From the Sector

Huntsman Textile Effects, a global leader in innovative solutions and environmentally sustainable products, is featuring high-performance end-to-end systems for protection effects and sustainable solutions for any wear at Performance Days on April 27-28, 2022, in Munich, Germany.

With more consumers seeking comfort and protection when buying sportwear, they expect their sports apparel to dry quickly, resist stains and odors, and offer breathability. Achieving these functionalities with on-trend aesthetics whilst realizing sustainability, are possible.

Resource saving solutions
Huntsman will introduce the AVITERA® SE Fast process at Performance Days. The revolutionary technology delivers the lowest environmental impact for dyeing polyester-cellulosic (PES-CO) blends. It combines alkali-clearable TERASIL® W/WW disperse dyes and AVITERA® SE reactive dyes to cut processing time from around nine hours to just six, helps mills reduce the water and energy required for production by up to 50% and increases output by up to 25% or more while delivering outstanding wet-fastness to ensure that sportswear will not bleed or stain during home laundering, or while in storage or transit.

EROPON® E3-SAVE is another next-generation water saving innovation. An all-in-one textile auxiliary for PES processing, it allows pre-souring, dyeing and reduction clearing to be combined in a single bath and eliminates the need for anti-foaming products, which shortens processing time and saves water and energy.

Eco-friendly stain and rain resistance
In partnership with Chemours, Huntsman will present the new eco-friendly finishes that repel water and stains, and help garments looking new for longer. Teflon™ EcoElite with Zelan™ R3 technology contains 63% plant-based materials and is the industry’s first renewably sourced water-repellent finish. It exceeds performance levels possible with traditional fluorinated technologies, with excellent water repellency and durability while reserving breathability.

Innovative odor control solutions
Huntsman will also showcase revolutionary antimicrobial and odor-control solutions as part of their partnership with Sciessent. Sciessent’s latest anti-odor technology – NOBO™ specifically developed to reduce odors in natural and synthetic fabrics. It can be incorporated into virtually any fabric – from base layer and activewear tops to socks and underwear to jeans and chinos. It offers a cost-effective way to upgrade everyday garments.

In addition, the partners will also present Sciessent’s Agion Active X2®, a next-generation odor-control solution that combines advanced antimicrobial and odor-absorbing technologies to both capture and fight odor-causing bacteria, and Lava X2®, a standalone odor adsorption product and key component of Agion Active X2® that attracts, absorbs and degrades odors for long-lasing odor protection.

Manufy, a marketplace for sustainable fashion production, has launched a new version of their platform. The platform connects conscious brands with sustainable manufacturers in hopes to create a cleaner future for the clothing industry. Now decked out with many more functionalities, Manufy aims to facilitate sustainable business between both parties from start to finish.  

Over the course of the last year the Manufy team has been busy gathering feedback from its growing user base. The platform started out as a place where manufacturers and brands from Europe could connect and chat with each other, but the team found out both parties wanted more. “We constantly reached out to our users to listen to their needs. We’ve compiled all those ideas and implemented them in version two!” says Michiel Dicker, co-founder of Manufy.

Not only a full visual transformation, but many functionalities were added: “Users can now easily start a sampling process, organise projects from start to finish and get sustainability insights” Dicker says. “Manufy is becoming your one-stop-shop for all your sourcing needs!”

The start-up, which launched in december of 2020, has seen a sharp increase in user activity over the last year. With trade shows being canceled due to covid, lots of manufacturers and brands were looking for new ways to do business. Going digital was one of the logical steps.

The production requests being placed on the platform cover a wide range of garments. Hoodies and t-shirts are popular, but the Manufy team also sees lots of shoes, caps, bags, dresses, swimwear and lingerie requests coming in.

Another notable trend in the industry is the ever growing demand for sustainable clothing production. With reports on climate change coming out and more and more consumers asking for sustainable alternatives, brands are making an effort to source their products more responsibly. The fashion industry, being the second largest polluting industry, needs a sort of paradigm shift. “We should focus more on making lower quantity, higher quality products. Making it on demand would be best” says Dicker.

On the 25th of March ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei invited its strategic European partners to the Triennale Design Museum for the first ROICA™ Summit, with the aim of sharing its global strategy and to consolidate relationships that are key to the Asahi Kasei global vision of its fiber and business.

Among the speakers Senior Executive Manager Mr. Shinichiro Haga and its successor Mr. Takehiro Kamiyama, who will take on the new role after more than thirty years in the Asahi Kasei Corporation and more than three years at ROICA™. Together they opened the floor by explaining the ROICA™ business strategy, which is based on three main steps:

1. Continue to speed up ROICA™ responsible innovation  
2. Continue to speed up ROICA™ international partnerships with a strong focus on responsible innovation
3. Continue to push a new generation of communication where its story making will align with an authentic and consumer driven storytelling based on values.

Then, Mr. Shinohe Hiroaki Chief Marketing Officer Europe, introduced the new production strategy at global level  together with  its program of partnerships, plus the marketing and communication programs for the next year and beyond in synergy with Giusy Bettoni at C.L.A.S.S.

“We are extremely pleased to be here with our European partners, thanking them for the continuous valuable cooperations that made ROICA™ so special, and sharing with them which will be our next steps in order to be leading responsible innovation. This is a very precious moment, during which we are able to talk face to face and install long-lasting relationships, with the aim of supporting the apparel industry by making premium stretch becoming a key player for wellbeing values, which are extremely precious for the contemporary consumer. And this will be part of sport, lingerie, hosiery , fashion and swimwear wardrobes thanks to the ROICA™ special new generation of premium stretch innovations” affirms Shinohe Hiroaki.

Through the collaboration Payal Pratap and Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei show a new way of making fashion, based on merging craft & tech, cutting-edge materials and deeply rooted optimism in troubled times.

With a strong focus on prints, the designer, Payal Pratap, has worked on hand-painted artworks which have then been digitized. The designs capture detailed elements and a three-dimensional depth and texture from the age-old crafts of Batik, plus powerful imagery and minute detailing from the ancient craft of Chintz printing. Batik was named after the Javanese words “Amba” which means to write and “Titik”, which translates to a dot or a point, while Chintz comes from the Hindi word “Cheent”, meaning spotted or speckled.  Both these techniques and crafts have been used in a contemporary context while creating the art works.

The prints encompass flora and fauna, bringing nature from the outside to the inside through the use of extensive flower, leaf, tree, vine and bird motifs, as an ode to sustainability. Placement prints have been engineered to make tailored jackets and structured pieces. A timeless collection comprising experimental pieces that blend the far east with India. A collection signaling holiday with a burst of colour. Bemberg™ in various avatars ranging from satins, muslins, mulmul, and silk blends have been used to create a collection with fluid drapes as well as structure.

The fabric takes printing and colour beautifully and has a slight sheen and glazed feel which resonates with chintz. The colour palette ranges from indigos, browns, rust, to burgundy brick and gold. Furthermore, Bemberg™ is an inherently sustainable ingredient, since it is made with cotton linters, pre-consumer materials derived from the cotton oil industry, and converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process. Coming from nature and going back towards nature, the Bemberg™ fiber is also biodegradable and compostable.

• Cifra selects ROICA™ for a new generation of sportswear in the name of wellness and sustainability
• Performance Days, Hall C1 – stand N08

Cifra, a leading Italian company in Warp Knit Seamless, has chosen ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei, an international reference for premium and smart stretch, for a new generation of clothing dedicated to wellbeing, travelwear and athleisure, made with Cifra exclusive and patented technology in the name of uniqueness and sustainability.

Innovative garments for men and women that combine fashion and function, guaranteeing optimal comfort at any time of the day. Base layers, tops, leggings, jumpsuits made with natural yarns, or recycled pre and post-consumer yarns in combination with ROICA™ EF, the first recycled stretch yarn certified Global Recycled Standard (GRS) able to complete proposals that offer design, performance and responsibility.

The design of the garments, created in Cifra's design office, combines a perfect shape with body mapping technology that creates dedicated ventilation zones for a feeling of comfort and freshness as well as an innovative aesthetic impact.

And when it comes to comfort, ROICA™ activates a new generation conversation linked to the demands of the contemporary consumer looking for well-being in line with the concepts of safety and healthiness emerging in all aspects of daily life. In fact, ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei is the secret stretch ingredient of the modern wardrobe, able to "activate" garments by giving comfort, beauty, quality together with responsible and certified values.

All of this translates into the synergy of development with Cifra. The products, the materials that compose them, along with the way of production and who produces them, transparency and traceability are all aspects that become an integral part of the common proposal that Cifra and ROICA™ are able to offer by joining forces.

"We firmly believe in the new generation of companies oriented towards the creation and supply of valuable products, fully respecting people and the environment, while meeting the performance required by contemporary lifestyles," says Shinichiro Haga, Senior Executive Manager of the ROICA™ Division.

• adidas TERREX athlete Laura Dahlmeier tackles Mont Blanc’s Brouillard Pillar with Thomas and Alexander Huber in the film, United By Summits
• The trio are kitted out in adidas TERREX’s new Techrock Mountaineering range
• The adidas TERREX Techrock collection gives climbers the lightweight technical wear required to defy the elements mountainside

Mountaineering is about reaching personal summits. It’s about showing your mettle, finding your freedom and winning in front of no one but yourself and nature.

It’s a version of success that adidas TERREX athlete Laura Dahlmeier is reacquainting herself with. A multiple Olympic and world champion, the German biathlete is used to the noise of winning in front of huge crowds. Now retired, Laura is reconnecting with the challenges of a sport that first gave her a taste of freedom as a child: climbing.
Laura sets herself a particularly formidable goal in United By Summits. In the film, she is joined by German climbing brothers Thomas and Alexander Huber for an ascent of Mont Blanc’s infamous Brouillard Pillar and the rarely-attempted Bonington Route made famous by British climber Chris Bonington in 1965.

For this, and any other climb, mountaineers require lightweight but rugged technical wear that ensures easy movement while defying the elements mountainside, allowing for complete focus on the rock and ice in front of them.

Introducing the adidas TERREX Techrock Mountaineering range – worn by Laura and the Huber brothers in United By Summits as they climb one of the Alps’ most demanding routes.

Keeping climbers dry is the adidas TERREX Techrock Light Gore-Tex Mountaineering Jacket, a lightweight, packable jacket with breathable Gore-Tex Active 3-layer membrane to repel water. Adjustable hood and cuffs are compatible with helmets and gloves.

For insulation on colder climbs, the adidas TERREX Techrock Year Round Down Jacket locks in warmth with adidas-patented HeatSeal baffle construction and PrimaLoft® Gold insulation in the shoulders and cuffs. Pertex® Diamond Fuse 20 Denier yarn provides resistance to abrasion along with a water-repellent DWR-finished fabric.

For rugged, weather-resistant legwear that keeps climbers moving freely on any ascent, adidas TERREX Techrock Mountaineering Softshell Pants balance comfort and protection. Flexible, wool-backed softshell fabric moves easily while a tough nylon surface protects against abrasion. A soft waistband helps prevent bunching under harnesses for an easy-moving silhouette – essential on those long climbing days.

Kitted out in this new adidas TERREX Techrock Mountaineering range 4,000 metres above sea level, Laura and the Huber brothers achieved their goals together.

On 21 - 22 June 2022, the VIEW Premium Selection Autumn.Winter 23/24 welcomes the textile and fashion industry in Munich's MVG Museum.

The VIEW Premium Selection as a preview textile trade show stands for the latest developments, first colour and material trends and the presentation of a selected, high-quality product portfolio in a personal and professional atmosphere.

At the earliest possible date in the season, around 250 brand new collections for Autumn.Winter 23/24 will be presented at VIEW in the areas of FABRICS, ADDITIONALS, DESIGN STUDIOS as well as DENIM and SPORTSWEAR. The internationality of this year's exhibitors deserves mention since in addition to Germany, Italy and Turkey, they also come from France, England, Greece, Spain, Denmark, Hong Kong, China and Japan.

Bellandi, Dynamo, E. Miroglio, Lisa Spa, Manteco, Max Müller, Agentur Püttmann, Set and Tejidos Royo will be on site, along with numerous other manufacturers. The futuristic suppliers We Nordic, Knopf und Knopf, Le Studio Copenhagen, Thermore and Kipas are exhibiting at VIEW for the first time, making the show the basis of information and inspiration for the upcoming season.

The textile and fashion industry is also invited to the next MUNICH FABRIC START Autumn.Winter 23/24 from 30 August - 01 September 22 at the MOC Munich and to the BLUEZONE from 30 - 31 August 22 on the Zenith Areal. Valuable information, physical exchange and a spirit of innovation as well as a new SOURCING show-in-show concept await the global industry players in Munich.

• March 16-18, 2022, Istanbul Expo Center
• Successful start of Texhibition, Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories Fair with over 10,000 visitors from 63 countries
• More than 160 exhibitors presented fabrics, yarns and accessories on approx. 5,000 square meters in the Istanbul Expo Center
• Intensive order activity in a professional trade fair atmosphere of over 1billion US$
• The organizer's objective: to double the area and number of exhibitors for the second event in September

With over 10,000 visitors, the premiere event of Texhibition Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories Fair, organized by the Istanbul Textile and Raw Materials Exporters' Association (ITHIB) and the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO) from March 16th to 18th, 2022 has successfully started.

İTHİB President Ahmet Öksüz: "Our exhibition platforms Texhibition Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories Fair and IFCO, Istanbul Fashion Connection, which was launched by our sister association IHKIB in February, play an important role in making Istanbul the fashion center of the Turkish textile and clothing industry. For the follow-up event to Texhibition in September this year, we expect the number of exhibitors and space to double."

The consistently positive feedback from the exhibitors underscores this expectation, as does the great interest shown by international visitors, including those from Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.

The Turkish textile industry started with an export target of US$ 15 billion in 2022. The exhibition organizers assume that their platforms will contribute US$ 1 billion. Turkey is one of the most important procurement markets for the European textile industry and is becoming even more important in the course of the global supply chain problem and is now one of the top 3 most interesting procurement locations with its low prices, good quality products, reliable suppliers and short delivery times.

Exhibitors
On offer were high-quality and innovative fabrics from the weaving sector, including Kipaş Textiles, BTD Textile, Özdoku, Bossa and Yünsa; knitters like Gülle, Saka, Örkumod or İskur showed their current collections; yarn market leaders such as Korteks, Tepa and Gama were present, as were Şimşek Ege, EMR Zippers, Çağ-Tek and Öz-El Lastik for the accessories sector. A total of 166 exhibiting companies presented themselves in clearly structured segments in a professional trade fair atmosphere.

Frame program
In the Texhibition Forum, experts discussed the topics Sustainability, New Trends, Supply Chain and GMO-Free Cotton giving an outlook on the upcoming trends and developments in the Turkish textile industry. All events were heavily frequented by visitors.

Next Texhibition September 21-23, 2022

• American fashion brand launches NewStore to unify mobile point of sale, order management, inventory, store fulfillment, and clienteling

NewStore, a modular, mobile-first omnichannel cloud platform for retail brands worldwide, announced that American fashion brand FRAME has launched the NewStore Omnichannel Platform across its retail business. By powering the brand’s mobile point-of-sale (mPOS), order management, inventory, and store fulfillment solutions, NewStore is now the backbone of FRAME’s retail operations.
 
FRAME is known for its collections in denim, cotton, leather, and cashmere, and it strives to design a modern versatile wardrobe with the finest natural materials. The fashion brand sells its products through e-commerce, wholesale, and in 15 retail stores today. Most recently, FRAME opened its first international store in London, expanding its global footprint. As it continues to grow its retail presence, FRAME is reinvigorating its customer experience and prioritizing technology’s role in creating a seamless shopping journey.

Through its partnership with NewStore, FRAME is enabling its employees with the tools and data required to provide the best shopping experience possible. Store associates can view sales, gauge product inventory across store locations, and complete mobile checkouts to improve customer convenience and maximize profitability. Now that all of FRAME’s store locations are live on the platform, the brand will work with NewStore to further enhance the customer journey by rolling out features that allow employees to better guide shoppers and create more meaningful relationships.

The Chief Creative Officer is the lead within the adidas design community and is responsible for shaping, defining, and shepherding the creative direction for the global brand and its three major labels – Performance , Originals, and Sportswear – to deliver a unified adidas brand experience. Willis will begin his contract beginning of April, reporting to Executive Board Member of Global Brands, Brian Grevy.

Willis is a creative visionary with a long-standing connection to adidas that dates back to 2005, most notably through his role in the concept and development of adidas by Stella McCartney in partnership with Stella McCartney He has remained integral to the growth and development of the partnership since its launch.

Beyond adidas by Stella McCartney, Willis has built a strong understanding of the company’s consumers, brand, labels, and categories through his work on a number of breakthrough projects, including a lead role in developing some of adidas’ most iconic material innovations.

Outside of his work with adidas he is revered for his tenure as Creative Director of British fashion heritage brand, Hunter, transforming what was a small single product business into a multi-category global fashion brand, and as co-founder of the trailblazing Wallpaper* Magazine. It is through this diverse experience that Willis brings not just creative expertise, but the ability to deliver across commercial, strategic, and leadership functions.

As Chief Creative Officer at adidas, Willis will provide global creative leadership, develop and nurture the brand’s creative culture, and empower teams across all design functions.

“Stepping into a permanent role at adidas and evolving our partnership is a great privilege and feels like an incredibly exciting and natural next step,” said Willis. “The power and influence of the brand on sport , sports culture, and beyond is immeasurable. I welcome the opportunity to help establish a new era of design and brand leadership at adidas and, together with the team, take adidas to even higher levels.”

“Alasdhair is a true icon of the industry and together we have produced some of adidas’ most innovative work, so to now have him lead our design community and set the future of our brand expression is a wonderful thing,” said Executive Board Member of Global Brands, Brian Grevy. “We are looking forward to seeing the influence of his unique creative vision, experience and expertise from developing and establishing some of the world’s most recognised brands.”