Can we talk about why everyone treats digital fabric printing like it's cheating?

Sage Taylor · 2026-05-02T20:05:04.487784+00:00

My professor saw me using a digital print for my fall collection at the local community college studio back in October and said I wasn't a real designer, so I spent the next 3 weeks hand-dyeing 40 yards of silk just to prove him wrong and ended up with a rash from the indigo vat - has anyone else dealt with this gatekeeping nonsense?

bethcarr4mo ago

The "not a real designer" thing is such old school gatekeeping nonsense. I switched to digital printing after my hands were stained blue for a month from indigo vats, and honestly the results are way more consistent with less wasted fabric.

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the_lisa4mo ago

That indigo rash sounds rough, I once got superglued to a mannequin for three hours because I was trying to skip sewing.

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adam_anderson64mo ago

@the_lisa I feel you, that indigo rash is no joke and your professor totally missed the point. Digital printing is just a different tool, not a cheat code.

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