Wet-Spun Long-Staple Hemp Yarn and Fabric
Project Snapshot
| Activity Lead: | Andre West |
| Lead Institute: | |
| Partners: | |
| Tags: | Resilient Materials |
Research Goal
Develop high quality hemp fabrics with improved strength, comfort, and durability.
Project Description
Use a novel wet-spinning method to produce 100% hemp yarns and woven fabrics, tested for comfort, strength, durability and different end-use applications.
Impact
Bringing a regenerative, alternative fiber option with enhanced sustainabilty to market with end uses ranging from apparel to furniture to outdoor products as well as composites and building materials.
Project Progress
Project Outputs
Discover the tangible outcomes and impact of this project.
Andre West
NC State University
Professor and Director, Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE), Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University
At NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles, Andre West is Professor and Director of the Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE), bringing more than four decades of industry experience to work focused on how emerging technology is reshaping the way clothing is made, fitted, and brought to market.
His research focuses on how tools such as AI-driven generative design, 3D virtual garment creation, 3D body scanning, and whole-garment knitwear can support greater consumer customization and more responsive production.
West has also received international recognition for developing mosquito-resistant clothing without chemical treatments, in collaboration with NC State’s CALS and Entomology Department and supported by Department of Defense grants. His current research explores hemp as an alternative fiber for military and commercial applications, connecting material choices to the pressures created by fast fashion and the wider impact of textile production.
He also founded The Greater Good Textile Group, a student-led initiative at NC State focused on circular textile production and improving labor practices across the industry.
Education
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Organizational Leadership, Argosy University, 2012
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Visual Arts, Miami International University of Art & Design, 2009
- Bachelor of Science with Honours, Textiles, University of Huddersfield, 1982
- Apparatus and method for improving yarn strength and hairiness in singles ring yarns
NCSU, 8/13/2024
Rong Yin
- Trials and Production of Long Staple Hemp Yarn Varieties
Global Industrial Hemp Fiber Summit (NCSU), 7/15/2025
Andre West
- Spinning of long staple Natural Fibers using…
NCSU, 9/30/2025
Andre West
