North Carolina State University Athletics
"Pack Plaid" to Debut at Textile Bowl
11/1/2017 9:30:00 AM | Pack Athletics
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For the past 36 years (since 1981), the football series between NC State and Clemson has been dubbed the Textile Bowl, as that industry has a major economic impact on both states.  NC State boasts the only college in the United States devoted entirely to textiles
This year, NC State's College of Textiles will be represented at the Textile Bowl in a unique way. Mr. and Mrs. WUF will be wearing the new "Pack Plaid" tartan, designed by Kathleen Kelly (NC State '14) for NC State's Pack Plaid contest. Her design, a sophisticated pattern in black, dark gray, red and white, is now listed as the "North Carolina State University — Pack Plaid" in the Scottish Registry of Deeds, the official Scottish register of tartans.
Kelly, a Raleigh native, earned her bachelor of arts in graphic design from Meredith College in 2007 and then worked as a graphic designer and second shooter for a local photographer. In 2013, she enrolled in the College of Textiles to chase her childhood dream of textile design.
A project for one of her first classes, Textile Technology 570: Textile Digital Design and Technology, was to design a tartan for the Pack Plaid contest. She created and entered several designs using Kaledo Weave software, which allows the user to control factors such as color, pattern and yarn twist.
According to Dr. Cynthia Istook, who created and implemented the Pack Plaid contest, Kelly's design was the clear winner. From 30 student submissions, university faculty and administrators chose four patterns as semi-finalists; next, alumni and members of the public ranked their favorites.
"Kathleen actually had more than one design chosen to be in the top four," said Istook. "Her (winning tartan) was the one that came out on top — significantly — with well more than 50 percent of the votes."
Her inspiration was tailored menswear, and she designed her tartan to augment the Wolfpack fan's existing wardrobe.
A Brief History of the Tartan
The tartan has been found in parts of the world dating back as far as 3,000 B.C. — but the patterned cloth has long been associated with Scotland, where tartans have been woven since the 3rd or 4th century A.D.Â
The Scottish Parliament established the Register of Tartans in 2009. It is housed in the country's National Archives in Edinburgh and serves as a central, searchable global database for official tartans, like our own Pack Plaid.
excerpted from a story by Cameron Walker
