DATE:      6/7/00
CONTACT:   Dr. Diane Smathers, (864) 656-2414
           Glenn Hunter, (803) 324-6594
WRITER:    Giles Singleton, (864) 656-3876

Clemson Helps Create
Global 4-H Fabric 

     CLEMSON -- On April 5, 4-H fabric went on sale
at stores around the world, thanks to a partnership 
among Clemson Extension, National 4-H Council and 
Springs Industries.
     Royalties from fabric sales will benefit South 
Carolina 4-H, as well as National 4-H Council and 
all other state 4-H programs.
     Cooperative State Research, Education and 
Extension Service/U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(CSREES/USDA) is also a partner in the project.
     Over a year ago, Springs Industries Inc. 
approached the Clemson University Cooperative 
Extension Service and S.C. 4-H through Diane 
Smathers, assistant director of Extension and 
Research, family and youth development. Smathers 
facilitated the process of getting approval from 
the National 4-H Council and CSREES/USDA to go 
forward with the project. 
     "Springs approached us and offered to start 
the project," Smathers said. "We got everyone 
to the table." 
     For putting the partnership together, South 
Carolina 4-H gets a finder's fee, in addition to 
a state royalty shared by all 50 states.
     Some of the fabric is in yardage, and some 
is in pre-printed patterns for tote bags, locker 
caddies and pillows. There are four different 
fabrics and three different kit designs, for 
seven fabric options. Springs may add a sleeping 
bag and possibly bedding, as they did with the 
highly successful John Deere fabrics.
     "The response we have gotten from consumers
about the 4-H fabric is great," said Glenn Hunter, 
special products coordinator in Springs Industries 
retail and specialty fabrics division. "At first, 
the fabric was available at about a thousand Wal-Marts, 
and now all Wal-Mart stores can order it. It is also 
available at Jo Ann Fabrics, Hancock Stores and Hobby 
Lobby. These are the four largest fabric sales groups 
in the country."
     "People call and say they're making everything 
from boxer shorts to hair bows," Hunter said. "Everybody's 
a designer; they make shams, sheeting, draperies. That's 
why we made the fabric 100 percent cotton, so you can 
do a lot with it." 
     "The fabric sales dictate where you go next," 
Hunter said. "If we're successful with fabrics, 
we'll go to the bedding side and possibly others. 
The sky's the limit."
     A National 4-H Council newsletter said the 
fabric will be featured in the Fall 2000 issues 
of Simplicity and McCall's pattern books. The 
Council will use its royalties to fund the continuation 
of 4-H's national public service advertising campaign, 
Are You Into It?. To see the fabric, go to:
http://www.fourhcouncil.edu/market/campaign/fabric.htm. 
     At the National 4-H Conference in April at the 
National 4-H Center in Chevy Chase, Md., 400 4-H'ers 
went wild over the fabric, according to Hunter. He 
and Ed Gershon, director, National 4-H Supply Service, 
are attending the New York licensing show in June.
     According to Christie Phillips, director of 
marketing at National 4-H Council, some Wal-Mart 
stores have sold out their first shipment of fabric.
     Four-H is the largest youth organization in the 
world for young people 5 to 19. In South Carolina, 
4-H is the youth program of the Clemson University 
Cooperative Extension Service in cooperation with 
local, state, and federal governments. Learning by 
doing is the central theme of 4-H education. Find out 
more about 4-H by visiting the website at: 
http://fyd.clemson.edu/4H/home.htm.
     The mission of 4-H is to equip young people to 
reach their fullest potential through developing and 
delivering research-based programs that include the 
family, respect the community, and meet the changing 
circumstances of today's youth, according to Smathers. 
     National 4-H Council is a youth development 
organization that fosters innovation and shared 
learning for youth workers and young leaders. The 
council partners with the Cooperative Extension system, 
communities, and other organizations to promote positive 
youth development.
   
                       END