and more. His resume also includes textile manufacturing firms Klopman Mills, Burlington Industries, brands like Cone Mills and Levi’s, Wrangler, Ralph Lauren Corporation and VF Corporation, and biotech chemical groups such as Dyadic Group International, AARL and CP International.
“With experienced leaders sharing rich denim history through generational expertise, it was truly a moment to take everything in and appreciate our denim history,” said Hayato.
The speaker list also included Evan Morrison, the director of operations for Proximity Manufacturing Company. Proximity produces selvedge denim using traditional shuttle looms. Many of the employees at Proximity Manufacturing were employed by White Oak Mill. For instance, Debbie Lindsey followed in her mom’s footsteps and became a weaver at the mill, eventually rising to head weaving training instructor, the role she held when the mill closed. She joined Proximity in March 2021 as a weaver. Harold Sizemore was formerly head fixer at the mill. Over his 56-year tenure at White Oak, he witnessed the changes in loom technology, and he has detailed knowledge of the machinery from a half century of repairing the plant’s looms. Eddie Shelton worked at White Oak for 42 years as the head fixer for the Universal Winder attachment, nicknamed Unifil. He is partially retired, but still works part-time in the industry and helps out at Proximity Manufacturing when problems arise.
“Evan is truly committed to make a meaningful impact in his community and the denim industry and was great to see that the rich history will live on for future generations through his efforts at Proximity,” said Hayato. “I first-handedly felt his passion and energy to reinvigorate the denim industry within Greensboro and beyond, and even had a chance to visit his store Hudson’s Hill, which focused on quality garments that are made locally by hand or made in the USA.”
White Oak Legacy Foundation’s next classes are scheduled for Sept. 26-27. “I highly recommend this Denim 101 class for those who are looking to jump start their education and understanding in denim,” Hayato said.
For more information on the Denim 101 course, click here.
