From the Sector

Rosemary Moore, inventor of the original and ground-breaking 4 way stretch and crinkle fabric, together with Graduate Fashion Foundation has announced the shortlisted 3 finalists in an international fashion design competition.

Students from the leading fashion and design universities across the UK and internationally were challenged to design a trend led womenswear S/S 2026 capsule collection utilising the famous MAXXAM® fabrics. Celebrating the fabric’s history the range had to be timeless, multi-purpose and include a minimum of one piece of swimwear.  

Judged by Rosemary and the team at Graduate Fashion Foundation, a shortlist of 3 winners has been announced.

• Ivo Gomes - Solent University, Fashion Design
• Ella Brooks-Birkett - Manchester Fashion Institute @ The Manchester Metropolitan University, BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Technology
• Paballo Mafokate - STADIO School of Fashion, Honours in Fashion

Rosemary said, “It has been incredibly exciting to work on this project with Graduate Fashion Foundation and all the leading universities across the country and abroad. I have been absolutely overwhelmed with the number of entries we received and the passion and talent that the students have demonstrated. It has been really difficult to narrow down more than 40 entries to a shortlist of 10 students, who I was lucky enough to meet in person, and even harder to get to our 3 finalists, Ivo, Ella and Paballo.

All the applicants for the competition displayed a very high standard of creativity and imagination and in the end, we had to look at the finer details of the actual designs and the commerciality for carrying them forward.

Rosemary Moore invented the unique MAXXAM® fabric in the early 1980s which took the fashion world by storm and became renowned for its 4-way stretch, tactile characteristics, and one-size-fits-all seamless clothing used predominantly for adult clothing and swimwear

Ivo displayed a fresh approach using laser cutting concepts and the novelty for reusing the waste in other aspects of the design creation. His laser designs offered versatility when intermixing the separate parts to dress up or down for a week away. Paballo impressed with her collection theme and her creativity as it offered a real sincerity to the origins of her landscape combining the waste and traditional techniques of Artisans in South Africa. Ella gave a fresh youthful approach to the styling of her separates with well-considered use of our textiles to offer the freedom for intermixing from day into night and beach to trekking.

I’m thrilled to say the competition has showcased the best of our future fashion talent and we look forward to sharing the final winner at Graduate Fashion Week!”

The 3 finalists will showcase looks in the Graduate Fashion Week Gala Show and exhibition (13th- 16th June 2025 at the Truman Brewery, Shoreditch) where a final overall winner will be chosen to receive the coveted prize of working directly with Rosemary and her manufacturers on their designs with the chance of one of their pieces going into manufacture.  
Ivo Gomes commented, “Getting to this stage of the competition feels wonderful! To win the competition, I would feel like I had won in life! Regardless of the final result, it will have been a valuable learning experience and I value, learning above everything else.”

Ella Brooks-Birkett commented, “I’m super excited to get to this point in the competition, and I didn't expect it at all. It's such a great experience to come down to London for the live judging. I would be absolutely blown away if I won the competition because this is really out of my comfort zone, and I know to win would really get me started in the fashion industry.”

Paballo Mafokate said, “I'm truly honored to get to this stage of the competition and be recognised for my creativity.  To win a competition from a global fashion platform is not something that is familiar within the African continent, and I believe that it would be a beautiful moment and blessing for me and a jump start for my career in fashion.”

The students design journey can be followed on GFF social channels using the #GFFxMAXXAM.

The return of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris to the Paris-Le-Bourget exhibition centre from 10 to 12 February will see a number of innovations both in terms of the products on offer and the visitor itineraries.

More than 1,200 weavers and garment makers are expected in Halls 2, 3 and 4 of the exhibition centre for this first edition in 2025. This return to a redesigned space marks a new chapter in the visitor experience. This session will also offer a true reflection of the diversity of global sourcing, with creative ranges at competitive prices for the fashion industries.

New sourcing destinations for Texworld
Alongside the Top 5 weaving nations loyal to Texworld - China, Türkiye with its 70 manufacturers grouped together under the pavilion of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, India, Korea and Taiwan - alternative sourcing zones such as Malaysia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, the Netherlands and Egypt are enriching the show's offering. Dutch exhibitors Quality Textile, Nooteboom and Verhees Textiles are also back in the cotton sector, with cutting-edge and particularly creative catalogues. In the knitwear sector, we can also note the participation of the Koreans O.N.K, specialists in circular knitting, W-Tex, whose polyester blends produce remarkable fancy fabrics, or specialists in silky aspects such as JK Tex or TL Corporation. The Denim sector is growing this year, with around thirty exhibitors, including some of the world's leading names such as Winwin Textile from China and Bangladeshi supplier NZ Denim.

Innovations, initiatives and sustainability
The new “Initiatives” zone at the entrance of Hall 4 will be showcasing inspiring and sustainable solutions, such as that of Vietnamese company Bao Lan Textile with its range of silk and fabrics made from pineapple leaf fibre. These products, developed with Ecofa Vietnam, have natural antibacterial properties and offer natural UV protection up to 50+ UPF. This area will also host the China Textile Information Centre's trends forum, as well as the Econogy Hub, which brings together Messe Frankfurt's expertise on sustainability-related initiatives in the textile sector. Also to be discovered in the activewear sector is the range from Japan's Toyoshima, known for its streetwear collections, its ‘non-denim’ fabrics that consume very little water, and its astonishing wagami fabrics, produced from blends of very fine yarns made to order from cotton, linen and wool.

Apparel Sourcing: focus on Africa and near sourcing
Apparel Sourcing also has a great session in store. With more than 500 exhibitors expected - up on February 2024 - the show's rich offering of finished products, clothing and fashion accessories will be on full display over the three days. Especially when it comes to local sourcing. Alongside the major manufacturing nations - led by China and India, and Pakistan and Bangladesh, both of which have grouped their exhibitors under their national pavilions - visitors will have access to products from the Africa zone, with a hub of companies from Ethiopia, Rwanda (Pink Mango) and the Arise Integrated Industrial Platform, which brings together the expertise of garment manufacturers based in Togo, Benin and Gabon. Ukraine, back with 5 companies supported by its national textile association, will be adding to the Euromed offering from Foursource, Messe Frankfurt's near sourcing partner, which will be presenting catalogues from companies in Eastern Europe, Portugal and Morocco.

An optimised sourcing experience
The return to Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre has been accompanied by an overhaul of the organisation of visitor areas. The layout of sectors and services has been reviewed to create new synergies between raw materials and finished products. Women's wear areas (All about her, Embrodery & Lace, Silky aspect...) have been set up in Hall 4 - dedicated to knitwear, silk and lace - and a large area will be devoted to the outdoor - sportswear - casualwear offer in Hall 3. Hall 2 will be a focal point for relaxation, catering and networking, as well as a place for inspiration and exchange, with trend forums, product presentations, services and the Agora for conferences and round tables.

Econogy, Small Quantity & Hand Made: themed itineraries
Three exhibitor itineraries have been designed by the Messe Frankfurt France team to meet visitors' needs. The Econogy Finder trail, for example, enables visitors to find more than 80 suppliers of sustainable textiles, listed in the show app and indicated by the Econogy logos visible on the corresponding booths. The Small Quantity itinerary then highlights the more than 200 suppliers able to offer small quantity production (less than 300 pieces for garments or less than 100 metres for fabrics). A plus for buyers looking for limited editions or small orders for capsule collections. Finally, the Hand Made itinerary identifies the more than 130 exhibitors whose catalogues feature authentic, handmade products or unique skills. These manufacturers can also be found directly on the fair's online directory.

Kornit Digital announced that United Kingdom-based GoCustom Clothing has installed the Kornit Avalanche HD6 system for on-demand, direct-to-garment (DTG) digtal production. This installment coincides with GoCustom Clothing’s implementation of the KornitX platform, which provides a streamlined end-to-end workflow between the brand’s online customer stores and their production floor.

GoCustom Clothing offers print and embroidery services, and began by providing workwear for local businesses before branching out to school hoodies and uniforms. As their e-commerce business grew and orders became more diverse, GoCustom Clothing determined it was best to add digital DTG production capabilities, which could accommodate both orders of 1,000-plus pieces and single pieces. GoCustom originally invested in a Kornit Storm system for on-demand production, before upgrading to a Kornit Avalanche HD6 for increased capacity.

Kornit Avalanche HD6 can digitally produce numerous apparel types without considerable setup time.  Pallets can be changed quickly to handle different sizes and applications, versus the costly and time-consuming processes associated with screen printing operations. Furthermore, digitizing operations with KornitX,  Kornit’s operating system for on-demand sustainable fashion, means increased control and management of the end-to-end fulfillment process, from front-end steps including design, order management, and virtual catalog to smart routing of orders, production, packaging, and shipping.

Kornit Digital announced United Kingdom-based Tayprint has implemented the Kornit Avalanche HD6 system for efficient, versatile direct-to-garment (DTG) apparel production on demand. This technology effectively replaces the use of screen printing within their operation, reducing their cost per print while making short runs profitable, eliminating inventory and resource waste, speeding production, and ensuring nearly unlimited design capabilities, applied to a broad array of materials, using a single eco-friendly ink set.

While Tayprint predominantly serves as a provider of large-format digital printing, delivering approximately 500,000 square metres of imprinted product annually, they had established a screen-printing operation, as well, generating roughly £200,000 in t-shirt sales per year. While this provided a strong profit channel, screens offered limited growth potential, as order volumes were shrinking, customers demanded quick turnaround, graphic capabilities were limited, and setting up was a drain on both labour and materials. Each of these drawbacks are addressed by Kornit’s on-demand digital production technology, which enables suppliers to imprint apparel in any quantity, using a single-step process, completing the process in mere minutes.

Lectra brings together partnership schools and industry experts to discuss how changing professions
in fashion are impacting training programs

Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather,
technical textiles and composite materials, recently welcomed partners from the world of
education to the company’s Bordeaux-Cestas campus for its eighth education congress. The
event was dedicated to the mega trends shaping the fashion industry and impacting
professions from design to production.

Over fifty representatives from among the most important fashion schools in Germany, Canada, China,
USA, France, Hong Kong, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, United Kingdom, Switzerland and Sweden, participated
in this biannual meeting between industry experts and teaching professionals.

Fashion professions are evolving as companies make their first steps towards Industry 4.0, adopting 3D
and rationalizing the lifecycle management for their collections thanks to PLM. Lectra’s congress enabled
schools to discuss the developing role of designers and patternmakers, and the new elements to be
integrated into training programs.

Lectra illustrated future changes through presentations on design, patternmaking, 3D prototyping, and PLM.
“It is fundamental to bring innovation experts in the industry together with fashion schools, because
students will drive the evolution of this industry,” stated Pascal Denizart, Managing Director of the Centre
européen des textiles innovants (CETI).

Working with schools to design courses which meet the needs of fashion companies has always been at
the heart of Lectra’s education program. During the event, the company presented collaborative
experiences between partner schools and fashion brands, such as the competitions organised by Lectra
with Missoni, Balenciaga, and Armani in Italy, as well as Peacebird in China and JC Penney in the United
States.

In the United Kingdom, Lectra collaborated with COS (H&M group) and the Arts University Bournemouth
(AUB) for a competition centred on the design of a collection with zero waste.
“The process was totally digital, from design to the creation of a virtual prototype in 3D. Our students learnt
to optimize each stage of the process. By leveraging the use of Kaledo®, Modaris® and Diamino®, the
collaborative work between AUB, COS and Lectra is exactly the type of project that enormously motivates
our students. Live briefs developed with leading fashion brands and Lectra offer excellent opportunities
which directly inform industry currency and student employability,” explained Penny Norman, a lecturer at
AUB.

The event also shone the spotlight on China and its major role in the evolution of the fashion industry.
Li Min, Vice-Dean of the fashion and design faculty at Donghua university in Shanghai spoke of the event,
organized by Lectra, which brought together major Chinese companies, experts, and representatives from
the biggest schools in China.

“Exchanges on the impact of the Made in China 2025 plan on the fashion industry can better prepare
students for tomorrow’s professions, where digital and automation will occupy a far more central position
than today,” testified Li Min.

"The fashion industry is evolving so fast that sharing insights and best practices with experts and other
fashion schools has become vital to ensure we offer the best learning experience and technology tools to
our students", said Dr. Trevor J. Little, Professor of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management in
the College of Textiles at NC State University.

“Lectra’s eighth education congress confirms the company’s commitment to our partner schools. We
shared our analysis of the market, the digitalization of the eco-system, and how Industry 4.0 principles can
be applied to the fashion industry. We also discussed mass customization and the role of PLM. While these
are key subjects for our customers, many schools are only now approaching them. We are preparing
tomorrow, today: Lectra is supporting our customers, and schools to play an essential role,” concludes
Céline Choussy Bedouet, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Lectra.