US-based textile development consultant at The Woolmark Company, Dick Goodstein.
Dick Goodstein is a US-based textile development consultant at The Woolmark Company. He has a wealth of experience, from pioneering the use of Merino wool running gear in the early days of his career, to nowadays exploring new ideas for wool as the market trends towards casualisation.
Born in the 1940s, just half a mile from where he currently lives in Manhattan, Dick is a true Manhattanite, not just because of the length of time he has spent living in the famous New York City borough, but also because of his straightforward attitude and positive approach to his work.
He has had a long career in the textile industry, specialising in developing leading edge Merino wool fabric innovations for the activewear and sportswear markets.
After studying Fine Arts in the early 1960s at the University of Colorado, where he also did a lot of skiing in the nearby Rocky Mountains, Dick started his career working in New York on men's knitted fabrics for many US textile companies. This led to consulting for textile and apparel companies in France, Italy and Japan.
Pioneer of running in wool
In his spare time, and many miles from the ski slopes of the Rockies, he took up running for exercise, which was unheard of in New York in the '60s. This was before the emergence of recreational jogging and running, which only became popular in the USA in the 1970s with the rise of celebrity runners like Steve Prefontaine and Frank Shorter. But soon after, seeing the potential market for specialist running gear, Dick launched a running apparel business called Race Pace, which was ground-breaking at the time.
Dick also did apparel design in men's sportswear for designer brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and Christian Dior as well as Phillips-Van Heusen and Macy's private label.
He later joined the Wool Bureau (the American wing of the International Wool Secretariat) for a few years, where he acquired substantial exposure to textile designing with wool. It was here that he designed a fabric knitted with fine Merino wool which was made into a next-to-skin polo shirt. Dick wore the wool top while running – which was revolutionary – and he became smitten with the fibre for sports and activewear.
Dick continued as a very keen runner for many decades, into his 70s, running in about 45 countries and completing marathons – mainly while wearing wool. Although his main exercise nowadays is at the gym, he is still very plugged into the running industry. He has worked on textile developments for companies including ASICS, Brooks, adidas and Pearl Izumi.
Developing fresh ideas for wool
Dick began working as a consultant for AWI and The Woolmark Company after meeting AWI's Stuart McCullough who was at the time managing the company's activities in North America. Dick has since worked with companies like US textile manufacturer L.W. Packard & Co and knitting machine manufacturer STOLL, while liaising with The Woolmark Company's technical teams in China, Japan and of course the USA.
"My job as textile developer is all about coming up with fresh ideas for wool, looking for new markets for wool," Dick said.
"In my time in the industry, I've seen the next-to-skin Merino wool base-layer market become a 'mature' market. That's not to say that there isn't a lot more potential to sell Merino in this sector. But my job as a textile developer is to move on and try and find something completely new that hasn't been done before, rather than trying to improve a product that's already on the market.
"For example, looking at men's blazers made on flatbed knitting machines rather than the traditional cut and sew, which will make them dressier than a normal jacket but more casual than a traditional blazer. Or looking at wool pants made on a knitting machine, because currently the below-the-waist market is dominated by chinos and jeans, with very little wool."
Dick says he generally focusses on mid and outer layer products.
"I think the products currently on the market are too smooth and too technical, so I'm looking at ways to use wool to make the surface look irregular using uneven twisting yarn, to make the product look more individual to the owner."
Textile development
Dick says textile development takes time. Textile developers need to work a couple of years ahead of the market – and they need persistence to make the impossible possible.
"The secret to doing successful textile development is, firstly, to be methodical, don't try to go straight from a to z, but take the steps a to b to c…, and secondly, look at mistakes and setbacks as opportunities to learn and succeed," Dick said.
"Our job as textile developers is to put a shiny new object in front of brands and manufacturers – develop something that really works – and then let them decide how they will use it and do the marketing.
"In the premium sports and leisure apparel market that we work in, the price of the product shouldn't really be a consideration. Apparel is relatively inexpensive when you consider the amount that these customers are willing to pay for gear, such as skis for example."
Dick says consumers became accustomed to non-restrictive apparel during COVID, with product development nowadays all about adding comfort.
"Casualisation is an indelible aspect of how we live our lives now. This trend was exacerbated by COVID and will continue, especially given the emergence of the four-day working week, in parts of the West at least," he said.
"And of course, with the market so focussed on sustainability, wool is obviously ideally placed due to its natural and biodegradable attributes."
This article appeared in the December 2022 edition of AWI's Beyond the Bale magazine. Reproduction of the article is encouraged.
