Textile World Breaking News RALEIGH, N.C. — September 21, 2026 — The W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory officially opened on Sept. 11 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the occasion. The world-class center for advancing textile i
Textile World
Breaking News
RALEIGH, N.C. — September 21, 2026 — The W. Duke Kimbrell Flex Factory officially opened on Sept. 11 following a ribbon-cutting ceremony to commemorate the occasion.
The world-class center for advancing textile innovation and fostering entrepreneurship is named in honor of the late W. Duke Kimbrell’49, a pioneering textile leader of the 20th century.
In 1949, Kimbrell became one of the 314 students of the then School of Textiles at NC State. Within 12 years of graduating, he became the CEO of Parkdale, the largest consumer of cotton fibers and yarn manufacturers in the world. In the 1980s, Kimbrell took ownership of the company.
Students, staff and faculty from the Wilson College of Textiles welcomed donors and distinguished guests to celebrate the official opening of the Flex Factory, with the state-of-the-art machinery now being fully operational. The factory offers 17,000 square feet for research and collaboration in a space formerly occupied by the Wilson College Senior Design Lab.
The renovated space continues to house the Senior Design capstone program for textile engineering and textile technology students and adds a new makerspace where students can bring ideas to reality. The Flex Factory also houses a new prototype lab where industry partners and entrepreneurs can create novel textile products.
According to Brownley King, a W. Duke Kimbrell Centennial Scholar and textile technology student, spaces like this that connect the academic experience to the real world make the Wilson College student experience unique.
“There is truly no place quite like the Wilson College. Since coming to NC State, I have experienced the textile industry in ways that I could never do anywhere else,” said King.
The opening of this space will directly impact students just like King, who shared her excitement for participating in the Senior Design experience next academic year right here in the new Flex Factory.
Melissa Sharp, interim director of Zeis Textiles Extension, said this will be a place where companies, researchers, entrepreneurs and students can come not simply to imagine what is next, but to make it.
The Flex Factory is designed to be adaptable to allow for a wide range of textile applications. From eco-friendly materials and smart fabrics, to advanced manufacturing techniques, the mission is to create sustainable and practical products.
Unique to this space will be the access to high-tech classrooms and collaborative work zones. The ultimate goal is to bridge the gap between academic research and commercial manufacturing.
The opening of the Flex Factory marks the first major renovation project to the college in over three decades. The woven history of the textile industry and the inspiration that will give students and researchers ways to turn their ideas into reality is the thing to celebrate, according to Michael Ward, executive director of the NC Textile Foundation.
“Today is a wonderful example of what ca
