From the Sector

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, today announced the finalists for the 2026 Hygienix Innovation Award™: Anabio Technologies, Confitex Technology, The LYCRA Company and Youth Crews.

The finalists will present their innovations at Hygienix, an annual event for absorbent hygiene professionals, Nov. 16-19 at the Hyatt Regency Houston. The winner will be announced Thursday, Nov. 19, at 11:30 a.m.

Anabio Technologies: Flushable Sanitary Pad
Every sanitary pad used today can outlive us by an estimated 500 years. Anabio’s patented flushable pad changes that. Its multilayer architecture protects for 12 hours, then disperses when flushed. Independently tested to meet IWSFG flushability requirements, it is designed for flush toilets, septic systems and pit latrines and runs on standard converting lines, offering a practical route to scalable, sustainable, convenient and affordable menstrual care.

Confitex Technology: Washable Nonwoven Car Seat Protectors
Confitex Technology has cemented its reputation as the tech leader in reusable absorbent hygiene by extending the application of its transformative washable nonwoven AHPs into the automotive category. Its world-first washable nonwoven car seat protectors are independently verified to absorb and hold 24 fl oz (700 ml) inside a patented leak-resistant frame and keep performing after 30+ washes. Made from 100% nonwoven materials, they open up a new market segment for the nonwovens industry.

The LYCRA Company: Lycra® Adaptiv Fiber
LYCRA® ADAPTIV fiber reimagines stretch for absorbent hygiene products by leveraging technology originally developed for apparel to personal care. Designed to adapt dynamically to the wearer, this revolutionary spandex polymer with its unique chemistry delivers all-day comfort, inclusive sizing, easier on-and-off wear, and a second-skin fit, helping transform the wearing experience in personal care.

Youth Crews: Youth Crews Diapers
Youth Crews makes tab-style diapers for disabled kids ages 4 to 17 who outgrew baby diapers but don’t fit adult products. Sizes 9 through 12 are built for an older kid’s body: a pulp-free core, leg gathers cut for sitting, and a profile designed to fit under clothes. Founded by a dad who couldn’t find a diaper for his daughter. Free samples available at youthcrews.com.

2025 Award Winner
Confitex Technology Ltd. won the 2025 Innovation Award for its washable nonwoven sanitary pad, which the company says is the world’s first designed for sustainability and scalability without superabsorbent polymers.

“Hygienix Innovation Award finalists represent the future of absorbent hygiene,” said Matt O’Sickey, INDA’s director of education and technical affairs. “These companies are pushing boundaries with solutions that address consumer needs, sustainability goals and performance demands. Their work highlights the innovative spirit that drives our industry forward.”

Scoop returns to Olympia National from Tuesday 16 – Thursday 18 February 2027, with a newly extended three-day edition celebrating British design, London’s enduring creative influence and the unmistakable spirit of the capital.

Scoop has extended its February 2027 edition with the addition of Tuesday 16 February, giving buyers an extra day to discover its carefully curated collections, meet designers and make the most of their time in London. The show will now take place from Tuesday 16 – Thursday 18 February at Olympia National. The new three-day format places Scoop at an especially exciting point in London’s fashion calendar, as buyers, designers, media and the international fashion community turn their attention to the capital.

At the heart of the new season is a celebration of the extraordinary creative energy that has made Britain, and London in particular, a global reference point for fashion, design and culture for generations.

From the youthquake of the Swinging Sixties to the creative explosion of the Nineties and the designers, artists and image-makers shaping culture today, London has always had a remarkable ability to reinvent itself. Bold, irreverent and instinctive, its creative identity has travelled far beyond the capital, influencing the way the world dresses, designs and thinks. It is this enduring sense of British cool that provides the inspiration for Scoop’s new season.

Bringing the theme to life is a playful new campaign that takes some of Britain’s most recognisable cultural symbols and gives them an unmistakably Scoop twist. Queen Victoria takes tea with a Beefeater, Trafalgar Square’s lions are adorned with jewels and silk, while red buses, black cabs, guards, pigeons and familiar London landmarks are reimagined within an exuberant, fashion-inflected celebration of the capital.

Characteristically eccentric and knowingly nostalgic, the campaign plays with tradition rather than simply looking back at it, capturing a Britain that is steeped in heritage but constantly finding new ways to reinvent itself.

The creative direction arrives at a moment when British fashion and culture are firmly in the spotlight. From Tate Britain’s exploration of the creative collision between art and fashion in the Nineties to the V&A’s celebration of the Burberry trench, London is once again looking at the people, ideas and movements that have shaped its distinctive creative identity.

From 19 to 24 October 2026, Brazil will host a mission showcasing Italian excellence in the textile and textile machinery sectors, with two workshops scheduled for 20 October in the state of Santa Catarina and 22 October in São Paulo. The initiative will bring together Italian companies specialising in textile machinery, yarns, fabrics and clothing accessories, with the aim of strengthening commercial and industrial ties between the two countries and opening up new opportunities for collaboration.

Organised by the Italian Trade Agency in collaboration with ACIMIT and Confindustria Moda, the mission will comprise two stages in key areas of Brazil’s textile industry. The programme includes seminars featuring presentations by Italian companies, B2B meetings with local industry representatives and visits to local production facilities. The first stage will take place in the state of Santa Catarina, in the areas of Blumenau, Joinville and Brusque, while the second will take place in the state of São Paulo, with activities also planned in Americana and at Denim City São Paulo, a major centre of innovation and a key hub for the textile and denim industries.

The initiative aims to showcase the expertise and innovative capabilities of the entire Italian supply chain, which is internationally recognised for the high quality of its products and technologies. In particular, the Italian textile machinery industry stands out for its ability to develop advanced, customised solutions that meet the needs of a sector increasingly focused on production efficiency, sustainability and technological innovation.

Brazil is one of the most strategic markets in Latin America for Italian textile machinery manufacturers. In 2025, Italian exports of textile machinery to Brazil reached €48 million, while in the first half of 2026 they amounted to €20 million, placing Brazil tenth among the leading destination markets for Italian textile machinery. The most sought-after technologies are those related to finishing, which accounts for 57% of Italian textile machinery exports to Brazil, followed by accessories and other machinery, each representing 11%, and knitting machinery, at 10%.

“Brazil is a market of great interest to our industry, with which we have well-established commercial relations and significant prospects for collaboration,” said Marco Salvadè, President of ACIMIT. “This mission represents a concrete opportunity to strengthen dialogue between Italian companies and Brazilian operators, fostering new synergies across the entire textile supply chain. Our companies’ ability to offer innovative, flexible and sustainable technologies can make a significant contribution to modernising the local textile industry and enhancing its competitiveness. The decision to organise two workshops in different manufacturing regions of the country also demonstrates our commitment to fostering direct dialogue with Brazil’s various industrial clusters, thereby making the most of the opportunities offered by this important market.” The initiative, organised by the Italian Trade Agency and ACIMIT with the valuable support of Confindustria Moda, will bring together 22 Italian companies in total, 18 of which operate in the textile machinery sector and are listed below: Biancalani, BTSR, Color Service, Corino Macchine, DURST, Reggiani Macchine, Erhardt + Leimer, Ferraro, I.M.A., Itema, Lawer, M.C.S. Officina Meccanica, Mesdan, Monti – Mac, MSJK (MS Printing & JK Group), Pinter Caipo Italia, Salvade’, Savio Macchine Tessili.