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2024 Carolina Mill Tour
April 15 - 18 I Charlotte, NC

Click here to access photo album

The tour, which included 27 representatives from 11 brands and retailers, gave attendees the chance to get an up-close look at various textile production facilities & network. The event showcased to the brands what is made in the Americas through each link of the supply chain. The attendees also receive educational classes in yarn spinning (cotton & synthetics), knitting, weaving, dyeing and finishing, thread & color. It was capped with a Networking event at the The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery & Biergarten in Charlotte, where attendees were able to network with high level industry executives in a casual environment.  All of the tours, classes & networking events are exclusively hosted by AAPN members & partners like Contempora Fabrics, Unifi, Hamrick Mills, Parkdale Mills, Color Solutions International, A&E and Milliken. This event is not possible without them & their teams that give so much time and energy to educate the next generation of textile & apparel talent.  We appreciate them so very much!

The tour included individuals from the following brands:

  • Devium USA
  • DICK'S Sporting Goods
  • Dillard's Inc.
  • Haggar Clothing Co.
  • Interloop North America (ILNA)
  • Medline
  • Momentec (Augusta Sportswear Brands & Founders Sports Group)
  • Nike
  • Superior Glove Works
  • Superior Group of Companies
  • Workwear Outfitters

The Tour Agenda was robust and can be accessed here for reference.

Tony Anzovino, AAPN President, even made time to join us on the tour and his experience really helped attendees put what they were seeing into context with their work. We both had such a great time getting to know this emerging group of talent, answering their questions and teaching them from our industry knowledge. For me, personally, its so energizing to see a textile mill through their eyes. They were all so curious & engaged - and just a ton of fun! I too was educated this week: I learned a lot about Travis Scott (music), Liquid Death (water), and Tik Tok (of course).

For this group, the most important part of the week was the networking time - when individuals come off of this tour, they now have 25+ new connections just from the attendees. Then you add in the access to senior level executives from the tour sites and events, along with connection to Carolina Mill Tour Alumni.  Their network expanded exponentially this week and we all know how vital this is to your career - that's why we are all here!!