Library Guides: *Fashion Design and Merchandising (FDM) Research Guide: Associations &amp; Organizations

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Professional Associations/Organizations

American Apparel & Footwear Association
Is a national trade association representing apparel, footwear and other sewn products companies, and their suppliers, which compete in the global market. Useful information for students and faculty who register for free includes access to AAFA news, open-industry webinars, and limited access to research tools, including the Made in America directory and the Restricted Substances
American Apparel Producers Network (AAPN)
"has membership worldwide from all sectors of the apparel supply chain, “from dirt to shirt.” Everything on the AAPN website is freely available to nonmembers, with best bets being the AAPN member directory for sourcing, the AAPN blog, and the events calendar."
American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATCC)
"AATCC has served textile professionals since 1921. It provides test method development, quality control materials, education, and professional networking for a global audience."
Association of Universities for Textiles (AUTEX)
Aims to create a worldwide network of textile universities to facilitate cooperation in high-level textile education and research.
Color Association of the United States
"The oldest color forecasting service in the US. Since 1915, the association has been issuing color reports in elegant, fabric swatched booklet form"
Costume Society of America (CSA)
"The Costume Society of America fosters an understanding of appearance and dress practices of people across the globe through research, education, preservation, and design. Members study the past, examine the present, and anticipate the future of clothing and fashion"
The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA)
"The CFDA website provides access to biographical information on its many famous members, a directory of New York- and Los Angeles-based garment and jewelry manufacturers, and access to industry news and events information. Students, alumni, and faculty will also definitely be interested in the awards and scholarships sections."
Custom Tailors & Designers Association (CTDA)
Seeks to promote awareness of designers and makers of men's custom tailored clothing
European Society of Protective Clothing (ESPC)
"....an independent and non-profit society that acts as a forum for discussions and knowledge exchange for persons working in the area of protective clothing including gloves and footwear"
Fashiondex.com
This "is a comprehensive and well-organized listing (not searchable) of suppliers, business services, contractors, and manufacturers for the fashion industry. Fashiondex also publishes and sells books on getting started with a fashion business."
Fashion Group International (FGI)
"....a worldwide membership organization of industry leaders in the fashion, beauty, lifestyle and retail sectors with global headquarters in New York."
The Fiber Society
"....dedicated to the advancement of knowledge pertaining to fibers, fiber-based products, and fibrous materials. The Society comprises individuals who are chemists, physicists, engineers and designers with interests in the field of fiber science engineering and technology"
Fibre2Fashion
"...provides a searchable supplier and buyers directory of everything from raw cotton to finished garments. The sources and suppliers are mainly from Asia and the Indian subcontinent, but not exclusively. Fibre2Fashion offers a fair number of original news articles covering the fashion, textile, and fibre industries."
International Association of Clothing Designers & Executives
Forecasts clothing styles for manufactures and retailers, among other things
International Committee For Museums (ICOM) Collections of Costume, Fashion and Textiles
"Topics include research projects, exhibitions, the discussion and demonstration of conservation and storage techniques, aspects of design, manufacturing and many other subjects related to dress."
International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA)
"ITAA serves as an accrediting agency for colleges and universities with textile and apparel programs through its TAPAC programs. Free content from the ITAA site includes the ITAA newsletter, selected monographs, and conference proceedings from the ITAA Annual conference. The conference covers a wide range of business and culture aspects of the fashion and textiles world."
Islamic Fashion Design Council (IFDC)
"IFDC aligns itself with leading and budding mainstream and modest fashion and design brands, government organizations, institutions, corporations, media, global conferences, events, and fashion weeks to ensure a powerful, sustainable and supportive presence"
National Council of Textile Organization (NCTO)
NCTO is a unique association representing the entire spectrum of the textile sector - from fibers to finished products, from machinery manufacturers to power suppliers. It is the voice of the U.S. textile industry.
National Retail Federation
Free registration as a nonmember provides access to nearly everything offered on the site under Resources and News, including research reports and summaries. Because Iowa State University is listed as a registered member, users have greater access.
SEAMS: The Association & Voice of the Sewn Products Industry
The SEAMS organization "represents American fashion brands, retailers, manufacturers, and textile producers. The most important resource on this site is the SEAMs Power Search of suppliers and manufacturers in the United States."
Textile Association - India (TAI)
TAI is the leading and largest national body of textile professionals of India.
Textile Bioengineering and Informatics Society (TBIS)
"....a charitable organization created to foster, develop and promote all aspects of science and technology in the bioengineering of materials, fibers and textiles, and to study how fibers, textiles and clothing influence human biology, medicine, behavior and health, as well as human living environments"
Textile Society of America (TSA)
TSA provides an international forum for the exchange and dissemination of information about textiles worldwide, from artistic, cultural, economic, historic, political, social, and technical perspectives.
United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA)
USFIA is dedicated to fashion made possible by global trade. It represents brands, retailers, importers, and wholesalers based in the United States and doing business globally.

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Apparel, Merchandising, and Design Graduate Student Organization (ISU)
More Associations - Both Local & International
The link lists additional textile & apparel associations.
Some Upcoming conferences (All Disciplines)