As part of its promise to present a new vision and format for Ipex 17, Informa Exhibitions has appointed former ‘Output’ editor James Matthews-Paul as content curator, responsible for the event’s Centre Stage schedule and helping to shape a feature programme.
The team has announced a collaboration with London College of Fashion as part of the show’s ‘Print in Action’ motif. Students from the college will be encouraged to work with printers, creating designs that incorporate digitally printed textile, paper and cardboard stocks, or other print-capable substrates, such as vinyl and acrylic. Those selected by an awarding committee - jointly staffed by LCF, Ipex and print stakeholders - will travel to Birmingham to form part of the show’s core content.
Printers, resellers and manufacturers from the UK are encouraged to contact ipexteam@informa.com to register their interest in helping a student develop a design. The closing deadline is 30 April 2017. Winning entries will be showcased at Ipex where there will be a thrice-daily catwalk show.
“We were keen to find a curator who would bring a completely different perspective to the show and fulfill our commitment to demonstrate ‘Print in Action’,” said Rob Fisher, event director. “James is already developing a programme that embodies the strong link between the print and creative industries and will appeal to all Ipex stakeholders - printers and creatives, technologists, brand owners and the next generation.”
“I’m convinced that the Ipex team realises that it has an opportunity to set a new tone for print events moving forward, and is committed to making Ipex 17 the ‘hard reset’ that the industry needs,” added Matthews-Paul.