About Hannah Laurits
Hello! My name is Hannah Laurits, and I am currently working as a Textile Lab Fabric Coordinator at Swim USA. I graduated from the Master of Science program in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware in 2024. Through the program, I had the opportunity to work on various research projects, ranging from adaptive apparel to sustainable textiles. During my time at UD, I also had the privilege of teaching Fash133 Foundations for Fashion Innovation, which was an incredibly rewarding experience.
In addition to my master’s degree, I hold a Bachelor of Science in Apparel Design and Fashion Merchandising from the University of Delaware. Throughout my academic journey, I completed internships related to textiles and sourcing, which played a significant role in shaping my career and led me to my current position at Swim USA. I am passionate about the intersection of textile innovation, sustainability, and sourcing, and I’m excited to share insights from my experiences in the industry.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this interview are those of Hannah Laurits and do not reflect the views or positions of her employer or any affiliated organizations.
Sheng: What are your main responsibilities as a fabric lab textile coordinator? What does a typical day look like? Which aspects of the job do you find particularly interesting or unexpected before taking on the role?
Hannah: As a Fabric Lab Textile Coordinator, I work to ensure that the fabrics that go into our products meet both our internal quality standards as well as the standards of our customers and the global textile industry. In the lab, we mainly focus on quality control, which includes ensuring that the fabrics we use in production meet specific quality standards.
In my role, a typical day may include visually and/or digitally reviewing colors to ensure that they align with our established standards. Additionally, each day consists of a variety of testing and analysis of results to ensure that they meet brand requirements. I also assist with raw materials development, particularly in the areas of color and fabric testing for various brands. One key aspect of my work is analyzing testing data to identify risks, areas for improvement, and potential delays in production. The best part of my role is the variety of tasks I’m involved in, the opportunity to work on multiple brands, and the extensive cross-functional collaboration I get to participate in. From color matching and testing to analyzing data and working directly with various teams, no two days are ever the same. The level of collaboration across departments has been extremely helpful, allowing me to learn from different areas of the business and broaden my skill set.
Sheng: In general, what factors should be considered when selecting fabrics in product development and apparel sourcing?
Hannah: When selecting fabrics for product development and sourcing, there are many factors to consider, including but not limited to cost, quality, durability, color and dyeing process, fiber content, intended use, sustainability, lead times, availability, and compliance with regulations. In my role, understanding the fabric composition, color, and dyeing process, as well as the intended final use is essential. Different fibers and dyestuffs have inherent properties that can affect the fabric’s appearance and colorfastness, so it’s crucial to understand how they will perform in the final product. This knowledge helps determine whether achieving a specific color while maintaining the desired quality is feasible. By carefully considering these factors, we ensure that the product meets both aesthetic and performance standards.
Sheng: Part of your job involves testing fabrics. What needs to be tested, and what are the main issues involved in the quality control of fabrics?
Hannah:A large part of my role involves testing fabrics to ensure they meet the required standards. There are a variety of tests that need to be completed, and they generally fall into two main categories: color fastness and physical properties. Color fastness testing is conducted to ensure that the fabric retains its color and/or does not run when exposed to various factors, such as washing, sunlight, or exposure to chlorine. Physical property testing helps ensure that the fabric will meet the required performance standards. This includes testing for qualities like weight, stretch, and dimensional stability. These tests are essential to make sure the final product fits well and performs as expected for the consumer.
Sheng: From your observation, how has sustainability impacted the selection and sourcing of textile materials for fashion companies? How is “sustainability” assessed for fabrics? What emerging trends are worth watching?
Hannah: Sustainability is a major focus in the textile and apparel industry, continuously evolving and shaping how fashion companies approach textile research, development, and sourcing. There is a noticeable shift towards prioritizing eco-friendly materials and minimizing environmental footprint. Sustainability can be assessed in many ways in fabrics throughout a fabric’s entire lifecycle – from raw material sourcing to end-of-life disposal. It is important to consider not only the environmental impact but also the social and ethical aspects of fiber cultivation and fabric production, ensuring that workers’ rights are also prioritized. From what I have observed in the market, the most accessible and widely adopted sustainable fabrics tend to be recycled, organic, or plant-based materials. However, there are many other emerging trends worth watching. These include waterless or low-water dyeing technologies, eco-friendly finishes and treatments, regenerative agriculture, and innovative fiber development.
Sheng: Following up on the previous question, is it true or a myth that sustainable fabrics are typically more expensive and increase production costs? If so, how can companies balance sustainability with cost-effectiveness?
Hannah:While sustainable fabrics can sometimes be more expensive, it’s not always the case. Factors such as higher initial investments in sustainable technologies, costs of production, the smaller scale of production, and the costs associated with certifications can make sustainable fabrics more costly. However, it is still possible for companies to balance sustainability with cost-effectiveness. Sustainable practices often bring long-term benefits, such as risk reduction, improved durability, and increased brand value. Further, as more brands shift towards and invest in sustainable material innovation, we can expect these fabrics to become more affordable and available over time.
Sheng: Based on your experience, can you offer any advice to our students regarding preparing for a career in the fashion apparel industry? What could they do at UD? What is the benefit of getting a master’s degree in fashion and apparel?
Hannah: My advice to students is to get involved as much as possible. Internships are a great way to gain hands-on experience. If internships aren’t available, networking and learning from professionals in the industry are invaluable. At UD, there are numerous opportunities to take advantage of, like research projects, clubs, and career fairs to build connections and expand your knowledge. I have found that a master’s degree in Fashion and Apparel has provided me with a strong foundation which has helped me secure a career and be successful in the industry. I often find myself referring to course topics and key skills I learned in graduate school such as data analysis.
Additionally, if any students soon graduating are interested in Swim USA, below is information from our HR department on how they search for talent. “For entry-level roles, we typically use Handshake as a great way to reach upcoming graduates or recent alumni. I would advise them to register and look at opportunities there. If they haven’t already, they should also ensure their LinkedIn profile is up to date and has a nice professional picture. Start following companies that you might be interested in, like SWIM USA, to see new or open roles first. They are also welcome to follow our Swim USA careers page for more information.”
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FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 
I found this interview to be very insightful, especially because I don’t often hear about what goes into textile testing or consider textile testing as a potential career path, however, it could be a good option being that it is very necessary. Hearing about what Hannah does as a Textile Lab Fabric Coordinator was interesting since I didn’t know all that went into it or how rigorous and specific the testing was that they do for Swim USA. I would like to learn more about how the testing is actually done and how they measure certain qualities like durability, dimensional stability, etc. Textile testing like this is one of many steps that goes on during apparel production that many people aren’t aware of, so I enjoyed learning about it. One question that this interview raised was, “Do most fashion brands put their fabrics through testing like this, or is it mainly brands that create garments for a specific use, such as swimwear or athleticwear?”
My key takeaways from reading Hannah’s interview was that a lot of jobs within the fashion industry use a mixture of different knowledge that we have learned throughout many different courses at UD. I also noted that a lot of the work she does is very collaborative. Also, there are a lot of different factors that go into picking the perfect fabric colors, dyes, and components that are unseen to a consumer- I find it interesting that there are so many different factors and testing that goes into choosing this. I think it would be interesting to see how the actual color fastness and physical property testing is done. A question that I would be interested in asking Hannah is, What factors make sourcing sustainable textiles more difficult, versus unsustainable textiles, or is there little to no difference between them?
I found this interview to be very informative and insightful. Hannah’s position isn’t one I hear about often and I was unfamiliar with all that went into finding the right fabric and testing it. My top takeaway from this interview with Hannah is her emphasis on the importance of testing the fabric to specifically satisfy both the consumer’s standards and the company’s, aside from industry standards. I found Hannah’s insight as to how to balance sustainable fabrics being costly very interesting. I found it interesting making note of how sustainable material may become more affordable and available the more popular it gets. A question this interview raised is, When selecting a fabric, what choices would be made if all the considered factors weren’t available in one fabric at the time?
Hi Danielle! I agree with you that Hannah’s job is not a job that I often see or hear about. I found it super interesting as well to learn about her daily job tasks such as finding fabrics and testing them. This work reminds me of FASH 215, where we had lab and tested all different fabric contents.
This was such an interesting perspective regarding sustainable textile manufacturing with Swim USA. I personally enjoyed reading that sustainability won’t always be expensive if companies are continuing to invest in sustainable material innovations. Hannah’s job is so crucial in the industry right now for US textile manufacturing and sustainability. Since Swim USA is a bathing suit company, I do have a few questions regarding sustainability in bathing suits. How will sustainable materials hold up in a bathing suit regarding its colorfastness or durability? Bathing suits go through UV exposure, chemicals, and frequent washes, so I’m interested to know what materials can be used for longevity in their products.
This post was super interesting to me, as I remember taking FASH 133 as a freshman. I remember learning all about colors, shapes, silhouettes, sustainability, and fabric textures in this course. I think that the work that Hannah does at Swim USA (based off of her description of the job) heavily relies on a large understanding of these ideas. I found it interesting the way she discusses sustainable fabrics. I feel like in school we have always learned that sustainability is a challenge because sustainable fabrics are more expensive than other fabrics, but Hannah discusses the reason for this and why it is still worth it. She makes a good point that it would bring more long term benefits like risk reduction and durability. I think that these points make it more important to focus on sustainable fabrics more heavily. This blog post was very insightful and completing, as I learned a lot about Hannah’s job, her daily tasks, and the importance of her work.
I found this job to be super interesting. As someone that lives at the beach, swimwear is super important to me and having a high quality bathing suit. Hannah’s jobs is definitely an important role and something I would be interested in. The most interesting part of her job to me is testing fabrics. Color fastness testing and property testing plays a crucial part into choosing which fabrics work best for swimsuits. I remember we had to do this in lab which was always fun to see how the different materials react to different things. Another key takeaway was sustainability and pricing of sustainable fabrics. I liked how she went into detail about different sustainable materials and why they are sustainable.
During my semester taking FASH133, I had the privilege of Hannah being my TA- she was amazingly talented and a book of knowledge throughout the whole course. Because she was my instructor, this article is interesting for me to learn more about her personal views and now her full-time career!
I found Hannah’s comment about collaboration across departments to be highly relevant and reinforces this idea that so many industry professionals talk about. FASH455 has truly broadened by skill set in the sourcing industry and although this is not my intended field to find a career in, I know this knowledge will be critical as I work within the fashion industry overall. Additionally, Hannah’s description of sustainability and what this looks like for the T&A industry moving forward was very interesting in that it can mean different things depending on the industry you are in – whether that is sustainability within production, raw materials, shipping, etc., it is all relative, which is critical for brands to understand when marketing themselves as “sustainable.” I found it exciting that Hannah believes sustainable fabrics will become more affordable over time as companies continue to invest in proper equipment and the demand is rising, meaning the market will become more competitive and the industry should start to see a higher increase in sustainable pieces that are affordable! This is certainly exciting given the current state of the industry.
After reading this interview i learned that Hannahs role involves ensuring that fabrics meet both internal quality standards and those of the consumers and global textile industry. She visually and digitally reviews colors, conducts various tests and analyzes fabrics to meet brand requirements. She also analyzes testing data to identify risks, areas for improvement, and potential delays in production. While i don’t think i would pursue this career, it does seem interesting and she has an important role in making sure everything runs smoothly for her company. The interview offered valuable insights into the dense role of a fabric lab textile coordinator and the importance of cross functional collaboration.
I thought this article was fascinating! It was really interesting to get a behind the scenes look at her role as Fabric Lab Textile Coordinator at Swim USA. Her various tasks that she does such as color accuracy and testing of the physical properties are crucial within the fashion industry when it comes to creating high quality products. I also liked how she mentioned sustainability and how the conversation is becoming bigger around the topic. Hannah also gave great feedback when it comes to getting internships, networking and being involve on campus which resonated with me. As a senior who is graduating soon, I definitely agree that incoming students should take advantage of these opportunities. Overall, I thought this interview was very informative and inspirational to fashion students.
I really enjoyed reading about Hannah’s experience at Swim USA! As a fashion management minor I have not previously heard of Hannah’s position as a “Fabric Textile Lab Coordinator,” but I can now safely say that it sounds very interesting! I really enjoyed Hannah’s comment on sustainability and found it very refreshing to hear about this topic from someone currently working in the industry. I found Hannah’s perspective on sustainable fabrics to be very inspiring. I loved hearing that sustainability does not always mean a higher price tag, as is commonly believed. As Hannah mentioned there are several factors regarding the sustainable product that determine its overall cost such as, cost of production, production scale size, and sustainable certification costs. It makes me very hopeful to hear that Hannah, someone who works with fabric in the industry each day, believes that it is possible for brands to promote sustainable fabrics while still staying within target cost margins. Overall, I really enjoyed reading Hannah’s views and advice and my major takeaway is that fabric sourcing is very complex. While I previously considered fabric sourcing to rely mainly on costs and quality, I know think of it as a web chart. I picture “fabric sourcing” in the middle with countless contributing factor bubbles shooting off from this center point of the chart.
I enjoyed reading about Hannah’s experiences through the UD Fashion and Apparel program into her current role at Swim USA and found it inspiring and interesting by showing the intersection between learned industry knowledge and course knowledge. I found the reflection and breakdown of sustainability assessment through materials, ethical labor practices, and lifecycle impact. I also really liked how she addressed the myth about sustainable fabrics being inherently more expensive, offering a thoughtful and practical perspective on how companies can balance cost and responsibility over time. It’s encouraging to see professionals actively contributing to more responsible sourcing and innovation in this area. I also really liked how you addressed the myth about sustainable fabrics being inherently more expensive, offering a thoughtful and practical perspective on how companies can balance cost and responsibility over time.
It’s interesting to learn from a fabric lab textile coordinator like Hannah about the technical aspects of sourcing. Hannah talked about quality control, colour reviewing, and data analytics in her job. These aspects are all important for making sourcing decisions. When talking about the shift to sustainability from raw material sourcing to end-of-life disposal, I agree with her that the social and ethical aspects of fiber cultivation and fabric production are also important. For example, outsourcing to Asian countries shifts the environmental damage to other countries. Although the materials are sustainable, a brand that uses sweatshops is not a sustainable practice. I took a chemistry class this semester, in which we synthesized dyes. I imagine Hannah’s Master of Science program in our school must include a lot of scientific classes, experiments, and learning about the operation of technological equipment. I am also interested in these aspects.
I really enjoyed learning more about Hannah’s role and her view on sustainability trends within the fashion industry. When Hannah referenced sustainability efforts within the fashion industry, I really appreciated how she referenced sustainability in a holistic manner including the products, fibers, environment, and the people involved in the fashion industry. It was very interesting to read her views on the future of sustainable fashion, and Hannah brought up a great point of how an increased demand in sustainability will eventually create more widespread sustainable fashion practices. I also thought Hannah brought up a good point on how initial investments in sustainable practices such as acquiring the right machinery and technology will be costly in the beginning, but will have long term benefits for the environment and fashion brands.
I appreciate the opportunity to look at such detailed data about VF Corporation’s sourcing decisions. VF’s 2023‑24 supplier list shows what we discussed in class, as China plus Vietnam, plus many. Although VF has been trying to reduce its “China exposure”, Asia still houses about 55 % of VF’s garment factories and over 80 % of its textile mills. China still plays a considerable role, especially for raw material sourcing. This aligns with what we learned that American companies have been trying to reduce the sourcing of final products from China. However, it is very difficult to shift raw material sourcing away. VF has adopted a flying geese shift. It cut Bangladesh and India factories but added factories in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. It’s also interesting to see the different factory sizes in various countries. This shows that, facing the increasing tariff pressure and geopolitical uncertainty, American brands have been refining their sourcing strategies, trying to take advantage of the benefits of each sourcing location.
I thought the interview with Hannah was very insightful. I found the piece where she spoke about whether or not sustainable materrials arte more expensive than others to be particularly interesting. I typically associate sustainability with increased cost, however, Hannah explains that this is not always the case. Finding a balance between sustainability and cost effectiveness seems to be the key. Hannah goes on to explain that the usage of sustainable materials has the ability to benefit a company in the long term ultimately increasing brand value. It is possible that even if a more sustainable material used is more expensive, that the excess costs would be offset by the elevated brand image and consumer view of the company. The utilization of sustainable materials can be viewed as an investment, as their value may increase over time in the eyes of consumers and companies.