From the Sector

Flos and B&B Italia, furniture brands of Made in Italy design, take part in the Casa Italia Paris 2024 project, the hospitality house that will host the athletes and guests during the XXXIII Olympic Games, to be held in the French capital from 26 July to 11 August 2024.

Along with other design brands and contemporary Italian artists, the two companies participate for the first time at Casa Italia Paris 2024 showcasing their most iconic creations, both classic and contemporary, in the venue’s indoor and outdoor spaces, taking guests on a spectacular and evocative journey that epitomizes Italian elegance and beauty.

As Official Partner of Casa Italia Paris 2024, B&B Italia is furnishing the living, lounge and outdoor areas with some of its most recognisable products that combine unique design, quality, comfort and function as well as sustainability, an increasingly crucial element intrinsic to furniture designed to last over time. The UP Series by Gaetano Pesce, the Camaleonda sofa and Le Bambole seating by Mario Bellini, the Planck tables by Piero Lissoni, and the Allure O’ table and Flair O’ chairs by Monica Armani will furnish Casa Italia, highlighting a dialogue with the context through the choice of distinctive shapes, colours and materials.

The ongoing dialogue created by the brand’s products continues through to the outdoor lounge areas, where Casa Italia’s green spaces are dotted with products from the B&B Italia Outdoor collection, the brand’s outdoor furniture line launched in 2007. The Ribes sofas by Antonio Citterio, the Crinoline chairs by Patricia Urquiola and the Borea tables by Piero Lissoni will welcome athletes and guests creating stylish aesthetic synergies with the Le Pré Catelan gardens.

Flos has worked at the lighting project for Casa Italia Paris 2024 as Official Supplier, with the aim of making light a precious element for highlighting the works of art and the objects that enrich the setup of the Italian hospitality house, so that the exhibition and its narrative itinerary can be enjoyed both during daytime and nighttime hours. Light is used to shape the space in such a way as to create visual hierarchies among the superb items on display, without forgetting the ambient lighting needed for the celebratory events that will take place in the venue. The Flos lighting display includes some of the brand’s most recognisable suspension creations, such as cocoon models Taraxacum and Viscontea by Achille and Pier Giacomo Castiglioni and Zeppelin by Marcel Wanders. These interact with more recent and timeless collections, such as Glo-Ball by Jasper Morrison, Arrangements by Michael Anastassiades, IC and Captain Flint floor lamps, also by Anastassiades, and Bellhop Floor by Barber Osgerby.

For the exterior green spaces, Flos has chosen stylish outdoor floor lamps that create a harmonious dialogue with the surrounding architecture. These include Captain Flint Outdoor and IC Outdoor, designed by Michael Anastassiades, featuring bases in precious materials such as Tuscan imperial travertine and volcanic stone from the slopes of Mount Etna. Finally, Flos Architectural, the brand’s professional lighting division for large-scale projects, has equipped Casa Italia with innovative tech solutions that include The Tracking Magnet, an ingenious patented system with magnetic fastening LED lights in spot or linear versions for functional, efficient lighting that is also comfortable and non-invasive.

RadiciGroup and Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio announce the renewal of their partnership for the 2024/25 season. RadiciGroup will be the "Sponsor del Cuore" (Heart Sponsor) for the Italian Serie A league and the Supercoppa Italia, which will take place in January 2025 in Riyadh, while it will be the "Sleeve Partner" in the UEFA Champions League and Coppa Italia matches.

RadiciGroup therefore remains the "Sponsor del Cuore" of the Atalanta team, renewing the partnership started in 2017. Over these years, during which the Nerazzurri have achieved success, RadiciGroup has always supported the management, coach, players, and staff of Atalanta. This relationship is based on shared values such as attention to the territory, passion for the black and blue colours, and the ability to showcase an incredible game that highlights each player's talent within a winning team. Atalanta concluded the 2023/24 season triumphantly, winning the Europa League and giving Bergamo fans a trophy.

Proparco has announced a €70 million senior loan to RE&UP Recycling Technologies, the circulartech textile recycling venture of SANKO Group. This investment will enhance RE&UP's capacity to scale Next-Gen recycled fiber production while reducing both carbon and water footprints driving RE&UP to set a new standard for circularity in the textile industry.

SANKO Group, with over 120 years of industry experience, remains a key partner for Proparco. The loan will support the construction of a new textile-to-textile recycling facility in Gaziantep, featuring 8.4MW rooftop solar panels for self-consumption.

With the MAX GLASS ECO, the KARL MAYER Technical Textiles Business Unit offers a production machine for the economical manufacture of standard reinforcement textiles made from glass fibers, in particular non-crimp fabrics for the wind power industry. The newcomer can be adapted to the requirements of different application areas thanks to various optional functions and combines short amortization times. At a maximum speed of 1,800 min-1, it produces up to 410 m/h at a working width of 101". This performance is very well received on the composite market. Since the launch of the MAX GLASS ECO at JEC World in March this year, several purchase agreements have already been signed.

Some machines are going to India, and a larger number has been ordered by Chinese customers. Even the demonstration models in the KARL MAYER GROUP customer centers in Changzhou and Chemnitz have already been sold. However, the MAX GLASS ECO at KARL MAYER Technische Textilien in Saxony can still be used for processing trials and performance tests until September.

There is also great interest in Eastern Europe. At Techtextil 2024 in Frankfurt, for example, the new composite machine was a topic of numerous meetings with Ralf Schramm, Sales Manager at KARL MAYER Technische Textilien for this region. "I held many orientation discussions about the machine's performance. But there were also customers with specific purchase requests, including the Polish manufacturer of high-quality, professional solutions for the composites industry, Rymatex," says the sales professional.

In the second quarter of 2024, the order index for Italian textile machinery, as reported by the Economics Department of ACIMIT – the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, showed a decline compared to the period 2023 April-June (-17%). In value terms, the index stood at 49.8 points (base 2021=100).

This result is completely due to the decrease recorded in foreign markets (-22%), where orders represent 86% of the total. Conversely, in Italy, there was a 25% recovery compared to the second quarter of 2023. The absolute value of the index in foreign markets was 48.8 points, while in Italy it was 57.3 points. In the second quarter, the order backlog reached 4.3 months of assured production. Additionally, ACIMIT’s survey shows that in the first six months of 2024 the utilization rate of production capacity by Italian manufacturers was 61%. This percentage is expected to rise to 64% in the second half of the year.

Marco Salvadè, president of ACIMIT, stated: “The order index for the second quarter shows a clear slowdown abroad compared to last year. This decline highlights the high uncertainty due to the difficult geopolitical situation“. The confirmation of what is indicated by the ACIMIT index also comes from Italian export figures, updated to the first quarter of 2024. Excluding China and Egypt, the main foreign markets show a general decline in demand for textile machinery, not just Italian one.

Archroma is collaborating with Zydat Inc. to bring the complete Color Atlas by Archroma® color library to the Vivid Color Library Management (CLM) color-matching platform for faster and more accurate inkjet digital printing of fashion and textiles

Archroma’s Color Atlas is the textile industry’s largest library of engineered color standards, with more than 5,760 color references formulated to comply with leading eco-standards and deliver consistent and accurate color reproduction.

With these colors available within Vivid CLM’s online color palette optimization and correction tools, designers can more quickly and easily create and share their color palettes for more accurate inkjet printing. This can reduce the burden of pre-production color proofing and streamline the color management process to help deliver high-quality printed fabric and apparel in a fast and economical way.

Vivid CLM was launched by Zydat in February 2024. It offers a unique and designer-oriented solution to color matching with a proprietary algorithm that translates complex spectral data into a Red-Green-Blue workflow and allows the user to print, scan and check the color, with automatic adjustments to improve accuracy. The solution’s palette storage system allows colorists to share palettes across the ecosystem.

In addition to accessing all of the 5,760 colors in the Archroma Color Atlas portfolio as digital standards within Vivid CLM, users of the software may also choose to refer to Archroma’s physical color library in multiple formats. They can also tap into Archroma’s expertise around the world for technical support with sustainable coloration systems and achievability on alternate substrates.

The Color Atlas by Archroma® is part of the Archroma Color Management+ design and development solution for more sustainable textiles and fashion through fast color selection and creation, consistent and accurate color reproduction, and reduced environmental impact.

STOLL was also represented with a stand at this year's Pitti Filati. The flat knitting machine specialist of the KARL MAYER GROUP introduced its new trend collection NOCTURNO and developments from STOLL ITALIA, which were created in collaboration with the yarn manufacturer IAFIL Industria Ambrosiana Filati S.p.A. The digital software products of the CREATE family were demonstrated on request.

In addition to its participation as an exhibitor, STOLL, together with three other companies, led the "Training Days" project at Pitti Filati designed for the professional development of the entire community of operators.

STOLL's trade fair presentation at this year's Pitti Filati was organised by its subsidiary STOLL ITALIA and was a complete success.

adidas announced preliminary results for the second quarter of 2024. In Q2, currency-neutral revenues increased 11% versus the prior year. In euro terms, the company’s revenues grew 9% to € 5.822 billion (2023: € 5.343 billion). Excluding Yeezy sales in both years, currency-neutral revenues increased 16% during the quarter.

The company’s gross margin reached 50.8% in Q2 (2023: 50.9%). The underlying adidas gross margin improved strongly, reflecting better sell-throughs, reduced discounting, lower sourcing costs and a more favorable category mix. The significantly smaller Yeezy business had a negative impact on the year-over-year comparison. The company’s second quarter operating profit increased to € 346 million (2023: € 176 million), including a contribution of around € 50 million from the sale of parts of the remaining Yeezy inventory.

Following the better-than-expected performance during the quarter and considering the current momentum, the company has increased its full-year guidance. adidas now expects currency-neutral revenues to increase at a high-single-digit rate in 2024 (previously: increase at a mid- to high-single-digit rate). The company’s operating profit is now expected to reach a level of around € 1.0 billion (previously: to reach a level of around € 700 million).

Within its guidance, the company assumes the sale of the remaining Yeezy inventory during the remainder of the year to occur on average at cost. This would result in additional sales of around € 150 million and no further profit contribution during the remainder of the year.

The company continues to expect unfavorable currency effects to weigh significantly on the company’s profitability this year. These effects are negatively impacting both reported revenues and the gross margin development in 2024. This was particularly the case during the first half of the year.

Polartec, a Milliken & Company brand and premium creator of innovative and more sustainable textile solutions announced the launch of its newly revamped website. Designed to deliver a seamless and engaging browsing experience for all, the site now caters more effectively to the company’s brand partners and its growing base of direct consumers. It also makes it easier for users to discover the Polartec performance guarantee.

The new website features a fresh new look and feel, along with significant enhancements to improve the user experience. With a strong emphasis on accessibility and user engagement, the revised site ensures that visitors can quickly find the information they need, whenever and wherever they want it. Key features include:

• Modern Design and Structure: The site’s intuitive navigation and streamlined design allow our users to access vital information quickly and easily from any entry point.
• Dynamic Animation: Integrated modern animation enhances engagement and facilitates the interactive and highly enjoyable browsing experience.
• Optimized Content: Overhauled and strategically optimized for SEO, the new content reflects our refreshed positioning while ensuring high visibility in search engine results.

Just as Polartec is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of textile innovation while prioritizing the planet, the new navigation menu reflects this commitment by ensuring fast, easy access to primary sections and important information. And, by highlighting sustainable practices, groundbreaking fabrics and exclusive textile technologies, the new website meets the needs of renowned sportswear apparel companies, top-tier athletes and everyday users alike.

• Fabrics: Explore Polartec’s extensive range of high-performance fabrics.
• Sustainability: Learn about Polartec’s commitment to sustainability and eco-friendly practices.
• Brands: The newly named Products section features our partner brands and their products
• News: Stay up to date with the latest information and company news.
• About Us: Gain insights into Polartec’s company values and mission.

With the fully recyclable 100% polyester trunk side trim, Autoneum is putting the rear of the vehicle at the center of its efforts for a more circular economy in the automotive industry. The latest addition to Autoneum’s growing portfolio of sustainable monomaterial products made entirely from polyester is based on the existing Pure technology Propylat PET. The component demonstrates an excellent environmental performance in terms of recycled content, waste-free manufacturing and end-of-life recyclability.

New regulations such as the revised End-of-Life Vehicles Directive in Europe are accelerating the automotive industry’s transition from a linear to a circular economy. In this context, the recyclability of vehicles at the end of their service life is becoming increasingly important. This in turn raises the demand for automotive components that have an excellent environmental performance across the product life cycle and at the same time meet the highest standards of material quality and technical performance. Autoneum’s new 100% polyester trunk side trim helps customers achieve their ambitious sustainability targets while offering optimum durability, design flexibility and aesthetics.

As with Autoneum’s environmentally friendly monomaterial carpet systems, the new 100% polyester trunk side trim is fully recyclable. Production cut-offs can be reclaimed, processed and reused, ensuring a closed material loop. Thanks to Autoneum’s high-value recycling concept, the recycled fibers can also be granulated and spun into new fibers, which reduces the need for virgin raw materials and thus conserves natural resources. The carrier material is based on the lightweight Autoneum Pure technology Propylat PET and contains at least 50% recycled fibers. Like all variants of Propylat, the technology features a high proportion of recycled material and can be produced waste-free thanks to its complete vertical integration. In addition, Propylat PET consists of 100% PET and is therefore fully recyclable. The new monomaterial trunk side trim made exclusively from polyester is also available under the Autoneum Blue sustainability label. Blue products feature at least 30% recycled PET that was collected from coastal areas, thus making an important contribution to preventing plastic pollution in the oceans.

Autoneum’s sustainable concept for 100% polyester trunk components is not limited to side trim but can also be applied to tailgate and other trunk trim. Thanks to their unique material composition, the Propylatbased trunk trim parts are lightweight and sound-absorbing, thus contributing to the attenuation of tire and rear e-motor noise. In addition, their geometry can be tailored to individual customer needs while the textile surface improves the overall aesthetic of the parts and at the same time offers a high resistance to scratches. Autoneum’s eco-friendly 100% polyester trunk trim is available in Europe, North America and China.