The possibilities are mindblowing

This technology changes the understanding of what is possible with embroidery

Nina Shishkina is a passionate embroidery designer who loves her job. She's part of the creative team at New York Embroidery Studio in the heart of the Fashion District, downtown Manhattan in New York. An innovative and prestigious studio that takes pride in keeping the traditions of embroidery and embellishment while inviting new technology to enhance the designs. And she has just discovered Coloreel.

– This technology changes the understanding of what is possible with embroidery. It's a tremendous change in mindset for the industry. Coloreel gives total freedom in terms of colors and techniques. It's not just the high quality of the visual result but also a big change to the process behind, how we design the file. It’s mindblowing, says Nina Shishkina, Embroidery Designer.

Photo: NYES studio, Nina (left) and Gloria in front of the Coloreel installation.

Entering the New York Embroidery Studio, NYES, is like entering a magic world where old-school equipment is combined with modern technology. Next to the digital units, you find over 100-years old hand-guided units, still in use. There's a long cutting table in the printing department, where all the hand stitching is being done and on the other side there's laser cutting in the making.

­- We use so many different techniques, that is what's so fascinating! You can't just stay with one tradition; you have to be innovative and use your creativity to find new ways.

– As an embroidery designer, I can work with 30 digital embroidery design projects at the same time, and that is just embroidery. So, my workdays can be very intense.

The studio is busy, working with artists and young innovative designers as well as designers of big fashion brands. NYES has a wide range of services provided, such as embroidery, laser cutting, hand sewing, punch-on, fabric printing, smocking and shirring, and much more. In the spotlight of the studio, right by the front door, is the Coloreel unit.

– We want to inspire and show our customers what's going on in the studio so that they know all the opportunities they have. We are so excited about the new technology!

New technology makes us the leader in the industry

This New York-based studio is one of a kind. You find NYES in the heart of Garment District in Manhattan. The area is known as the Fashion District, being the center of fashion manufacturing and fashion design in the USA. It is the right place for this genuine “Made in NYC” art-based studio, providing a full-service surface design and manufacturing facility.

– We are the heroes of the Garment District! We are still around, despite challenging times, and we are proud that we have our production local here in Manhattan not moving it overseas. But it is hard to keep the community alive, we have to be innovative. That is why we are always looking for new technology to be the leader of the industry, Nina says.

Coloreel is a gamechanger – now everything is possible

As an embroidery designer, Nina helps clients to realize their embroidery designs, giving suggestions on what will work best. Every project has its challenges and what’s time-consuming is to find the best technical solution to match the vision of the client.

– I love gradients and have been trying to find solutions over the years on how to use the threads more efficiently, making design transitions smoother and more flawless. Being introduced to the Coloreel technology was an exciting moment in my life, it's a gamechanger! We now have a technical solution on how to create designs in an authentic way. Coloreel makes everything we've dreamed of possible to do.

A sustainable embroidery solution

It is captivating talking to Nina, she lights up when talking about sustainability and what actions are being made at NYES and their footprint in the world.

– We all know what's happening to our world, it's heartbreaking. We always try to be more sustainable and inspire our clients toward making their projects eco-friendlier and more ethical.

NYES is on the journey as an eco-friendly, environmentally conscious company constantly innovating for a brighter future. Investing in a Coloreel unit is one step towards that vision.

– The textile industry is the second-largest polluter in the world, it’s horrible! On the surface it all looks good with bright, shiny colors, but we all know how the process is damaging the environment, Nina says.

No need for shipping of threads with Coloreel

NYES are diving deeper into sustainable practices, taking all actions needed. From the lighting of the studio to material waste. They use as little fabric material as possible, donating the leftovers to design students or using it for samples. With the Coloreel unit, they now can also reduce their inventory and stock of thread rolls to a minimum by only using one white thread that is dyed according to the project needs instead of multiple rolls. As the thread is dyed on-demand, the water-waste is greatly reduced.

– Now we don't need to spend lots of time threading the unit, as well as searching the world for threads and ordering the specific color we need.

– Shipping is not sustainable and it's also time-sensitive. We don't always have the time for delayed deliveries, and with Coloreel we always have all imaginable colors in the studio that the client need, in just one spool of thread.

The team embrace the new technology

Owner of NYES and Creative Director Michelle Feinberg, is Nina's biggest source of inspiration, bringing 30 years of innovative experience to NYES and keeping her team on their toes to always have an open mindset and embrace new technology. It was Michelle who introduced them to the world of Coloreel.

–  We had been dreaming about such technology for a long time. We were so excited!

Once the Coloreel unit was installed in the studio and ready to go, the team took it for a spin and did a chameleon with gradients on a pair of jeans.

– It was amazing, it looked like a real chameleon! The possibilities are mind-blowing. Thanks to Coloreel we are getting more orders and it has brought us new inspiration.

Coloreel makes my life as an embroidery designer easier

To anyone who is thinking about investing in a Coloreel unit, Nina sends this advice.

– I love how time efficient it is, the software is very intuitive and user-friendly. Their support function feels like family, they help you out whenever you need it. It's all very smooth. Coloreel makes my life easier, I now have more time to concentrate on the artwork instead of focusing on the technical solutions.