Textile & Sales Leader, Tarah Jakubiak weaves insights on AI in the Textile & Fashion Industries Conference

Tarah Jakubiak weaves insights from NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles Conference, about how AI is everywhere and dominating Textile & Fashion Industries.

HIGH POINT, NC, UNITED STATES, April 10, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Last week, leading textile and sales professional Tarah Jakubiak, attended Wilson College of Textiles at NC State University professional conference, focused on AI in the Textile and Fashion Industries.

“As a third-generation patron of the textile industry, this experience was mind blowing, and one I thoroughly geeked out on. Gaining valuable insights from leading experts who detailed the effects that AI is already having on our industry and what the future of AI will have on our home, furnishings and textiles industries," Tarah Jakiak, shared, ”It was so exhilarating to be in an environment where we were discussing the future of textiles. Fabric is all around us. Whether you are conscious of it or not, textiles are woven into every aspect of our lives. It's in our drapes, towels, sofas, rugs, Tide sheets, band aids, diapers, automobiles, etc. You cannot go through a day without touching a piece of fabric.”

The three-day event, held in Raleigh, NC from March 31 to April 2, included 30 presenters from high-profile keynotes to educators in North Carolina, and several guest speakers from around the world, as far as Pakistan and Peru. The conference agenda featured a variety of hands-on sessions geared towards beginners, through professionals and experts. From training beginners who were curious about AI-assisted research, advantages to different AI platforms and offered tools for learning how to use AI to enhance the literature, create processes, information synthesis, supply chain, data cleaning, coding, workforce development and general productivity.

Guest speakers shared their knowledge and expertise, in both business and academia, covering such topics as manufacturing, weaving, quality, design, research and development, as well as consumer insights, legal ramifications and business ethics. Presenters discussed how AI is impacting their field of business both from a positive as well as a negative standpoint,

Gart Davis, co-founder and past CEO of Spoonflower the digital printer, highlighted how he could create a video with volunteers from our audience, wearing textiles that he had just created in the setting that he wanted. Davis highlighted the simplicity and the ease of doing this, as well as the cost reduction to a company. No Creative Directors were needed. No photo shoots. No camera women / men were hired. No costly expenses to rent a faraway destination.

Davis explained this type of AI video could be used on social media, a company’s website, in sales presentations, and more. Davis emphasized that with AI tools, the savings are endless, from the finance cost to the production time, it is now a fraction of what it would have cost in the past. This is just one example the speakers shared that highlighted the AI cost saving aspect.

Tarah shared,” Listening to the guest speakers reinforced how the new AI formula is being adapted and applied at every level of business nowadays. No matter if it’s in inspection, production, design, purchasing, HR, supply chain management, warehousing, etc. Every department is gaining insights using AI at an alarming rate and reinforces that AI is here to stay. Many of the speakers shared how AI can not only save costs, but is becoming vital in workplaces across the globe, as teams are finding new ways to work in conjunction with it and not against it.”

One of the biggest key takeaways when using AI tools, it is important to realize ‘garbage in, means garbage out’. Gaining insights from the conference speakers, Tarah summarizes, “No matter if you are using Co-Pilot, Gemini, Claude, or ChatGPT, unless you give very specific directions, and accurate prompts you won’t be able to get what you want. You won’t achieve the end product, or what format you need it in. And without the right specific prompts, you can spend countless hours getting a less than desirable result.”

Takeaways from guest speaker Luis Negron Naldos from Creditex, a Peruvian weaving company, illustrated during his presentation how with the aid of AI, flaws can be detected at the weaving stage of fabric as opposed to postproduction at the inspection stage. Adding that a huge bonus in using AI for textiles, means the error can be autocorrected during weaving, again saving time and money.

Another large focus during the AI conference was on Sustainability in the textile industry. Rebecca Geppert of Refilberd Inc, a company that can identify the fiber content of a garment, stated, “40% of clothing is mislabeled in the US. Now thanks to AI, Refilberd can identify the yarns thanks to AI and samples.”

“New advances in technology and in AI can be vital in helping companies with the sustainability story of their textiles. To be able to recycle fibers, you need to know the composition of the fabric, otherwise it cannot be recycled. With AI you can save countless hours in trying to identify the fabric composition and help the planet at the same time.” Tarah shared, “The conference's focus on Sustainability also reminded me that we all need to make a conscious effort in our industry to be innovative and cognizant of the damage we are doing to the environment, and to understand how much energy AI uses every day. AI consumes an exorbitant amount of energy, and how many resources are required to power this technology.”

*If there was one thing, I left wanting more of, was a deeper focus on sales and AI. Having worked through the Covid era, I know first-hand the importance of using AI tools to be able to sell textiles. This industry has always been very tactile, however, during covid I had to be able to sell fabrics through webinars and zoom. Today, I use AI tools to help with lead generations, while uncovering key buyers. I wish this conference and speakers would have dug deeper in this topic as it will only be gaining momentum with the years to come.” Tarah commented.

If you missed the conference and would like to learn visit: https://ftbec.textiles.ncsu.edu/2026-ai-in-the-textile-and-fashion-industries/.

Tarah will join three industry colleagues for an insightful discussion on The Nexus Between PR, Marketing, & Sales during the upcoming Spring High Point Market on Sunday, April 26th at 10:30 am ET, at lifestyle brand Armen Living’s showroom at 417 S. Wrenn Street, High Point, NC 27260.

Moderated by industry veteran, Caroline Hipple, who will lead an insightful panel, featuring Serena Martin, PR & Marketing Maven, Katie Hickenbottom, Marketing & Branding Specialist, and Tarah Jakubiak, Sales & Marketing Expert, for a lively discussion on how a powerful Nexus will align messaging, strengthen collaboration, and create a unified approach. RSVP on Eventbrite.

About
Tarah Jakubiak has specialized in the textile industry for more than 20 years. Growing up in the home, decor, textile industries she is a third-generation patron who specializes in B2B, wholesale and trade sales. For more insights, Tarah can be reached at 336-558-4268, tarahl@hotmail.com. She is currently looking to join a firm where her sales expertise and management skills can help drive revenue growth.
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