
East Midlands students win Shima Seiki competition
Japanese knitting technology giant backs new talent.
5th June 2025
Knitting Industry
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Wakayama, Japan
Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd., the leading flat knitting solutions provider based in Wakayama, Japan, will exhibit at the upcoming Graduate Fashion Week in London from 13–16 June 2025. The event, widely recognised as the world’s largest showcase of fashion graduates, will bring together over 80 colleges and universities to spotlight emerging design talent and create vital industry connections.
Shima will participate through the Digital Fashion Hub, a dedicated space celebrating innovation in fashion technology. The company aims to promote its APEXFiz design software, a subscription-based digital tool that enables planning, colourway creation, fabric simulation and 3D virtual sampling across multiple textile applications. These include flat knitting, circular knitting, weaving, pile weave, socks, embroidery and print.
Designed to replace time- and material-intensive physical sample making, APEXFiz allows fashion students and professionals alike to experiment, evaluate and visualise their designs in real time. Shima hopes that by showcasing the software’s capabilities, more undergraduate programmes will adopt it, enabling graduates to enter the workforce with in-demand digital skills.
Built on Shima Seiki’s renowned SDS-ONE APEX 3D design platform, APEXFiz offers seamless integration from digital design to machine programming. This capability not only supports a more sustainable design process but also accelerates the transition from concept to production. The company says its aim is to digitally transform the fashion supply chain and nurture the next generation of design talent.
Shima Seiki congratulates all students participating in Graduate Fashion Week and expresses hope that they will play key roles in shaping the industry’s future.
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