New print businesses The Textile Hub, and photo printer Oliphan were launched last night by Next Future Holdings (Next), at an event attended by both the print and fashion industries.
Next is a well-known Sydney-based large-format digital printing company, with a site at St Peters.
The Textile Hub has been set up across the road from Next’s original print site, which had dye-sublimation capabilities, while Oliphan will operate with an e-commerce based model, with some retail pop-up stores, and its print work produced by Next.
Julian Rowe, general manager, The Textile Hub says, “I was in Bergamo in the north of Italy when I came across a fashion printer which specialised in small-run digital print, and realised there was nothing like it in Australia.
“We want to provide pathways for entrepreneurs and small designers, and give them a chance to get their ideas made. Too many students work within the industry for a year or two and then find themselves moving on to other things. We want to support them, encourage them, and help them to flourish.
“For established businesses, The Textile Hub is a way to shorten lead times.”
Rowe was formerly the sales and marketing manager at Next before moving over to run the new business.
The night also featured a tour of the factory, and a close look at how it produces its textile print work. Visitors saw an EFI Reggiani Renoir, a Pathfinder Cutter, among fabric baths, fabric dryers, and the rentable table space that designers can use to produce their work.
Newly-launched Oliphan is a high-end photo printing company, which focuses on what it calls a gap in the market- photo products beyond ink on paper, and mid-range offerings between the $600-$700 photobooks, and the lower end printed photos.
Oliphan says, “We are concentrated on memories, and love. Oliphan is the slow dance of romance, everything we do is about celebrating memories, and creating lasting heirlooms to be enjoyed for years to come.”
Next Printing manufactured furniture for the launch, including a functional TV unit with drawers, and tables, using Re-Board, a recycled corrugated board.
Next was founded in 1984, and uses a HP Scitex FB7500 Flatbed, a Durst 3.5m roll-to-roll Rho 351R, a Fuji Xerox 700 digital colour press, a 1.25M Durst Lambda 130 digital photographic printer, and an Esko Kongsberg XP24 digital finishing machine.
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