CHINA WAVE at Pitti Uomo 110

With its fifth participation at Pitti Uomo, CHINA WAVE once again underscored the dynamic rise of Chinese designer brands on the international stage. The showcased collections demonstrated how Chinese labels are increasingly defining themselves through distinctive design languages, technological innovation and cultural authenticity, attracting growing attention from the global fashion industry. 

As the flagship brand of the collective presentation, SEPTWOLVES impressed visitors with a collection combining functionality, sustainability and Chinese cultural heritage. Alongside its further enhanced Business Travel Jacket featuring advanced technical innovations, the Wulin World Heritage Collection and the sustainable polo line crafted from natural fibres attracted particular interest. International buyers praised SEPTWOLVES for translating traditional Chinese craftsmanship and intangible cultural heritage into a contemporary design language with global appeal. The collections led to intensive discussions with buyers and distributors from Europe, South America, the Middle East and Central Asia, reaffirming the brand's growing international potential. 

New Imperial-branded clothing line with BioPuff®

Ponda, a UK-based biomaterials company with roots at Imperial College London, has partnered with the university to make branded clothing from wetland-grown plants.

The first products in this collaboration – a Mallard gilet and a Fern cap – are insulated with BioPuff®, a material made from bulrush grown on restored wetlands rather than oil or animal products. The clothing will be on sale exclusively at the Imperial College Union campus shop and online store this autumn.

Full circle collaboration
The world produces around 92 million tonnes of textile waste every year. That is the equivalent of a bin lorry of clothing burned or landfilled every second. Branded merchandise sits at a difficult intersection of this problem: it often relies on conventional materials with significant environmental impacts, yet is discarded long before the end of its useful life. BioPuff® offers an alternative approach, using plant-based insulation designed to connect product manufacturing with wetland restoration, and lower-impact material systems. Importantly, it also outperforms premium synthetics on warmth.

RE&UP establishes Fiber Club consortium to scale Next-Gen material sourcing

Originally developed as an umbrella framework by innovation platform Fashion for Good, the RE&UP Fiber Club aims to accelerate the commercial adoption of circular Next-Gen materials across the global fashion ecosystem. 

Shifting the paradigm of fashion sustainability from isolated capsule collections to structural, industrial-scale reality, RE&UP announced the official launch of RE&UP and its Fiber Club. This landmark initiative introduces a collaborative consortium framework, originally developed as an umbrella framework by innovation platform Fashion for Good, designed to dismantle traditional supply chain barriers and accelerate the global adoption of premium recycled materials. 

For years, the integration of high-quality, next-generation recycled textiles has been hindered by fragmented supply chains, restrictive minimum order quantities (MOQs), and prohibitive upfront costs, frequently trapping sustainability initiatives in a perpetual "pilot phase". RE&UP is changing the rules. 

New Designers Bringing Fresh Perspectives to Scoop

As Scoop returns to Olympia National from 19–21 July 2026, Founder and Creative Director Karen Radley introduces a new cohort of international designers making their debut at the show, each bringing a distinctive perspective on how fashion, accessories and lifestyle are evolving.

Italian Textile Machinery Excellence Makes a Double Stop in Bangladesh

Technological upgrading and the transition toward higher value-added production are driving the new Italian industrial mission to Bangladesh. This year, the mission will split between the country’s two main manufacturing hubs, where Italian manufacturers will meet the leaders of the local textile supply chain in two strategic stages: July 7th in Dhaka and July 9th in Chittagong.

The double appointment shines a spotlight on a market that confirms itself as a true cornerstone for Italian exports in Asia—a geographical area that alone absorbs 40% of the sector’s foreign sales, reaching a value of 667 million euros. Bangladesh’s role has grown steadily, culminating in 2025 with a turnover of 71 million euros and posting a double-digit increase (+17% compared to the previous year).

Production flexibility and the ability to create customized technological niches are the hallmarks of the roughly 300 companies making up the Italian textile machinery industry—a highly internationalized sector that exports 86% of its production to 130 countries.

Mongolia: Workshop on Italian Textile Technologies kicks off in Ulaanbaatar

The workshop dedicated to Italian textile technologies will kick off in Ulaanbaatar from 21 to 23 June 2026. Focused on the most advanced innovative solutions for the textile industry, the initiative will bring together 13 Italian textile machinery manufacturers, confirming the growing interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries and highlighting Mongolia’s strategic importance for Italian textile machinery producers.

The Italian textile machinery industry is internationally recognized as a leading benchmark for technology, innovation, and quality. Italian companies in the sector stand out for their ability to provide flexible, versatile, and customized solutions, capable of responding rapidly to customer needs and creating high value-added market niches. During the workshop, particular emphasis will be placed on supporting the Mongolian textile industry in its transition toward efficient, premium-quality production. Italian technology can make a tangible contribution to the country’s industrial modernization and sustainability efforts.

IVGT joins EU project Skills4Circularity

New skills for the circular economy and digitalisation
Recycling, traceability, eco-design and digitalisation are among the key future challenges facing the European textile industry. The Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity, involving 21 partners from twelve countries, is investigating the skills required to address these challenges. 

Skills4Circularity is an Erasmus+ project involving 21 partners from twelve countries. The aim is to prepare the European textile industry for the challenges of the circular economy, recycling, traceability and digitalisation through new training programmes. The IVGT is participating as the German industry partner. The project runs from November 2025 to October 2029 and is developing, among other things, training modules, MOOCs, masterclasses and a European Textile Skills Observatory. 

Textile PRO Forum: Call for greater harmonisation of textile EPR systems across Europe

The Textile PRO Forum has published a new analysis highlighting the need for greater harmonisation of textile Extended Producer Responsibility systems across Europe. New analysis shows strong differences in registration, reporting and invoicing requirements for textile producers.

The document, Toward harmonised Textile EPR Systems in Europe: analysis and recommendations, presents the results of work carried out by Workstream 1 of the Textile PRO Forum, led by Dr. Eng. Viola Corbellini, Strategic Development and Innovation Expert at Erion Textiles, and Eng. Luca Campadello, General Director at Erion Textiles. The workstream focused on reducing administrative burden for textile producers by identifying areas where procedures could be better aligned across countries.

The analysis is based on input from 12 Producer Responsibility Organisations covering 11 countries. It compares how emerging and existing textile EPR systems deal with producer registration, reporting of products placed on the market, invoicing, payments, producer identification and the role of digital tools.

ROICA™: New Global Brand Identity and Digital Experience

ROICA™, the premium stretch fiber developed by Asahi Kasei, today announced the launch of its new global brand identity, including a new key visual and a fully redesigned website. 

This milestone initiative marks the beginning of a new phase in ROICA™’s evolution as a global brand. 

“This brand update marks an important step as ROICA™ enters its next phase of evolution,” said Takaaki Kondo, Senior Executive Manager of the ROICA™ Division at Asahi Kasei. 

“Building on over 50 years of expertise, we are strengthening our technologies while enhancing collaboration across the supply chain. 
Through our new visual identity and digital platform, we aim to clearly communicate ROICA™’s core values—premium quality, continuous innovation, and solutions designed to reduce environmental impact.” 

A New Brand Expression for the Next Phase 
The new brand identity is designed to reflect ROICA™’s next stage as a global brand under the message “STRETCH YOUR FUTURE.” 

At its core, the visual concept focuses on the human body, capturing the dynamism of movement and stretch to express the functionality of ROICA™. 

First Place for New High-Performance Hybrid Fibre

The RWTH spin-off TERNAfil has developed MAXCarbon, a new high-performance hybrid fibre that combines the mechanical performance of carbon with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials.

For this development, TERNAfil was awarded first prize at the PitchMiUp Night in Minden on 21 May 2026.

With its scalable technology, TERNAfil is working on new material solutions for applications in aerospace, energy technology and high-performance composites.

Fabian Jung, an ITA PhD student and TERNAfil founder, is enthusiastic: “Our success demonstrates once again how current research is making its way out of the laboratory and into real-world industrial applications. We at TERNAfil are delighted with the award and the many exciting discussions and new contacts we made there.”

Background:
Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences hosted its second PitchMiUp Night. The event focused on start-up founders, who presented their ideas and stories of how they started their businesses. The three best performers were awarded prizes.