AFFOA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) have created a 2-week interdisciplinary workshop where students from MIT & FIT come together to work on a real world prototyping challenge provided by an industry partner that combines skills from the designers and engineers, and mutual knowledge imparted by the workshop to create an innovative textile prototype. In short, the workshop can be compared to a two week “hackathon” where students receive support, instruction, and mentoring from MIT scientists and FIT industry focused faculty. This workshop exposes the next generation of engineers, product designers, textile specialists, etc., to the exciting landscape of advanced textiles, fabrics, and fibers, and aims to inspire them to want to work in that interdisciplinary environment.