From the Sector

Source Fashion, opens next week at Olympia London, bringing together the global fashion sourcing community for three days of responsible manufacturing, insight and collaboration. Running from 13-15 January 2026, the show will welcome audited manufacturers from across key sourcing regions worldwide, alongside buyers, brands and sourcing professionals looking to build more transparent, resilient and commercially viable supply chains.

Leading fashion retailers and brands including ASOS, Frasers Group, Next, TFG Brands, Wimbledon, JD Sports, Pickett, Gigi & Olive, Primark,  All Saints, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis, French Connection,  Charles Tyrwitt, Anthropologie, Monsoon, Karen Millen, Agent Provocateur, The Padel Foundation, Friends Like These, Universal Music Group, Hawes and Curtis and Moss Bros are among those registered to attend, underlining Source Fashion’s role as a key meeting point for both established and emerging fashion businesses.

Source Fashion will bring together over 250 audited manufacturers from more than 20 key sourcing regions worldwide, creating a unique platform for buyers, brands and sourcing professionals to connect directly with responsible producers. From apparel and textiles to trims, components and manufacturing solutions, the show offers a comprehensive view of the global supply chain, underpinned by transparency, innovation and commercial viability.

Spotlight on British manufacturing
New for this edition, Source Fashion is reinforcing its long-term commitment to UK manufacturing through the launch of a bursary-backed British Pavilion, designed to champion British Manufacturing and craft to increase their visibility to a global buying audience. Participants include, Apparel Tasker, LLUK, Fashion Enter, Courntney and Co, The Natural Fibre Company. Also supported are a range of Leicester Manufacturers under the ATMF banner.  The initiative provides selected UK manufacturers with funded exhibition space and dedicated marketing support, helping to remove barriers to participation and ensure British manufacturing is strongly represented on the international sourcing stage. 

The scheme forms part of Source Fashion’s wider mission to support a more balanced and resilient sourcing ecosystem, one that values heritage skills, local capability and long-term supplier relationships alongside global reach. Suzanne Ellingham, Event Director Source Fashion commented, “British manufacturing has an essential role to play in the future of responsible fashion, and it’s something we’re committed to championing at Source Fashion. From heritage skills to agile, small-batch production, UK manufacturers offer qualities that buyers are increasingly seeking transparency, flexibility and deep technical expertise. By ensuring British producers are visible, supported and connected to global buyers, we’re helping strengthen a more resilient and balanced sourcing ecosystem.”

Alongside the British Pavilion, UK manufacturing will have a strong presence across the wider show floor. British exhibitors confirmed to attend include Absolute Apparel, Amplebox Ltd, Araha London Ltd, Dee Kay Knitwear, Folks Trading Ltd, FreAura Ltd, Grade House Ltd, Modern Star Silk, Redress and Samshek Fashion Ltd. Together, their presence reflects growing buyer demand for local, traceable and agile production, and underlines the continued relevance of UK manufacturing within a global sourcing strategy.

Insight, inspiration and industry dialogue
Beyond sourcing, Source Fashion delivers a comprehensive programme of insight, inspiration and live learning across multiple stages. The show’s content agenda spans debates, panels and fireside chats tackling the most pressing challenges facing the fashion industry today, from supply chain accountability and circular business models to commercial resilience, regulation and the future of manufacturing. Designed to move conversations beyond theory, the programme equips fashion businesses with practical insight and tools to support smarter decision-making in an increasingly complex sourcing landscape.

Adding a powerful visual and experiential layer, the Source Catwalk brings responsible fashion to life through curated showcases featuring sustainably produced and circular collections, demonstrating how creativity, trend and responsibility can coexist on the shop floor.

New for this season, Fashion Deconstructed offers a hands-on, behind-the-scenes look at how fashion is made. Through live demonstrations, workshops and maker-led sessions, the area shines a spotlight on skills, craftsmanship and production processes, from repair and upcycling to weaving and material innovation, responding to growing demand from buyers for greater transparency, material knowledge and production understanding.

Suzanne Ellingham said, “As the industry prepares to come together next week, what’s most exciting is the sense of intent behind this edition of Source Fashion. Buyers and manufacturers aren’t just looking to connect, they’re looking to collaborate, learn and make better decisions for the future. From global sourcing to UK manufacturing, from insight on our stages to hands-on learning through Fashion Deconstructed, this show is about giving the industry the confidence, clarity and partnerships it needs to move forward responsibly.”

Source Fashion opens at Olympia London on 13 January and runs until 15 January. Fashion buyers, brands, designers and sourcing professionals are invited to register now and be part of the conversations, connections and partnerships shaping the future of responsible fashion sourcing.

Globally, 2.2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water, while the fashion industry remains one of the most water-intensive sectors, with a single pair of jeans requiring around 9,000 litres of water across cotton cultivation, dyeing and finishing. Against this backdrop, drip by drip, the non-profit organisation tackling the water crisis caused by textile production, today announces that it has brought in Eco Age to support the next phase of its work: elevating water justice within the global fashion conversation and accelerating progress towards its goal of providing one million people with access to clean water.

Founded in 2018, drip by drip works at the intersection of water, textiles and social impact. Through industry education, community water projects and grassroots engagement, the organisation addresses the man-made water crisis created by textile production, focusing on practical solutions that improve health, resilience and livelihoods in textile-producing regions.

As part of this collaboration, drip by drip has appointed Eco Age as its strategic marketing, PR and communications agency. Eco Age will support drip by drip in connecting its on-the-ground impact with global industry platforms, helping ensure water justice is supported throughout the whole ecosystem, from brands and suppliers to standards bodies and media, as both urgent and solvable.

Since their founding, drip by drip has implemented 114 community water projects across Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Ethiopia, impacting more than 280,000 people in the Global South. Water justice has direct and measurable consequences for communities in these regions, where fashion supply chains place sustained pressure on local water systems. By strengthening how this work is communicated and shared, the collaboration aims to mobilise broader industry engagement around existing solutions rather than abstract commitments.

“Our ambition is clear: to reach one million people with access to clean water,” said Amira Jehia, Executive Director of drip by drip. “To do that, the work needs to travel further. Eco Age understands how to bring deep issues into the mainstream fashion conversation without losing integrity or impact.”

Eco Age’s work sits at the intersection of sustainability strategy, storytelling and industry convening. Its experience working across fashion supply chains and media ecosystems enables initiatives like drip by drip to reach the audiences capable of accelerating change.

“We’re proud to support drip by drip with the experience and industry reach needed to help their impact scale,” said John Higginson, CEO of Eco Age. “drip by drip is already delivering results. Our role is to help ensure their impact is understood, shared and supported across the fashion ecosystem, so it can reach the people and communities it is intended to serve.”
Together, drip by drip and Eco Age will work to ensure water justice becomes an integral, practical and achievable part of fashion sustainability discussions, translating awareness into action and outcomes for communities.

The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) has become the largest department in the United States to transition its entire fleet to non-PFAS turnout gear. The gear was purchased in part through a $2.35 million Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from FEMA and matching funds from the department, amid growing momentum around identifying PFAS alternatives in firefighting gear.

The department worked with textile innovator Milliken & Company and gear manufacturer Fire-Dex to fulfill the order, whose first shipment was delivered this month. The department plans to receive 1,100 sets of non-PFAS turnout gear, one set for every frontline suppression member, by December 31, 2025.

“As the San Francisco Fire Department continues to lead in innovation, we remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the health and safety of our members. Firefighting is inherently dangerous, and our personnel deserve access to the most modern, protective, and safest turnout gear available. Transitioning to PFAS-free equipment is a critical step in advancing our mission: safeguarding the public by ensuring our firefighters remain healthy and able to serve at their highest capacity,” said SFFD Fire Chief Dean Crispen.

Chief Crispen added, “This distribution represents more than new gear, it reflects a strong, coordinated effort among the Fire Department, our elected leaders, SF Firefighters IAFF Local 798, and the SF Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation. Milliken and Fire-Dex rose to this challenge, demonstrating what is possible when partners are united by a shared purpose. This collaboration is what the residents and visitors of San Francisco expect and deserve. A protected workforce is the foundation of a protected community. By investing in the well-being of our firefighters, we strengthen the health, resilience, and safety of San Francisco as a whole.” 

The transition follows an ordinance passed in May 2024 making San Francisco the first city in the country to ban the use of PFAS chemicals in its firefighters’ turnout gear. With a June 30, 2026 deadline to make the switch, department officials worked efficiently to procure and test potential solutions, selecting the final gear well ahead of the deadline. 

The selected gear went through rigorous performance and safety testing, including a 90-day wear trial with 50 firefighters going through live fire training at the San Francisco Division of Training burn rooms. The gear is UL certified and meets the NFPA 1971-2018 and 1971-2025 standards. 

While non-fluorinated fabrics have existed for turnout gear outer shells and thermal liners, moisture barrier alternatives remained a key technical challenge. The introduction of Milliken Assure™ — North America’s first non-PFAS, non-halogenated flame-resistant moisture barrier — in October 2024 made it possible for Fire-Dex to provide SFFD with a solution that met all requirements. 

“A non-PFAS moisture barrier was the missing piece for departments wanting to move away from fluorinated chemicals,” said Marcio Manique, SVP and Managing Director of Milliken’s apparel business. “With Assure™, we refused to trade one hazard for another. It meets the strictest performance standards without adding weight or compromising breathability – giving firefighters exactly what they asked for.”

SFFD worked with MES Life Safety to order the garments from Fire-Dex and size each firefighter individually for their new equipment. Milliken and Fire-Dex have maintained a decade of strategic collaboration that delivers fire service innovation and advancement through U.S. research and manufacturing.

“Fire-Dex is honored to supply the San Francisco Fire Department with AeroFlex turnout gear featuring a non-fluorinated moisture barrier,” said Jeff Koledo, Fire-Dex Vice President of Sales. “We’re grateful to work alongside Milliken and MES in delivering this solution. Our goal has always been to provide fire departments across the country with options that meet their needs — and ultimately ensure they have the essential protection required to keep their communities safe.”

San Francisco encompasses 49 square miles and is the fourth largest city in the state of California. The SFFD is the 10th largest fire department in the United States, serving an estimated 1.5 million people. With 45 stations, firefighters respond to an average of 180,000 annual emergency calls.