From the Sector

The Dibella sales team continues to grow. Since the first of May, Thomas Kmoch has been supporting customers from South Tyrol, Austria and Switzerland.

Dibella welcomes Thomas Kmoch, an experienced member of staff, to the team. Due to his previous twenty years as an authorised signatory and sales director at Damino GmbH, the sales specialist brings with him in-depth knowldge of flat linen for contract business and comprehensive industry expertise.

At Dibella, Thomas Kmoch is primarily responsible for supporting existing customers and building new customer relationships in South Tyrol, Austria and Switzerland. The company is thus further strengthening ist focus on these three regions.

On the occasion of the 15-year anniversary of the inaugural Global Fashion Summit, Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) has released a special edition of the Fashion CEO Agenda  — a strategic resource designed to steer fashion organisations towards achieving a net positive industry by 2050. In line with the 2024 theme of Global Fashion Summit, ‘Unlocking the Next Level’, this year’s Fashion CEO Agenda presents five pivotal opportunities for fashion executives and the industry at large to unlock transformative impact for people and planet.

In the 15 years since the inception of Global Fashion Summit in 2009, sustainability has evolved from a peripheral concern to a central focus in the fashion business landscape, prompting significant strides across the industry. Despite this progress, the alarming escalation of global warming and exponential rise in clothing production demand urgent and collective action from fashion industry leaders.

Unlocking the next level of positive impact necessitates a comprehensive understanding of interdependencies and system-wide solutions. The 2024 edition of the Fashion CEO Agenda aims to empower fashion leaders and the wider industry to embrace five key opportunities:

• Operationalising Sustainability
• Redefining Growth
• Activating Consumers
• Prioritising People
• Mobilising Based on Materiality

Drawing from the five priorities of the Fashion CEO Agenda — Respectful and Secure Work Environments, Better Wage Systems, Resource Stewardship, Smart Material Choices, and Circular Systems — this special edition highlights five cross-cutting opportunities that will help achieve the next level of progress on these priorities.

Tailored for fashion brands, retailers, and producers, this edition of the Fashion CEO Agenda differs from previous editions as it focuses on challenging norms and amplifying efforts, and serves as a crucial inflection point for the industry to foster positive outcomes for both society and the environment. By upholding the rights of workers, championing diversity and inclusivity, redefining success metrics, and reshaping growth paradigms, profound transformation is possible.
 
Federica Marchionni, CEO, Global Fashion Agenda, says: “The Fashion CEO Agenda 2024 aims to help leaders to shift their mindset, providing clear unlocks for embracing the challenges for future proofing their businesses and operations. I urgently encourage leaders to work closely with cross-functional teams, use empathy, and a values-based approach that prioritises the planet and the well-being of the people. By doing so, we secure the foundation of our businesses and deliver not only financial returns but also positive impact on the world around us.”

Through renowned events, impact programmes, and thought leadership publications, GFA consistently convenes industry pioneers, shares tangible case studies, disseminates best practices, and highlights practical tools. While recognising the enduring utility of these resources, stakeholders are now encouraged to build upon existing insights and embrace increasingly sophisticated, holistic, and human-centric opportunities to unlock the next level of industry transformation across the entire value chain.

The Fashion CEO Agenda 2024 is an openly accessible resource and available to download at the GFA’s website

Der Bundesverband Medizintechnologie (BVMed) hat sein Geschäftsstellen-Team mit Toni Zamzow (39) verstärkt. Er ist seit 1. Mai 2024 Referent Ambulante Gesundheitsversorgung und kümmert sich insbesondere um Themen und Verbandsgremien im Bereich der Hilfsmittelversorgung. Das BVMed-Referat Ambulante Gesundheitsversorgung wird seit 2020 von Juliane Pohl geleitet.

Toni Zamzow war zuvor über 15 Jahre für die RSR Reha-Service-Ring GmbH, eine bundesweite Gemeinschaft von Reha- und Sanitätsfachhandelsbetrieben, tätig und leitete zuletzt das Vertragsmanagement zwischen Leistungserbringern und Krankenkassen. Er absolvierte eine Ausbildung zum Sozialversicherungs-Fachangestellten bei der Deutschen Rentenversicherung und ein ILS-Fernstudium mit erfolgreicher IHK-Prüfung zum Fachwirt im Sozial- und Gesundheitswesen.

Levi Strauss & Co. announced the appointment of Gianluca Flore as executive vice president and chief commercial officer, effective July 29. Reporting to Michelle Gass, president and chief executive officer, Flore will join the company’s executive leadership team and will be responsible for the commercial operations of the Levi’s® brand across all global channels, including stores, e-commerce and wholesale.

Flore brings more than 20 years of international commercial experience in the luxury apparel and lifestyle sector. He joins LS&Co. from Burberry, where he was appointed chief commercial officer in 2021, overseeing five regions and a network of more than 400 stores. Prior to this, he served as the company’s president for the Americas and Global Retail Excellence, spearheading the expansion and productivity of the brand’s retail footprint, and elevating distribution and positioning across wholesale. Flore has also held leadership roles at the luxury group Kering, including CEO of Brioni, where he established a profitable retail business model for the brand, and at Bottega Veneta, where he led double-digit revenue increases across wholesale and retail channels. Flore holds a BBA and post-graduate certificate from LUISS University in Rome, Italy, as well as a post-graduate certificate from the London School of Economics.

At the Techtextil trade fair in Frankfurt, the Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation of the VDMA, Peter D. Dornier, presented awards to six successful young engineers. Promotion and sustainability prizes were awarded in the categories bachelor/project theses and diploma/master theses. Academic theses in which, for example, solutions for resource-saving products and technologies are developed are eligible for the sustainability prizes.

The Walter Reiners Foundation awarded Anna Markic a sustainability prize worth 3,000 euros in the Bachelor's category. The topic of her thesis, written at Reutlingen University, was the recycling of carbon fibres.

Mark Zenzinger, Albstadt-Sigmaringen University, received a 3,000 euro promotion award in the Bachelor's category. His topic was the automation of the process chain for the production of welded textile hard goods.
 
Lena Fink from the TU Dresden received another promotion award worth 3,000 euros. Her construction engineering project work focused on a device to simplify the maintenance of braiding machines.

Fabio Bussmann from RWTH Aachen was awarded a promotion prize in the Master's category, worth 3,500 euros. In his thesis, he analysed the life cycle assessments of alternative semi-finished products for geotextiles.

Katharina Maria Ernst, TU Dresden, was honoured with a sustainability prize of 3,500 euros in the Master's category. Her work focused on the development of a suitable process for the treatment of chitosan fibres as an alternative starting product in the production of carbon fibres.

Lennart Hellwig, RWTH Aachen University, was awarded a 3,500 euro prize in the Master's category. He focused on the topic of machine learning using the example of a nonwovens plant.

Studentin Nora Müchler vom Fachbereich Textil- und Bekleidungstechnik der Hochschule Niederrhein (HSNR) und Absolventin Alexandra Plewnia sind von der Wilhelm-Lorch-Stiftung ausgezeichnet worden. Plewnia erhielt den Preis in der Kategorie Technik für ihre Master-Arbeit zur Konzeptionierung eines Herstellungsprozesses eines wasserabweisenden Garns, Müchler überzeugte die Jury mit ihrer englischsprachigen Bachelor-Arbeit „Revitalisation Second-Hand Shopping: The Role of Customer Experience in Encouraging Sustainable and Circular Fashion Consumption among Generation Z“ in der Kategorie Wirtschaft. Der Preis ist mit je 5000 Euro dotiert.

Die 25-Jährige Nora Müchler hat sich zum Ende des Bachelor-Studiums Textile and Clothing Management mit einem verbesserten Marketing von Mode aus zweiter Hand beschäftigt. Darin untersuchte sie die Bedeutung des Kundenerlebnisses beim Second-Hand-Einkauf sowohl im stationären Handel als auch Online. Ihr Ziel war es, den nachhaltigen und kreislauforientierten Modekonsum der Generation Z zu fördern. Zweifellos werden junge Menschen, die zwischen 1997 und 2012 geboren wurden, in den kommenden Jahren einen bedeutenden Einfluss auf das Konsumverhalten ausüben. Noch zeigt die Generation Z ein paradoxes Verhalten: Obwohl sie Nachhaltigkeit schätzt, tendiert sie gleichzeitig zum Konsum von Fast Fashion.

Um diesem Widerspruch effektiv entgegenzuwirken, entwickelte Müchler in ihrer Arbeit auf Basis einer Befragung fünf wirksame Einzelhandelsstrategien. „Unter anderem geht es darum, wie sich gebrauchte Kleidung genauso sortiert, ordentlich und ansprechend präsentieren lässt wie neue Bekleidung“, erläutert die Kölnerin, die mittlerweile an der HSNR den Masterstudiengang Textile Produkte angeschlossen hat. Betreuende Professorin war Dr. Marina-Elena Wachs.

Das Preisgeld von 5000 Euro möchte Nora Müchler in einen Auslandsaufenthalt in Bangladesch oder China, einen Sprachkurs oder in einen Schneiderkurs investieren.

Im Rahmen ihres Master-Studiums Textile Produkte hatte sich die Mönchengladbacherin Alexandra Plewnia mit den Eigenschaften und der Herstellung eines eigenen, neuartigen Garns auseinandergesetzt. Ihr „Octogarn“ vereint viele nützliche Eigenschaften: Es ist schadstofffrei, nachhaltig, kälteisolierend, atmungsaktiv und reibungsreduzierend. Das Besondere: Es ist nicht nur wasserabweisend, sondern unbenetzbar. Wird ein Textil aus diesem Garn unter Wasser getaucht, bleibt es also komplett trocken.

Alexandra Plewnia stieß auf dieses Phänomen auf der Suche nach grünen Alternativen zu wasserabweisenden Textilien, die oftmals mit Fluorpolymeren oder anderer Chemie behandelt sind. Die auf dem Markt existierenden, umweltfreundlichen Produkte sind oft nicht leistungsstark genug. Ein Umstand, den die 30-Jährige ändern möchte.

Ist das Garn erst produziert, soll es an Unternehmen vertrieben werden. Die könnten wiederum daraus Outdoor-Kleidung oder zum Beispiel Schutzausrüstung herstellen. Aus dieser Idee erwächst momentan ein Start-Up. Das Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Klimaschutz hat rund 1,84 Millionen Euro Fördergeld für diesen vielversprechenden Ansatz bewilligt. Ein Patent hat die junge Forscherin bereits angemeldet. Die Masterarbeit wurde von Prof. Dr. Robert Groten betreut.

„Das Preisgeld der Wilhelm-Lorch-Stiftung möchte ich nutzen, um mich im Personalbereich, vor allem in der Teamführung und im Patentrecht, weiterzubilden“, verrät die Mönchengladbacherin.

Die Wilhelm-Lorch-Stiftung trägt den Namen des 1966 verstorbenen Gründers des Deutschen Fachverlags und der TextilWirtschaft. Jedes Jahr werden Projekte und talentierte Nachwuchskräfte der Textil- und Modebranche in den Kategorien Kreation, Wirtschaft, Technik und Weiterbildung im Handel ausgezeichnet. In diesem Jahr wählte die Stiftung, deren Stiftungsratsvorsitzende Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Maike Rabe von der Hochschule Niederrhein ist, aus insgesamt 60 Bewerbungen sieben junge Frauen und Männer für ihre überzeugenden Arbeiten aus.

Gemeinsam mit dem Spitzenkoch und Visionär Heiko Antoniewicz hat Weitblick eine Kollektion hochwertiger Kochkleidung entwickelt. Zusammen mit dem Küchenprofi wurden Kleidungsstücke für die Branche kreiert, die höchste Haltbarkeit, langlebige Qualität und beste Waschbarkeit aufweisen.

Die Kollektion ist angelegt auf acht Teile, darunter drei Kochhemden und drei Kochblusen, erhältlich in den arbnuancen Nachtblau, Schilfgrün und Weiß. Zusätzlich gibt es eine Komforthose mit moderner Schnittführung und angenehmen Tragegefühl, erhältlich in Nachtblau und Schilfgrün. Alle Artikel sind kombinierbar, universell einsetzbar und in einem breiten Größenspektrum erhältlich.

Die Kleidungsstücke haben eine Materialzusammensetzung aus 47% PES, 47% CO und 6% EOL. Diese wird nicht nur partiell bei Gewebe-Einsätzen verwendet, sondern kommt Allover zum Einsatz. Das macht die Kollektion elastisch und komfortabel beim Tragen Durch die Mischung aus Baumwolle und Polyester können die Vorteile beider Materialien genutzt werden: Baumwolle hat eine fantastische Haptik und zieht die Feuchtigkeit ein. Polyester transportiert die Feuchtigkeit ab.

Unter den Armen eingearbeitete Bewegungskeile verhindern das Rutschen der Kochhemden- und blusen über den Bauch, werden die Arme gehoben. Eine eingearbeitete Nackenschlaufe kann eine Latzschürze halten. Eine verdeckte Knopfleiste und eine Leistentasche am linken Ärmel sind ebenfalls eingearbeitet.

Smart textiles have the potential to revolutionise healthcare. In his doctoral thesis in textile technology at the University of Borås, Emanuel Gunnarsson presents unique solutions to the bottleneck that has long inhibited the market.

With an ageing population, increasing demands are being placed on healthcare and smart textiles can offer a solution where only imagination sets limits. “The long-term goal of most smart textiles is for them to be so easy to use that the user doesn't think of them as anything more than regular garments. No special procedure should be needed to use them. If we succeed in that, we won't burden healthcare by having healthcare personnel administer vital parameter monitoring such as blood pressure and pulse, as the user can handle it themselves,” said Emanuel Gunnarsson.

In his work, he has investigated how a t-shirt for measuring heart rhythm and movement patterns, and garments for electrostimulation, can be produced in a single step. This involves the connection between the contact surfaces (electrodes), the insulated conductive paths between the electrode and the contact point, and the electrical measuring equipment required.

“This, as far as we know, has never been described before. We are completely convinced that this is the solution to a significant bottleneck when it comes to getting the smart textile market going in earnest,” said Emanuel Gunnarsson.

His work has resulted in two different simple ways to produce smart textiles. He demonstrates that sensors can be integrated using standard textile manufacturing methods. The research also includes criticism of some of the methods used to measure the functionality of smart textiles, and advice on how to do it better instead.

“The next natural step will be to see how these garments cope with one of the toughest challenges a garment faces, namely washing. Especially as these garments must be worn closest to the skin, they will need to be washed relatively often,” said Emanuel Gunnarsson.

Studies from other universities indicate that the yarns used to measure signals from the body do not withstand many washes, but after a small pilot study, Emanuel Gunnarsson is hopeful of the opposite.

The Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG appointed Dr. Walter Bickel as a member of the Managing Board and Chief Transformation Officer of Lenzing AG with effect from April 15, 2024 until December 31, 2025. The experienced manager will strengthen the Lenzing Managing Board and will be responsible for the further development and implementation of the performance program. Lenzing AG’s existing performance program was successfully initiated by the Managing Board in autumn 2023 and focuses on positive free cash flow, strengthened sales and margin growth, and sustainable cost excellence. The appointment of a separate member of the Managing Board for the performance program underlines its importance for the economic recovery of Lenzing AG and will make a significant contribution to achieving the goals. In addition, this ensures that the existing Managing Board can devote all the necessary resources to its core tasks in sales, operations and finances.

Dr. Walter Bickel is an expert in implementing yield increase programs. He has decades of leadership experience in management consulting and in leading positions in industrial companies. As a member of top management, he has successfully supported comprehensive performance programs at companies such as KUKA, Treofan and Syntegon. At Lenzing, Walter Bickel will further advance and accelerate the performance program, which has already made important contributions to improving earnings, and tap into additional performance improvement potential aiming for a significant sustainable increase of Lenzing’s earning power and competitiveness.

Barry-Wehmiller announces the appointment of George Berg as the Vice President of Global Supply Chain. In this new role, Berg will lead and develop a team to serve as the primary contact between Barry-Wehmiller and its suppliers throughout the world.

Under Berg’s leadership, the Enterprise Supply Chain team will establish formal guidelines that govern business transactions with Barry-Wehmiller and outline clear expectations for suppliers. Specifically, they will set global procurement policies and establish global preferred suppliers to deliver greater value to customers.
This reorganization streamlines operations across the spectrum of Barry-Wehmiller companies and provides suppliers with more opportunities as they deliver savings, support innovation, increase quality and reduce lead times.

Berg brings a wealth of experience in supply chain management. He joins Barry-Wehmiller from Robert Bosch, where he worked for 27 years in various supply chain, operation and finance roles. His most recent role was Vice President of Logistics and Supply Chain for the $1.6 billion automotive aftermarket division, where he led all supply chain functions, including planning, warehousing, transportation and foreign trade. Before that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning division. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of the packaging division, which manufactured vertical and horizontal packaging systems for the food industry.