Military Gear Labs I
The Challenge
The textile and defense sectors are evolving at breakneck speed: new materials, new threats, new requirements. Yet true innovation rarely comes from within a system that is focused on itself. We sought a way to structurally connect external perspectives with the sector, without resorting to non-committal brainstorming sessions. The challenge was to provide young designers with enough context to ask relevant questions, without narrowing their perspective.
Our Approach
Trendwolves designed an intensive week-long program that deliberately harnesses the power of young talent. We brought together nearly 60 students from three international design programs: IPO Howest (host school), IPO Windesheim Zwolle and the Product Design Academy in Warsaw. The program combines insights into trends and product development from Trendwolves and its partners, an immersion session at Bedex, two days of company visits, and a creative sprint culminating in live pitches to industry representatives. No competition, just a genuine encounter between creativity and expertise.
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Activation
We kicked off the week at Bedex, the Belgian defense and security fair, as an immediate immersion into the world for which the students would be designing. This was followed by visits to five leading companies: KMS, Sioen Industries, Centexbel, Concordia Textiles and Utexbel. Armed with this knowledge, the students set to work in an intensive creative sprint. As a culmination, the students presented their concepts live to representatives from KMS, Sioen and Concordia Textiles, who provided on-the-spot feedback based on their professional expertise.
Our impact
The Military Gear Labs demonstrate that the combination of young creative talent and the in-depth industry knowledge of specialized textile companies and the Ministry of Defense yields results. Students left with a clearer understanding of a complex sector; companies went home with a strong sense of the young talent available for recruitment, unexpected ideas, and a fresh perspective on their own products. For Fedustria and its members, MGL is now much more than a one-off experiment: it is a replicable model for organizing external innovation and connecting future talent to the sector. We are already working on Military Gear Labs II, a new iteration with a different angle.
Every project is different, but they all start with the same belief: youth culture is the key to relevance.
