From the Sector

Vom funktionellen Tracking Hut über krempige Hüte und Mützen bis zum eleganten Panama Hut – allen ist gemeinsam, dass sie vor zu viel Sonne schützen. Fakt ist: Zu viel Sonne lässt die Haut schneller altern und kann zu Hautkrankheiten führen – im schlimmsten Fall zu Hautkrebs. Schutz bieten Hüte und Mützen plus Sonnencreme.

Durch spezielle Beschichtungen der Stoffe wird ein UV-Schutz von bis zu 80 möglich, d.h., das eine Hutträgerin oder Hutträger 80 mal länger in der Sonne sein kann ohne einen Sonnenbrand auf dem Kopf zu bekommen. Der Vergleich: Der Schatten von Bäumen spendet nur einen Schutz von 5-20. Zahlreiche Hutlieferanten stellen Kopfbedeckungen her, die mit einem zusätzlichen UV-Schutz ausgestattet sind, dem textilen UV-Schutzfaktor  (Ultraviolet Protection Factor), zum Beispiel Balke Fashion, Bailey, Bullani, Faustmann, Fiebig, Gebeana, Göttmann, McBurn, Kangol.

Kopfbedeckungen sind angesagte Styling-Partner
Ein Strohhut oder edler ein Panama mutet immer sommerlich an, versprüht Leichtigkeit und Urlaubsfeeling. Baseball- und andere Caps – kommen mit einem flotten Spruch daher - Oder mit Streifen, Karos oder Patchwork und peppen viele Looks für Frauen und Männer auf. Farbe ist der Motor in der Mode. Rottöne von Beere bis Orange, edle Naturtöne und weiß sind angesagt. Jeans ist ein starkes Modethema bis hin zum Komplettlook. Auch neue Styles wie Regenhüte, moderne Strick-Styles und coole Filzhüte mit größerer Krempe überzeugen.

Jeanologia has been honored with the title of 'Best Business Project' in the inaugural edition of the Spanish Fashion Academy Awards, aimed at recognizing and highlighting the key players in the Spanish fashion industry.

At a gala celebrating Spanish talent, Jeanologia emerged as a leading authority in sustainability and technology applied to fashion. The accolade from the Spanish Fashion Academy acknowledges Jeanologia's global vision and leadership, as well as its ability to catalyze positive change in the global fashion industry. Chosen from over 400 contenders and endorsed by the votes of 129 distinguished founding academics, the award reflects the recognition of Jeanologia's influence in the sector.

The award ceremony, held on Thursday, June 13, at Madrid's Teatro Fernán Gómez Centro Cultural de la Villa, attracted prominent figures from the Spanish fashion scene and marked a significant moment in Spanish fashion, paying homage to the legacy of Cristóbal Balenciaga, a pivotal figure who would have turned 129 in 2024.

Enrique Silla, CEO and founder of Jeanologia, accepted the award statuette, a design by Helena Rohner inspired by Balenciaga's iconic headdress.

Unisport, ein Fachhändler für Fußballausrüstung, eröffnet seinen ersten physischen Store in Deutschland. Das neue Geschäft befindet sich im Münchner Stadtzentrum und öffnete seine Türen kurz vor der mit Spannung erwarteten Fußball-Europameisterschaft am 14. Juni. Die Eröffnung dieses Flagship-Stores markiert einen bedeutenden Meilenstein für Unisport, das seit 2016 eine erfolgreiche E-Commerce-Plattform in Deutschland betreibt.

Das Münchner Geschäft ist strategisch günstig in der Innenstadt zwischen Stachus und Marienplatz gelegen. Mit dem Fokus auf ein immersives Fußballerlebnis bietet der neue Flagship-Store:

• Ein breites Sortiment an Fußballtrikots, einschließlich das der deutschen Nationalmannschaft (DFB) und weiterer, bei der EM teilnehmender Nationen (Italien, Frankreich, Spanien, England usw.).
• Den offiziellen EM 2024 Fußball von adidas
• Die neuesten Fußballschuhe.
• Personalisierte Bedruckung von Trikots mit eigenem Namen und Nummer oder dem des Lieblingsspielers.
• Das Spiel “Subsoccer”.

Das CWS Workwear Innovation Lab, gelegen in der Max-Planck-Straße 10 in Dreieich, verbindet ein innovatives Konzept aus Labor und Showroom im Industrial Style. Das Lab ist speziell darauf ausgelegt, Produkte und Materialien zu testen, die neu eingeführt werden, soll aber zugleich auch als Schulungsort dienen.

„Im Innovation Lab führen wir Analysen durch zur Verlängerung der Lebensdauer unserer Textilien“, erklärt Stefanie Leibold, Dipl.-Ingenieurin der Waschmitteltechnologie und Leiterin des CWS Workwear Innovation Labs. „Ein Augenmerk liegt dabei auf der textilen Forensik, auf Qualitäts- und Nachhaltigkeitsstandards sowie auf einer individuellen und professionellen Fehleranalyse.“ Das gilt nicht nur für neue Produktentwicklungen, sondern auch für Arbeitskleidung, die bereits im Einsatz ist. CWS Workwear bietet Arbeitskleidung mit Rundum-Service vom Waschen bis hin zum Recycling an und setzt auf ein zirkuläres Geschäftsmodell.

Neben der Forschung dient das Innovation Lab künftig auch als Schulungsgebäude. Mit kundenorientierten Workshops zu verschiedenen Themen bietet CWS Workwear die Möglichkeit, einen Einblick in die Welt nachhaltiger Textilien zu erhalten. Dabei können Teilnehmende hinter die Kulissen eines Prüflabors blicken und sich selbst von den Qualitätsstandards überzeugen.

Fast alle CWS Workwear Kollektionen wurden aus umweltfreundlichen Materialien entwickelt und produziert. Damit verfolgt das Unternehmen sein Ziel, bis 2030 die Produktlebensdauer zu verdoppeln sowie Qualitätsmängel zu minimieren, um den Wäscheinvest drastisch zu senken und das Abfallaufkommen deutlich zu verringern.

„Die Eröffnung unseres Innovation Labs ist ein bedeutendes Kapitel in der Geschichte von CWS Workwear, die 1899 in Hamburg begann“, sagt Hartmut Engler, CEO von CWS Workwear. „Hier in unserem neuen Innovation Lab in Dreieich schaffen wir die Voraussetzungen für die nächste Generation nachhaltiger Textilien. Durch innovative Forschung und praxisnahe Tests stellen wir sicher, dass unsere Produkte nicht nur den höchsten Qualitätsstandards entsprechen, sondern auch einen wesentlichen Beitrag zum Umweltschutz leisten.“

Lifestyle brand Napapijri has released a range of sustainable summer essentials for men, women and kids, using Good Earth Cotton®.

The partnership between Napapijri and Good Earth Cotton® highlights the brand’s aim to source 100% of its materials from regenerative, responsibly sourced, renewable or recycled sources by 2030. The range includes premium knitwear including T-shirts, polos and more.

Good Earth Cotton is a production system verified as having a positive Net Zero position. The Australian-grown program focuses on regenerative farming that improves soil health, enhances biodiversity and sequesters carbon ensuring that it not only has a neutral impact on the environment but net positive one.

One of the most innovative aspects of Good Earth Cotton® is the use of FibreTrace® technology, a real time verification for fibre integrity. Unlike other traceability technologies, FibreTrace® embeds luminescent pigments into the raw cotton, creating a unique signature to verify the fibre and track across the global supply chain. Luminescent pigments are pigments that create physical traceability locked to a scanning device. FibreTrace® also validates the data of the raw cotton fibre and sustainability improvements through the supply chain.

Each product in Napapijri’s Good Earth Cotton® range comes with a QR code on the label which can be scanned to display the products supply chain journey from fibre to store.

RadiciGroup participated in the fifth edition of Phygital Sustainability Expo, an event dedicated to the ecological transition of fashion and design brands through technological innovation, which was held in Rome on 4 and 5 June.

During the narrated fashion show, held ion the 4th of June in the evocative archaeological site of the Imperial Forum Museum, RadiciGroup presented a jumpsuit. The jumpsuit is made of Radilon Chill-fit, an innovative nylon yarn - made by RadiciGroup in its production sites with low environmental impact. It guarantees thermal regulation and ensures freshness and comfort throughout the day. The jumpsuit worn during the day can quickly turn into the "basis" of an elegant evening outfit by simply adding a kimono-dress, made in nylon, to ensure complete future recyclability.

The outfit is the result of the collaboration between RadiciGroup and the designer Anita Bertini, a young designer at POLI.Design (an international reference for postgraduate training at Politecnico di Milano): the goal is to propose a wardrobe made of essential, durable and recyclable garments, which offer endless possibilities of matching without ever compromising personal style and commitment to a better world.

Two companies from the Italian textile scenario collaborated on this project as technical partners: Calzificio Argopi for the creation of the jumpsuit and Erco Pizzi for the kimono-dress fabric.

adidas unveils its FW24 London Tennis Collection – a range of apparel crafted with comfort in mind – including seamless material construction, to help players focus whilst performing in major moments on grass court.

Although a pure-white color spectrum is found across the entire collection, raised structures implemented on the base of select pieces, create the appearance of darker shadows that flow throughout - celebrating the different shades of light seen on a grass court during the summer months.

Supporting the demands of grass court tennis, the collection has been crafted for added mobility, unlocked by adidas’ FreeLift Construction – which incorporates adaptive stretch areas under the arm of each garment, to offer players a greater range of motion.

To help players in the heat of the moment, the collection also includes adidas’ AEROREADY technology, which uses sweat-wicking or absorbent materials to keep players feeling dry. This combines with AIRCHILL for the AIRCHILL FreeLift T-Shirt Pro – an adidas technology that supports players feeling cool through thermally zoned, raised pattern motifs and mesh layers, helping to optimise airflow during high-intensity workouts and matches.

The collection premiers at the summer London tournaments and will be worn by athletes including Caroline Wozniacki, Elina Svitolina, Xinyu Wang, Dana Mathewson, Jessica Pegula, Maria Sakkari, Angelique Kerber, Camila Osorio, Daria Kasatkina, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Davidovich-Fokina, Felix Auger-Aliassime, Martin de la Puente, Francisco Cerundolo, Jakub Menšík, Alex Michelsen and Luca Nardi.

AlphaTauri lanciert für Frühjahr/Sommer 2025 CIRRUS – eine Kollektion, die den Fokus auf saisonübergreifende Designs legt, vereint mit Tragekomfort, Atmungsaktivität, Bewegungsfreiheit und Funktionalität, inspiriert von der luftigen Anmutung der Cirrus-Wolken.

Innerhalb der Outerwear-Kollektion werden für Frühjahr/Sommer 2025 ultraleichte Jacken und Parkas vorgestellt. Mikrolöcher und Laserperforationen sorgen innerhalb der gesamten Kollektion für optimierten Komfort und mehr Atmungsaktivität. Ripstop-Gewebe und ultramatte Oberflächenveredelungen verleihen Struktur bei anhaltender Leichtigkeit.

Auch innerhalb der Knitwear-Kollektion wird Schwerelosigkeit interpretiert dank speziell entwickelter neuer Strickstrukturen für mehr Komfort. Eingearbeitete Luftlöcher sorgen für Atmungsaktivität und Leichtigkeit beim Tragen.

Innerhalb des 3D-Knit-Sortiments sorgen Garnmischungen mit natürlichen Fasern für neue Optiken und leichten Tragekomfort. Baumwollgarne werden mit Lyocell veredelt und sorgen so für kühlende Effekte und zusätzlichen Komfort. Coolmax wird mit Baumwolle und Kaschmir gemischt. Zusätzlich erhalten Leinen-Baumwollmischungen durch die 3D WHOLEGARMENT®-Knit-Technologie eine moderne Struktur, die nahtlos Design und Funktionalität miteinander vereint.

Multiple global regulations set to take effect in the coming years have made traceability an imperative for retailers and brands. These include the Digital Product Passport, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the New York Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act, to name a few.

While companies are aware of the importance of traceability, research indicates that they are not prepared to comply with upcoming legislation. A recent KPMG survey highlighted that 43% of executives at major enterprises had no visibility or were “largely unclear” about the performance of their Tier 1 suppliers. At the same time, only 28% of companies had clear visibility into Tier 2 suppliers.

TradeBeyond’s recently published Supply Chain Traceability Guide, the latest installment of its Retail Sourcing Report series, highlights the myriad challenges that companies face in implementing effective traceability programs. This report is relevant for all industries, and is especially topical for the apparel and footwear sectors, which are under increasing scrutiny to enhance traceability to ensure sustainability.

The report highlights retail’s slow progress in achieving transparency, as evidenced by the Fashion Transparency Index, which found that the average transparency score across 250 of the world’s largest brands and retailers was just 23%. That suggests that progress on transparent disclosure of social and environmental data is still lagging.
 
The report shows that brands fall short on most key measures of sustainability and traceability, including publishing a responsible code of conduct and providing visibility into their Scope 3 carbon footprint. The United Nations Economics Commission found that only a third of the top one hundred global clothing companies track their own supply chains. One of the obstacles is complexity. More than two-thirds (69%) of fashion companies report that complexity of their global business networks is an obstacle to visibility.

In addition to a lack of visibility, false sustainability claims are also rampant. Greenpeace found that in the apparel and footwear sector, 39% of sustainability claims are false or deceptive. Lack of third-party verification of ESG measures is also rampant.

The highest scoring brands in the 2023 Fashion Transparency Index included luxury brands such as Gucci and retailers such Target Australia, Kmart Australia, OVS, and Benetton. These companies back up their commitment with solid action on multiple measures of traceability.

Along with legislative requirements, consumers are a key driving force pushing companies to improve their traceability initiatives. McKinsey research found that 66% of consumers consider transparency to be a key factor when making a purchase decision and 73% of consumers would pay more for products with transparency into production and sourcing.

The report also highlights key challenges to overcome in the journey to traceability, including effective communication between stakeholders, compliance with new regulations, technology barriers, and data complexity.

On the positive side, the industry is responding with sophisticated technology, including software systems that incorporate artificial intelligence and blockchain-enabled traceability, which provide the required visibility and compliance.

Traceable fiber technology, which allows for traceability from the material origin of a product until its end-life, provides the option of a “fiber-forward” rather than a “product backward” approach to achieving traceability.

Aside from the regulatory and consumer drivers, there is a strong business case for implementing traceability, which includes cost savings, operational efficiency, brand protection and reducing supply chain risk. As such, TradeBeyond expects a rapid evolution in traceability programs across industries, especially in those that lag in best-practices.

While there has been considerable progress in recent years toward accurately tracing the complete origins of products, much more needs to be done. Brands and retailers must intensify their efforts to stay compliant with escalating regulations and align with evolving consumer preferences.

Manufacturer of activewear and swimwear, Active Apparel Group (AAG), has committed to a structured approach in reducing its environmental impact across its global operations through an Environmental Management System (EMS). The EMS, built using the ISO14001 Standard Framework, incorporates key environmental policy commitments and has set targets and strategies to reduce the carbon footprint of its operations across China, Australia and USA.

Through a third-party audit of its greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs), AAG has identified the following areas of focus to reduce impacts:

• Reduction in Scope 1 energy use
• Reduction in air freight
• Reduction in water usage across the business
• Ongoing collection and management of production waste
• Increased use of sustainable materials
• Continued collection of GHG data for ongoing improvement

AAG’s EMS is designed to be embedded within the operations of the business, with functional ownership of targets established and education of the team prioritized, to deliver results on reducing environmental impact. Quarterly reporting of its progress is communicated to stakeholders and reviewed by the company’s Board of Directors.

The EMS is part of AAG’s ongoing Responsible Business Strategy - a company-wide commitment to driving continuous improvement across the areas of Governance, Social and Environmental impact. Other initiatives include Living Wage Audit by Bureau Veritas (AAG pays 100% Living Wage); Materiality Assessment; Supply Chain Traceability Project; Circularity and Waste Management along with annual third-party audits - SMETA, Gold WRAP, Supplier Qualification Program and its Modern Slavery Statement.