NOTES FROM THE USA : Kornit Konnections in Miami gathers the Apparel Industry to Disrupt the Future of Fashion

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22 May

Written By Debbie Mckeegan

As Kornit’s customer base has grown, so has the value of a formalized user group. With the establishment of Kornit Konnections three years ago, the event has grown year over year, attracting 250 attendees for its Miami event at the end of April.
“Sustainability was woven into discussions throughout the event, since it is a key concern for the textiles industry, and one Kornit and other manufacturers of digital equipment and services are working to address. Digital textile printing, of course, addresses many of the environmental issues associated with analog technologies by reducing waste, water usage, pollution, energy usage and more associated with traditional analog means of fabric printing and dyeing. Cary Sherburne provide highlights from the event in this guest article..” WhatTheyThink

GUEST ARTICLE WRITTEN BY CARY SHERBURNE OF WHATTHEYTHINK

Kornit Konnections Draws 250 Attendees to Miami

Kornit is a provider of innovative digital printing technologies for the fashion and textiles industries, along with a sustainable ecosystem providing an end-to-end workflow for fabric decoration and direct to fabric printing. The company has been in the market since 2002, and as its user base has grown, so has the need for a formalized user group.

The first such gathering of Kornit customers was a small group that met in New Jersey three years ago, with a slightly larger group gathering the following years. For 2025, however, Kornit wanted to formalize the organization and attract a larger attendance, comprised of its customers, partners, suppliers to the industry, brands and retailers, and influencers. The group that gathered in Miami at the end of April checked those boxes and more.

I’ve been involved with a number of user groups, both as part of the formation team and as a journalist covering the events. Pulling together an event of this magnitude is not a trivial task, and Kornit brought in Leta Wood, who I first met when she took over responsibility for HP’s Dscoop, helping them grow and formalize the group.

Kornit Konnections now has a formal board of directors comprised of:

Leon Amital, CEO of Sutex, a leading textile company headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia.
Jaymes Clements, COO of Monster Digital, a leader in the direct-to-garment printing space, headquartered in Miami. Clements hosted a visit to his company as part of the event.
Alan Gentry, President and Co-Founder of T-Formation, a prominent screen printing and embroidery company based in Midway, Fla., committed to innovation and quality in the apparel decoration industry.
Dinesh Wahl, President of ShirtHub, a custom apparel decoration company based in Burnsville, Minn., and invested in direct-to-garment technology.
Ilan Elad, President of Kornit Digital Americas, since January 2023, reenergizing the organization and bringing on a range of partners.
Dan Liebou, Vice President of Customer Success, Kornit Digital Americas, bringing transformative leadership and a commitment to enhancing client experiences to the organization.
Ronen Yancu, VP Business Management, Kornit Digital Americas, where he oversees marketing, finance, product, and end-to-end business management.

During the event, I had the opportunity for one-on-one conversations with several of the Board members, as well as many attendees, most from North America but others who traveled from different regions to participate in the event. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be summarizing what I learned in these interviews, which were inspiring, and provided a hopeful outlook for the digital transformation that is badly needed in textiles and apparel.

There were a variety of presentations over the two days of Konnections, including hot topics like tariffs, inclusivity, the future of retail, the importance of high performance teams, marketing, sustainability, and more. Also important for groups of this nature was ensuring plenty of time for networking among attendees. Most of the attendees I spoke with were leaving the event with ideas to help their own businesses move forward.

In addition to the visit to Monster Digital, Konnections also organized a sunset sail in Biscayne Bay, another opportunity for networking in a relaxing environment with gorgeous views.

A highlight of the event was the keynote delivered by Ronen Samuel, Kornit Digital’s CEO. Among other things, he explained the history of the jacket he was wearing, shown below:

A week prior to the event, Samuel submitted his presentation to AI platform Journey and asked it to suggest designs for a custom jacket that would reflect the event.

Tailor Made AI Generated Jacket at Kornit Konnections

With a little human tweaking, the design you see above was created and sent to the company’s cut-and-sew operation. And voilà, a custom jacket was born! This was a forward-looking example of what the digital transformation of the apparel industry could look like.

Another highlight was a presentation by Jed Seifert, co-founder of Stakes Manufacturing, one of the largest print-on-demand apparel, bag, and hat providers in the U.S. Inspired by his brother, Jed champions inclusive hiring. The company has 200 employees with 10% of its full-time staff identifying as having a developmental disability, many of whom are top performers in the company. He shared stories of his team members and their successes, and also talked about his work in assisting companies, including Kornit, in implementing disability inclusion programs. This session was highly emotional and concluded with a standing ovation recognizing the terrific work Jed and his company are doing.

A couple of old friends from the printing industry were on the agenda as well. Steve Nigro, one of the key figures behind the rise of inkjet technology at HP and a member of Kornit’s Board of Directors, talked about navigating the digital shift, and foreseeing when an industry is ready to move from analog to digital. And Sal (Pantoni) Passanisi, formerly of X-Rite/Pantone, spoke about the Business of Color (of course!) along with Matt Meany, both now working at Kornit.

Sustainability was woven into discussions throughout the event, since it is a key concern for the textiles industry, and one Kornit and other manufacturers of digital equipment and services are working to address. Digital textile printing, of course, addresses many of the environmental issues associated with analog technologies by reducing waste, water usage, pollution, energy usage and more associated with traditional analog means of fabric printing and dyeing.

Finally, Kornit conducted a session for attendees that laid out the company’s roadmap and the innovation that can be expected moving forward. Attendees were asked to hold this information confidential, and it is a testament to Kornit’s trust in its customers that no one was asked to sign an NDA.

The Kornit Konnections board and Kornit staff are already working toward next year’s event, and also ensured attendees that Konnections will be a year-round source of information and inspiration, not limited to an annual meeting. We’ll be following their progress as they build out this event and other activities over time. Another part of its development is likely to be the establishment of the group as a formal 501c6 non-profit association.

Konnections 2025 was certainly a successful event by any measure. Stay tuned for more information and insight from the event as I work through the many interviews I was able to conduct during and following the event.

About Cary Sherburne: Cary Sherburne is a well-known author, journalist and marketing consultant whose practice is focused on marketing communications strategies for the printing and publishing industries.

Cary Sherburne is available for speaking engagements and consulting projects. To get more information contact us. Please offer your feedback to Cary. She can be reached at cary@whattheythink.com.