From the Sector

Eastman Naia™ is participating at this spring’s Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, a leading expo for high-performance and sustainable textiles focusing on outdoor, lifestyle, and activewear textiles. The event offers an ideal platform to unveil Naia™ On The Move, the latest application for dynamic and urban living.

Naia™ On The Move marks the next evolution in Eastman’s Naia™ cellulosic fiber development. This new blending solution concept extends the outstanding properties of Naia™ Renew staple fiber and is designed for the light sports activities and urban lifestyle segments. Manufactured through Eastman’s molecular recycling technology, Naia™ Renew fiber incorporates 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% recycled waste materials via GRS-certified mass balance. This enables the creation of high-quality cellulose acetate fibers with a significantly reduced environmental impact.

Naia™ On The Move is an application designed for active, everyday wear, showcasing how Naia™ Renew staple fiber blends deliver next-to-skin comfort, breathability, and a soft hand feel, along with superior moisture management and quick-dry capability. Garments stay fresh throughout the day, holding their shape and resisting pilling even after repeated washes. In addition, the application supports consumers navigating urban environments where shifting temperatures, humidity, and active routines call for adaptable apparel solutions.

Third-party testing confirms Naia™ Renew staple fiber can manage moisture and reduce odor more effectively than polyester, and at lower blend ratios. Furthermore, it combines well with fibers such as wool and polyester to enhance overall comfort and wearing experience. This adaptability empowers designers to create collections that are effortlessly stylish, responsibly made and always on the move.

After premiering in Shanghai, Naia™ On The Move makes its official debut in Portlandti “Naia™ On The Move was born from a clear need in the market, for materials that move with the rhythm of people’s lives,” said Chad Doub, global segment leader of staple fibers for Eastman’s textiles division. “It responds to how people really live today, bringing together everyday comfort and technical performance that last throughout the day.”

Functional Fabric Fair is the perfect setting for visitors to experience Naia™ On The Move and the full Naia™ range. Attendees can visit Naia™ from Eastman at Booth 920 to discover certified fiber solutions that unite comfort, function, and a more sustainable future for textiles.

BODICE, a contemporary Indian fashion label unveiled its much-anticipated collection as a runway show at the BODICE flagship store in New Delhi. Rooted in the idea of self-discovery, the collection embraces evolving identity through artisan-collaborations and intuitive design. The garments of this collection are made with fabrics using Bemberg™ yarn, which are produced in Surat and Varanasi, prominent textile centers in India.

The roots of this partnership between Bemberg™ and BODICE traces back to an inspiring journey that began in last November. Asahi Kasei invited BODICE’s founder & creative director, Ruchika Sachdeva, to Japan such as Kyoto, and Nobeoka city in Miyazaki prefecture where Bemberg plant is located. This immersive trip allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of not only the local craftmanship which has supported Japanese textile industry, but also Bemberg™’s heritage and its commitment to sustainability.

The next phase of the journey took Ruchika and BODICE’s team to two of India’s most renowned textile centers—Surat and Varanasi. In these bustling markets, they handpicked a curated selection of fabrics using Bemberg™ fiber.

Returning to the runway after a significant hiatus, BODICE’s latest collection is an ode to transformation—a narrative brought to life through an immersive experience that brings together textures, techniques, and silhouettes.

At the heart of the collection is a deep reverence for material and technique, drawing inspiration from Japan’s refined approach to craftsmanship. It features Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, a regenerated cellulose fiber that resonates with BODICE’s commitment to sustainability and responsible design. BODICE’s signature brush-printing technique created with Jaipur’s block-printing artisans, adds depth and texture, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to innovation. The collection also embraces upcycling through colour-blocking techniques, where fabric scraps are repurposed into dynamic, structured silhouettes. With a focus on longevity and wearability, each piece is designed to stay relevant and be timeless, while making way for a more responsible approach to fashion.

Takeshi Iitaka, General Manger, Bemberg Division of Asahi Kasei Corporation, Japan says” Bemberg™ has been operating its business with an eye toward coexistence with the environment since 1931, and is committed to collaborating with partners whose business philosophy aligns with this. From that perspective, this collaboration with BODICE is aligned with our business philosophy, and we are extremely honored that so many people will be able to learn about this collaborative event between our two companies, two countries, two cultures. We believe this collection which has innovative way of using fabrics made from Bemberg™ yarn will be exciting for all. “

The showcase unfolds as a refined interplay of movement and form. Set to evocative sounds in a lush spring landscape, the presentation reflects the collection’s core theme—transformation, balance, and evolving identity.

Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd and Concept N Strategies has announced partnership to introduce ‘Sporttech pavilion’ – a dedicated area showcasing sports and activewear textiles and accessories under Techtextil India 2025. It is a premier platform dedicated to the rapidly expanding sports and fitness textiles at Techtextil India 2025. This strategic alliance aims to provide a major boost to the segment aiming to showcase innovations in speciality fabrics, yarns, sportswear and gear, high-performance textiles and sustainable materials, generating remarkable opportunities for the entire textile universe, especially, for sportswear brands.

The Indian sports and fitness textiles sector are transforming remarkably, driven by the evolving consumer lifestyles, advanced material innovations and growing government support. Amidst this backdrop, this partnership marks a significant leap of growth for the specialised textiles segment, which is envisioned as a game-changer in the Indian sports and activewear market.

The demand for cutting-edge moisture-wicking fabrics, compression wear, breathable textiles and sustainable sports and fitness fabrics are at an all-time high. Rising health consciousness consumers and increasing appetite for high-performance sportswear, are also contributing to the growing demand. This makes Techtextil India 2025 the perfect launchpad for this specialised segment. This collaboration seamlessly aligns with the growing push for self-reliance in textile manufacturing, bundled with the Indian government’s focus on technical textile innovations and expanding domestic production capabilities. Industry leaders are recognising this as the perfect time to showcase national innovations in fitness textiles on the global stage of Techtextil India.

Industry figures highlight growth of this segment:

• The Indian sportswear market: valued at USD 10.2 million in 2024
• Expected to reach USD 16.6 million by 2033 at a CAGR of 5.1% during 2025-2033*1 according to a recent report by IMARC Group.
• Global sportswear market size was valued at USD 206.64 billion in 2024.
• Expected to reach USD 350.45 billion by 2032, exhibiting a CAGR of 7.84% during the forecast period.

This segment will see an expansion of the exhibitor profile with inclusion of:

• Sports textile material producers including compression fabrics, breathable textiles, suppliers of sustainable and recycled textiles suitable for sports equipment and gear manufacturers
• Producers of sports and fitness equipment with an emphasis on textile-based products like: yoga mats, fitness bands, straps, & etc
• Accessories and footwear manufacturers for products like gloves, bands headgear and socks using innovative materials; manufacturers and brands showcasing new textile technologies in sports footwear and performance shoes
• Smart textile manufacturers producing materials embedded with sensors for fitness tracking; chemical suppliers for sports textiles
• Producers of finishing chemicals that enhance performance e.g. anti-odour, UV protection, water-repellent coatings
• Manufacturers of various fitness textiles and activewear materials and textile machinery manufacturers, equipment suppliers, suppliers of technology for fabric testing, dyeing, and finishing for sportswear and more.

With such an extensive product showcase, the expo aims to attract visitors from major sportswear retailers and distributors, product developers, fitness enthusiasts, fashion designers, research and development professionals, textile institutes, sourcing specialists and other professionals from the textile spectrum looking for the next big breakthrough in the segment. The dedicated space for Sporttech Pavilion will serve as a powerful business catalyst connecting material innovators, sportswear brands and textile manufacturers with national and international sourcing leaders.

Researchers at Cornell have developed a new type of smart clothing that can track a person’s posture and exercise routine but looks, wears – and washes – just like a regular shirt.

The new technology, called SeamFit, uses flexible conductive threads sewn into the neck, arm and side seams of a standard short-sleeved T-shirt. The user does not need to manually log their workout, because an artificial intelligence pipeline detects movements, identifies the exercise and counts reps. Afterward, the user simply removes a circuit board at the back neckline, and tosses the sweaty shirt into the washing machine.

The team envisions that SeamFit could be useful for athletes, fitness enthusiasts and patients engaged in physical therapy.

Most existing body-tracking clothing is tight and restrictive or embedded with chunky sensors, according to Catherine Yu, a doctoral student in the field of information science and lead researcher on the project.

“We were interested in how we can make clothing smart without making it bulky or unusable,” Yu said, “and to push the practicality, so that people can treat it the way they would usually treat their clothing.”

Alternatively, athletes can choose fitness trackers, like smartwatches or rings, but these are extra devices that people may not want to wear while exercising, and can’t track movement across the entire body.

“Not everyone is willing to try out a new wearable form factor, but people will have clothes on,” said co-author Cheng Zhang, assistant professor of information science in the Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science. “We provide a very neat form factor that is always on you.”

Their study,“SeamFit: Towards Practical Smart Clothing for Automatic Exercise Logging,” published in March in the Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies, and will be presented at the UbiComp/ISWC 2025 meeting in October.

Most mass-produced clothing has seams, which Yu realized could be exploited to make a comfortable, affordable piece of smart clothing. She constructed three SeamFit shirts – in small, medium and large – using a home sewing machine to attach conductive threads on top of the seams. The three sizes allowed users to choose a looser or tighter fit, but did complicate the process of interpreting each user’s movements.

To test the shirts’ performance, the team recruited 15 volunteers, who did a series of 14 exercises – including lunges, sit-ups and biceps curls – while wearing SeamFit. Without any calibration or training for each user, SeamFit’s model classified the exercises with 93.4% accuracy and successfully counted reps, with counts that, on average, were off by less than one.

SeamFit works because when people exercise, the threads’ capacitance – their ability to store charge – changes as the threads move, deform and interact with the human body. The circuit board at the back neckline measures the capacitances and transmits them through a Bluetooth connection to a computer. A customized, lightweight signal-processing and machine-learning pipeline then deciphers the movements.

After the workouts, Yu washed and dried the shirts at home.

The project is a new iteration of SeamPose, a previous effort to track body postures using conductive threads in eight seams of a long-sleeve T-shirt.

The team envisions that this type of unobtrusive smart clothing could be especially useful for athletes logging their exercise routines and for physical therapists monitoring the progress of patients at home.

More broadly, this type of technology could assist with human-AI interaction, because by tracking human movements and activities, AI can better understand when to interact and when to wait – such as when someone is eating or sleeping.

Enabling AI to understand human activity is the main focus of Zhang’s Smart Computer Interfaces for Future Interactions (SciFi) Lab, which develops new, AI-powered wearable sensing systems, to enable AI to comprehend human activities and intentions in everyday settings and provide support when needed.

“While this paper demonstrated the approach for a simple garment, we believe it can easily be adapted to a wide range of garments and could take advantage of the complex seam patterns of advanced sportswear,” said co-author François Guimbretière, professor of information science in Cornell Bowers CIS and the multicollege Department of Design Tech.

To create SeamFit, Yu set up a “little sewing factory” in the lab. However, she is currently exploring how the manufacturing process could be affordably scaled up, using industrial serger machines – which sew and make seams using three or four threads simultaneously – and more robust conductive threads.

“By just replacing a single thread in this mass manufacturing process, all of the clothing could easily become smart and be able to have this motion tracking capability,” Yu said. “I’m imagining one day, you open your closet and there’s really no difference between smart and nonsmart clothing.”

Additional authors on the study include Manru Mary Zhang ’25 and Luis Miguel Malenab ’25; Chi-Jung Lee and Ruidong Zhang, both doctoral students in the field of information science; and Jacky Hao Jiang, a visiting undergraduate from Rice University.

Funding for this work came from the National Science Foundation.

EIM (Environmental Impact Measuring), the leading global platform for measuring the environmental impact of garment finishing—trusted by the world's top brands and textile production centers—presents the "Innovations and Challenges in Denim Finishing: 2024 Report." This pioneering report provides an analysis based on accurate, objective data from over 115,000 denim finishing processes collected through the EIM platform, setting new benchmarks for sustainability in the industry.

The report reveals that 63% of the analyzed processes are already classified as low environmental impact, reflecting a positive shift toward more responsible practices. However, it also highlights critical challenges, such as the high use of hazardous chemicals (24% of processes), particularly pumice stones and potassium permanganate—practices that urgently require safer and more sustainable alternatives due to their negative effects on both the environment and worker health.

Progress in water consumption management is also considered, as this remains one of the key environmental challenges for the textile sector. The report shows that the current average water usage in denim finishing is 30 liters per garment—still above the recommended benchmark of 22.5 liters per garment. Effective strategies for reducing water consumption include optimizing rinsing processes, selecting fabrics that require less aggressive treatments, and implementing technologies such as ozone, e-flow, and smart foam systems.

Among the proposed improvements are also the adoption of advanced technologies to reduce chemical use and protect worker health, such as the strategic selection of ZDHC-certified chemicals and the automation and digitalization of manual processes.

Begoña García, creator of the EIM platform and co-author of the report, states: “For years, the textile industry has lacked reliable tools to measure its environmental impact, making data-driven decisions difficult. This report marks a crucial step toward transparency and continuous improvement, showing that technology is key to measuring and reducing environmental impact.”

The report aims to support informed decision-making based on verifiable data, positioning EIM as a global standard essential for transparency and ongoing sustainability improvements in the textile industry.
The full report is available for download and will be updated annually, serving as a vital tool for brands and suppliers to collaborate in reducing their environmental footprint and advancing toward a more responsible and sustainable production model.

The capacity crowd at the 41st annual Cornell Fashion Collective (CFC) Runway Show saw the mother of all fashion shows.

The annual event, held March 22 in Barton Hall, had one common thread – and it was not necessarily by design: Three designers asked their mothers to wear their designs on the runway. Several more designers’ mothers traveled to Ithaca to see the show, put on by the student-led organization; other designers were inspired by their grandparents.

“It’s unusual to have multiple mothers walk in one show,” said Kim Phoenix, senior lecturer in Human Centered Design in the College of Human Ecology and adviser to CFC. “Historically, a lot of moms pitch in behind the scenes to help with the sewing.”

After traveling five hours to model the collection of her son, Drew Brown ’25, Adria Brown was immediately pressed into service, practically pulling an all-nighter to help him get his design just right. Drew thanked his mom: “It was only through experiencing your embodiment of womanhood that I could produce this collection.”

Brown’s “Jadine” collection was inspired by the movement of water and used symbols from artists and intellectuals from Western Europe, West Africa and America.

Zoe Alvarez ’25 was inspired by the Flower Festival in Medellin, Colombia, where her father lives; her mother, Karen Lopez, modeled the final look in her collection. “Aflora” explored the beauty of flowers, as well as the important function they serve to support pollinators and sustain ecosystems. Each of the pieces in the collection has hidden adjustable features, like a tiered red ruffled skirt that can be unzipped to choose a mini, midi, tea length or floor length to fit the occasion.
A model displays an ensemble designed by Maria Fernanda Serra Almeida Leite ’26. , Click to open gallery view
Credit: Sreang Hok/Cornell University

A model displays an ensemble designed by Maria Fernanda Serra Almeida Leite ’26.

Her red leather jacket has a zipper under the belt, so it can be worn as a longer jacket dress to mid-thigh, or as a cropped jacket. Another look, a floral dress, is fully adjustable within a size range using a lace-up and belt buckle back closure. It’s also reversible to a solid maroon dress, and the bra top separates from the skirt, so it can be worn six different ways and fully adjusted.

“I wanted each look to incorporate functionality in a different way,” Alvarez said. “I want people to be comfortable in their clothes, and to be able to wear them in different settings and for different events. These garments are meant to be worn, cherished over a lifetime, and even passed down.”

Alvarez said her interest in adjustable clothing came from watching her mother struggle to find clothes that fit comfortably after experiencing the natural body changes that come with aging.

“I always disliked the idea of having to buy an entirely new wardrobe every time someone gained or lost weight,” she said. “That constant battle with clothing can really limit self-confidence and self- expression. It’s also just not sustainable to keep buying one time use garments.”

Zada Stuart ’25 paid homage in her collection, “Mother of the World,” which examined the exploitation of nature and sought to honor both mothers and cows for their duty of motherhood. Her designs included two cow fetuses laser-carved out of wood.

Designer Gabrielle Moore ’25 works on her model’s hair prior to the show.

Maria Fernanda Serra Almeida Leite ’26, CFC’s creative director, said her collection was inspired by her mother, and by the song of the Kiskadee bird, called “bem-te-vi” in Brazil. Her collection explored her emotional and physical attachment to the sounds of the Kiskadee bird, to Brazil and to her mother.

Gabrielle Moore ’25 was inspired by her Haitian grandfather to create “Anbla Dlo,” which imagines an underwater city off the coast of Haiti where history, mythology and fashion intertwine.

Marcus McDermott’s mother, Heidi, recounted her son’s lifelong interest in fashion. Even as a preteen, she said, he sported an orange fedora as his signature piece. Now, the senior is designing timeless menswear with an eye toward sustainability, reflected in his collection, “Immutable Beauty.”

McDermott’s collection illustrates how while one’s sense of style can change over time, certain classic pieces have an heirloom quality that never goes out of style.

“His interest in sustainability grew exponentially after a trip to Manhattan with a class where they saw how garments were mass produced,” Heidi McDermott said. “He’s now totally into material development and using organic and biologically sourced materials to make fabrics and dyes. That was definitely a Cornell influence.”

On the occasion of World Water Day, Jeanologia reaffirms its commitment to dehydrating and detoxifying the textile industry by presenting its Ecological Profit and Loss Account—a pioneering report that quantifies the positive impact of its innovative solutions in terms of water savings and emissions reduction.

The figures for 2024: 20,875,400 cubic meters of polluted water saved and a reduction of 98,4 million kilograms of CO₂ emissions—a contribution equivalent to the annual water consumption of a city the size of Valencia and the carbon capture in a year by a forest of 16,000 hectares, the same size as 22,400 football fields. This means millions of liters of wastewater have been prevented from reaching rivers and seas, and millions of kilograms of CO₂ from polluting the atmosphere.

Water scarcity: the textile industry’s challenge and the urgency to act
The fashion industry, one of the most water-intensive and waste-generating sectors, faces a critical challenge. Each year, it is estimated to use 93 billion cubic meters of water and generate 20% of the world’s wastewater, mostly due to processes like dyeing and garment finishing. This scenario highlights the urgent need for transformation.

The global water crisis demands concrete solutions. Jeanologia has proven that it is possible to produce fashion responsibly, significantly reducing environmental impact without compromising quality, authenticity, creativity, or profitability.

The denim revolution is driven by innovation. Since its founding three decades ago, Jeanologia has developed a integrated ecosystem of technologies that enable zero discharge and minimal water usage. Among its specialized solutions for the denim industry are:

• Laser: A pioneering technology that replaces traditional abrasion methods, eliminating the use of water and harmful chemicals.
• eFlow: Uses nanobubbles to transport chemicals precisely to fabrics, minimizing water usage and ensuring zero discharge.
• Airwash Tech (G2 Indra): Replaces conventional water-based garment washing with air, significantly reducing both water and chemical consumption.
• H2Zero: A closed-loop water recycling system that recovers up to 95% of water used during production.

Jeanologia has implemented these technologies in over 80 countries, working with leading global manufacturers to completely transform how jeans are made. Sustainability in the textile sector is no longer a promise—it’s a measurable reality.

Since its founding, Jeanologia has been on a mission to transform the textile industry into a more ethical, sustainable, and efficient model. The company works closely with brands, retailers, and suppliers on this transformative journey, offering disruptive technologies, innovative software, and a new operational model. Their groundbreaking solutions, including laser technology, G2 ozone, Dancing Box, e-flow, H2Zero, and ColorBox, have redefined garment design and finishing standards, eliminating polluting processes and significantly reducing the use of water, energy, and chemicals. Thanks to these advancements, Jeanologia has saved millions of liters of water and eliminated harmful substances, turning its vision of a truly sustainable textile industry into reality.

In 2025, Jeanologia celebrates its 30th anniversary, marking a legacy of three decades of sustainable innovation. From the introduction of its laser technology in 1999, which revolutionized denim finishing, to its current challenge of implementing a revolutionary sustainable garment dyeing process, the Spanish company has pioneered solutions that not only benefit the environment but also optimize operational costs. Looking ahead, Jeanologia remains committed to creating an eco-efficient and ethical textile future, encouraging all industry stakeholders to join its Mission Zero initiative: dehydrate and detoxify the textile industry. No more water and toxic chemicals used in garment finishing around the world.

NEXT-STEP realizes a sustainable, safe, and affordable way to produce groundbreaking bio-based chemicals at a large scale. These innovative molecules will improve the sustainability and recyclability of Polyurethane products and Polylactic acid (PLA) co-polymers.

The project, coordinated by AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members and gathers 12 partners across Europe.

Scaling up sustainable and biodegradable materials is crucial for the future advancement of European industry. Currently, many bio-based alternatives struggle to compete with established fossil-based chemicals due to challenges in environmental, economic, and societal performance. To overcome this, NEXT-STEP aims to develop recyclable products from wood production residues for everyday applications. New biochemical materials will be developed for shoe soles and insulation materials for construction.

By reducing manufacturing costs and using second-generation feedstocks such as hardwood sugars produced from residues derived from sustainably managed forests, NEXT-STEP aims to develop a new chemical platform, 3-methyl-d-valerolactone (3MdVL) that will improve the sustainability and recyclability of polyurethane (PU) products and unlock new engineering plastic applications for polylactic acid (PLA) co-polymers. This initiative seeks to address environmental concerns while fostering the adoption of bio-based materials in various industries.

Thus, NEXT-STEP realizes a sustainable, safe, and affordable way to produce groundbreaking bio-based chemicals at a large scale.

This will be achieved through 6 specific objectives:

• Sourcing and process optimization for EU-based and sustainable feedstocks.
• Scale-up and demonstration of an innovative and resource-efficient process to produce aMVL.
• Scale-up resource-efficient catalytic processes to unlock the use of 3MdVL and 3MPD as bio-based platform chemicals.
• Commercially viable, safe and sustainable building blocks by design.
• Demonstrate the applicability of aMVL, 3MdVL and 3MPD as bio-based chemical platforms to produce bio-based products meeting market requirements.
• Definition of socially acceptable and competitive business and commercialization plan

12 partners from 8 countries
The project, coordinated by AIMPLAS, the Plastics Technology Centre, is supported by the Circular Bio-based Europe Joint Undertaking and its members and gathers 12 partners from 8 EU countries across the value chain have come together to work on the development of sustainable materials from feedstock to end-products. The consortium includes the footwear company Adidas, Fibenol, DBFZ, Quantis, Sapienza Università di Roma, Mevaldi, PDC Research Foundation, Ghent University, Bio Base Europe Pilot Plant, Certech, and Altar.

Ahead of the start of the 2025 season, adidas have unveiled the CLIMACOOL System – comprised of an insulated Jacket and specially created Cooling Vest. The CLIMACOOL System will be available to the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team for any races where hot conditions can impact driver performance.
 
The exceptionel design has been created to address an ongoing performance challenge for drivers throughout the season – staying at the optimum temperature before racing in hot conditions. In hot conditions drivers can experience temperatures in their car reaching 55-60 degrees Celsius leading to up to 4.2kg of sweat loss. The opportunity to help drivers better maintain their optimum temperature exists in a short 20-minute window to cool down after preparation and ahead of the race beginning. The current solution in the sport is to wear a cooling or ice vest, but adidas have created the CLIMACOOL System to maximise the benefit and deliver reductions in skin and core temperature that are unachievable using vests alone.

The adidas CLIMACOOL Jacket consists of a cooling agent working in tandem with cooling fans and insulative materials. In lab testing the System, the Jacket in combination with a specially created Cooling Vest alongside industry leaders INUTEQ, created almost double the impact of wearing only a cooling or ice vest on skin and core temperature. According to existing research*, reductions in core and skin temperature can result in better performance in cognitive tasks as well as improved decision making. Endurance benefit, measured as time to fatigue in time trials, can also see improvement of up to 25%.

The CLIMACOOL System was created in the adidas Innovation Lab and being initially tested with Kimi Antonelli, before both Kimi and George Russell took the opportunity of pre-season testing in Bahrain to take the System into their race day setup. The drivers will have it available to them throughout the season, when the conditions mean the potential performance benefit can be realized. Both drivers and their race teams will continue to provide feedback to adidas to help find every possible performance edge in the design.

The adidas CLIMACOOL System is the second new product in the reintroduction of the adidas CLIMACOOL range after the reveal of an innovative CLIMACOOL shoe last year. Initially designed in 2002, the CLIMACOOL range was created using extensive athlete testing and disrupted the sports industry with cooling technologies never seen before. adidas will bring further CLIMACOOL products to athletes, including solutions for elite athletes at the top of their game, through to explorations in design for the next generation of cooling technology.

Earlier this year adidas returned to the world of motorsport and announced a multi-year partnership with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.

This year’s fashion show AFRIK, the 20th, to be held March 15 in Barton Hall, continues the mission of celebrating cultural unity and diversity across the African diaspora while bringing students of African descent together and sharing Pan-African cultures with the wider Cornell and Ithaca communities. The event will feature clothing from seven professional designers and four student designers incorporating a range of cultural influences, from African to Caribbean to African American.

Thirty-two Cornell students will model the clothes on the runway, and six student groups will perform music and dance, including Baraka Kwa Wimbo, an all-women gospel a cappella group; the Caribbean Students’ Association Dance Ensemble; and the African Dance Repertoire.

The event has been held since the founding of the Pan-African Students Association PASA, although two years ago, it outgrew Duffield Hall, its original venue with a capacity of 650, and moved to Barton to accommodate more attendees. The focus on fashion allows the group to showcase many things at once: the music of the diaspora; the student models; and the designers and their artistry, which often challenges stereotypes of gender, race and nationality.

Students involved in AFRIK and PASA meet the professional designers before the show and hear stories of how they started their brands. PASA students also benefit from the experience of planning a large-scale event.