From the Sector

ISKO is taking part in the Kingpins Show in New York City. At the event taking place on 17 and 18 July at Pier 36, Basketball City, ISKO presents a selection from its diverse collections.

Attendees have the opportunity to explore a selection from ISKO’s main collection, alongside some of the company’s most innovative technologies and products. Each piece exemplifies ISKO’s commitment to blending sophisticated designs with sustainable practices.

The Main Collection is organized into five main macro groups:

• Inflexible: a range of rigid fabrics for contemporary needs, true to denim’s original heritage.
• Motion: combining comfort and an authentic look for good old rigid denim with freedom of movement.
• Extended: traditional denim aesthetic and its ultimate stretch expression. Elegance, treatments, and 4-way-stretch technologies.
• Elite: fabrics families where softness, shine, and silky feel reach their full potential.
• Momentum: unique finishes, intricate constructions, colored coatings, and special denim features.

Other highlights are:

• Casual Line: the premium experience showcasing a versatile and innovative woven fabric collection made with FSC® certified viscose and certified postconsumer recycled polyester.
• ISKO™ Luxury by PG: curated by Paolo Gnutti, this collection merges classic tastes with contemporary visions.

Finally, as ISKO’s FW 25-26 collection features RE&UP fibers, visitors can learn more about the circulartech company that recycles cotton, polyester and polycotton textile waste and transforms it into high-quality Next-Gen fibers, becoming the go-to alternative to virgin options.

adidas unveils the new Real Madrid CF home kit for the 2024/25 campaign, a predominantly white look with subtle detailing.

A crisp white kit has been a trademark look of the club throughout its decorated history; a look adored by the Madridista and worn by some of the greatest players to ever step onto a football pitch. The 2024/25 design is stripped back to the roots of the club, with a minimalistic look and the colour white.

The crafting of the jersey further binds the new kit to the club's DNA, by incorporating a bespoke houndstooth pattern using the initials ‘RM’ throughout the design. adidas utilised a 3D engineering method to construct the jersey in three levels, subtly imbuing the shirt with a layered RM pattern, creating a textured look and feel to add depth and intrigue.

Rounding off the design is a seasonal V-neck collar and minimal black detailing woven through the adidas logo on the shirt, shorts, socks, shirt sponsor and the famous three stripes, which run down the shoulders of the shirt.

The on-field version of the jersey is constructed with HEAT.RDY technology, using advanced materials to maximize air flow to keep players feeling cool, while the fan version features AEROREADY technology, which uses sweat-wicking or absorbent materials to keep the body feeling dry.

The Salvation Army has launched a Take Back Scheme Fashion campaign featuring stylish looks from their generously received clothing donations. As the largest charity owned textile collector in the UK, the Scheme is operated by the trading arm of the charity (SATCoL) who have partnered with some of the largest retailers and brands in the UK including John Lewis and Tesco.
 
The Take Back Scheme is the perfect way for people to support the fashion circular economy while shopping online or instore with their favourite brands.  The campaign invites the public to be part of a drive to reduce waste and extend the useful life of products.

The fashion forward campaign features a collection of garments styled by fashion stylist Karl Willet. Karl is known for his elegantly classic, yet contemporary vision and the images for this campaign nod to his classic styles that stand the test of time.

Karl works with celebrities from across the music/film industry including Paloma Faith, Jermaine Jackson and Geri Halliwell to name a few. Karl shared, “Styling looks with second-hand clothing is a fun and creative way to express your personal style. It’s important to embrace sustainability because not only does it reduce environmental waste, but it also encourages individual style and is affordable. The Take Back Scheme is a way to make a positive difference.”
 
The donated garments featured in the campaign, were specially chosen to reflect The Salvation Army colours of red, white and black, and the charity’s message of hope. SATCoL has made their Take Back Scheme even more accessible with 2 in-store offerings and 12 clothing banks available online, so customers can donate their unwanted items on the go. Each year, The Salvation Army collects around 65,000 tonnes of textiles, diverting them to good uses and raising funds.

The profits raised from the resale of these donations is given to The Salvation Army to continue their work across the UK.

• GOTS Version 7.0 released
• GOTS certified entities grow by 8% and expand to 89 countries
• GOTS releases Due Diligence Handbook for certified entities
• Farm-Gin Registry implemented in India, creating a direct link and better evaluation of incoming data
• GOTS collaborates with European Space Agency and Marple for AI organic cotton project
• #Behindtheseams campaign reaches 21 million+ unique individuals

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), managed by non-profit Global Standard, recognises 2023 as a year of significant milestones. From expansion of GOTS-certified facilities to the release of a new standard version, GOTS remained a beacon for businesses navigating changing legislation, social and environmental demands.

Coming out of one of the strongest years for GOTS, 2023 culminated with 25 GOTS-approved certification bodies reporting a noteworthy 14,676 certified facilities (an 8% growth from 2022) in 89 countries.

Ushering in GOTS Version 7.0
As of 1 March, facilities that become GOTS-certified will operate under the new GOTS Version 7.0, released in March 2023 with a one-year transition period. GOTS Version 7.0 and its accompanying Implementation Manual provides a comprehensive solution for companies who want to produce organic textiles and be supported to ensure compliance with environmental and human rights due diligence along the entire value chain, from field to finished product.

GOTS Version 7.0 also introduced a six-step due diligence process and handbook that equips GOTS-certified operations to proactively identify, assess and mitigate adverse impacts throughout their value chains.

Looking to the future
GOTS initiated in 2023 two major projects in India, the globe’s largest producer of organic cotton. The Farm-Gin Registry was introduced for the 2022-2023 harvest season, which acts as a link between farm and gin and is a tool to strengthen integrity by collecting organic raw seed cotton data producing farm or farm group.

GOTS, the European Space Agency (ESA) and software company Marple launched a new project that aims to show the potential for remote satellite monitoring of organic cotton cultivation systems. The project trained artificial intelligence (AI) to use ESA satellite data to detect cotton fields across India and automatically classify them according to their cultivation standard. By integrating standardised yield metrics, this innovative approach will enable GOTS to generate realistic estimates of organic cotton yields in specific areas. In addition, the project is expected to empower GOTS to recognise cotton fields that have not yet obtained organic certification but possess the potential for a transition to organic cultivation. The first results of the project will be announced in June.

Educating the consumer
GOTS, in its ongoing commitment to stakeholder education, orchestrated in November an immersive 360-degree awareness and educational campaign. Successfully engaging both consumers and industry professionals, the initiative shined a spotlight on GOTS-certified companies and their products, which empowered consumers to make more conscientious choices while shopping. With an impressive turnout of over 250 certified entities, the campaign made a significant global impact, reaching more than 21 million unique individuals worldwide.

For the second chapter of their Spring/Summer 2024 collection, adidas and Yohji Yamamoto continue to explore the concept of Contra-Natural. The collection highlights the tensions at the heart of Y-3: sport and boundary pushing design, organic and synthetic, linear perfection and natural imperfection.

For Chapter 2, Y-3 introduces a selection of dynamic apparel looks with a focus on refined cotton twill workwear inspired garments and reimagined sporting classics. Subtle yet bold overshirts, cargo pants, and tops are constructed with utility pockets and adjustable hems, while updated takes on the iconic adidas Superstar Tracksuit are elevated with topographical map piping. A selection of garments inspired adidas’ Teamgeist soccer jerseys rounds out the apparel collection, with each piece bearing a digital rust print inspired by the natural process of oxidation. Accompanying the apparel offering is a suite of accessories including nylon backpacks, totes, and holdalls.

From apparel to footwear, the second seasonal chapter plays host to an expressive selection of silhouettes as adidas performance Running technology is recontextualized through the lens of Y-3. Moving boldly into tomorrow, Yohji Yamamoto’s take on adidas’ pinnacle running silhouette takes the form of the Y-3 PRIME X 2 STRUNG, while the Y-3 ADIOS PRO 3.0 arrives in three colorways.

From the past, reborn, to the future, the Y-3 Spring/Summer 2024 Chapter 2 collection is then punctuated by the Y-3 WATER SLIDE, the Y-3 SANDAL, and an update to the instantly recognizable Y-3 ITOGO which sees the silhouette’s straps swapped out for an engineered print.

Eastman announces a partnership with Patagonia to address textile waste.

The outdoor apparel company teamed up with Eastman to recycle 8,000 pounds of pre- and post-consumer clothing waste, which Eastman processed through its molecular recycling technology. The process involves breaking down Patagonia’s unusable apparel into molecular building blocks that Eastman can use to make new fibers.

"We know apparel waste is a major problem, and consumers increasingly want better, more sustainable solutions when their most loved clothing reaches the end of its life," said Natalie Banakis, materials innovation engineer for Patagonia.

"Our collaborations show the world what’s possible when it comes to sustainability,” said Carolina Sister Cohn, global marketing lead for Eastman textiles. “We have the technology to make the textiles industry circular, and we know it requires collaboration with innovative brands to make circular fashion possible. This is only the beginning, and we look forward to more collaborations throughout 2024."

The Fashion for Good museum in Amsterdam marks its 6 year journey with a special fashion exhibition focused on circularity, called What Goes Around Comes Around. Honing in on how circularity plays out in different circles of influence, the exhibition showcases inspirational displays that make tangible what a circular fashion industry will look like.

What Goes Around Comes Around pays homage to the extraordinary work of pioneering artists, innovators and designers working to shift the fashion industry with new solutions. The exhibition opens January 27, 2024 and will be open to the public for 5 months. It is the grand finale, as the Museum is closing its doors. As such it will be the Museum’s final call to collective action, which the fashion industry still so highly needs.

“We are highlighting three areas in What Goes Around Comes Around", explains curator Sophie Jager-van Duren at the Fashion for Good Museum. “First: new work by local artists Atelier Reservé and The Patchwork Family, design collectives working towards circularity, demonstrating what is happening right now. We are also showing looks from established designers BOTTER, Ronald van der Kemp and Marga Weimans, Yuima Nakazato and Nicole McLaughlin. Second, the community, with an installation for visitors to participate in, planting the seed that we need each other to change the fashion system. Lastly, the industry - honing in on examples of innovations and technologies. We invited designers to create new work with circular materials including Living Ink, MIRUM, Altmat and Biophilica.”

Today’s fashion industry is caught in a vicious cycle of ‘take-make-waste’ and this system has a growing negative impact on people and the planet. For instance, in Europe, the average consumer is responsible for 15 kilos of textile waste per year and these numbers are increasing. To address this, we need action from individuals, the industry and society alike to go from a linear take-make-waste model into one that is circular by design.

The Fashion for Good Museum is inviting anybody to come visit its final exhibition and learn from concrete examples, to understand the current state of the fashion industry, gain the tools for taking individual or collective action and be inspired by circular fashion available today.

Designing for circularity means designing without creating waste or pollution, as all materials are continually reused instead of discarded. A circular system is restorative and regenerative and reduces pressure on natural resources. The ultimate goal of the exhibition is to put circularity into practice, help people envision a circular economy based on community practices and empower visitors to take collective action, starting in the museum but extending to their homes and daily lives.

Through the exhibition and its public programme, which consists of interactive workshops and educational events, the museum functions as a community space where visitors are invited to learn, gain new perspectives and are exposed to inspiring examples, building the skills and knowledge to create positive change. The upcoming few months there are multiple events, educational toolkits and other opportunities to join us, all open for the public, keep an eye out on our website and social media channels for the latest updates.

The exhibition is open for the public from Saturday 27th of January until June 5th 2024, marking World Environment Day on June 5th as the final closing day of the museum.

There are only a few days left until the SEEK community comes together at the Station Berlin on 16 and 17 January 2024. The team around SEEK's Show Director Marie-Luise Patzelt is looking forward to welcome around 200 brands, speakers such as Jessica Arnold (Adidas), Sebastian Haufellner (Lodenfrey), Yannik Dietrich (Breuninger), Martyna Zastawna (Vogue), numerous game changers from the sustainability scene and new fashion and lifestyle inspirations.

The new alliance between SEEK and UNION Showroom presents its joint project "THE JUNCTION" for the first time. A selection of high-quality brands with a focus on craftsmanship, origin, and history will be presented in Station Berlin's exclusive loft spaces, includes brands such as A New Sweden, Bruné, Freenote Cloth, Fullcount, Godspeed, Good-Alls, Hidden Aces, Nudie Jeans, Oodoo Boots, Paltò, Viberg, White Sand, and Tenue. THE JUNCTION starts simultaneously with UNION on 14.01.24 and ends with SEEK on 17.01.24.

The SEEK brand portfolio currently encompasses almost 200 brands, including 46 % conscious brands and 45 % newcomers. Buyers and visitors can look forward to brands such as Aer Scents, Bask in the Sun, Chrome, Danner, Dedicated, Givn Berlin, Hestra, Kangaroos, Novesta, Palladium, Pyrenex, Santa Cruz Skateboards, Welter Shelter and Woodbird. Newcomers include Afoam Stories, A Good Company, Dale Of Norway, Good Wool Story, Heimat, Hen's Teeth, Open Era, Pompeii, The Jogg Concept, Wax London and many more.

The SEEK Conscious Club forms the heart of the January edition and is developing into the "place to be" of the sustainability scene. Purpose-driven business practices, systematic sustainability and practical standards will become even more crucial in 2024. With this in mind, the SEEK team introduces the innovative "360 Sustainability Validation" with its partners IVALO.COM and studio MM04. The "360 Sustainability Validation" - powered by IVALO.COM and consulted by studio MM04. Customers can see brand sustainability in 8 different sustainability categories. 360 is a commercial production value chain analysis tool that provides results that are comparable. The aim is to make the complex sub-areas of sustainability in fashion more transparent and comparable. The SEEK team has been working with the sustainability experts at studio MM04 for a long time and is delighted to be part of this important step towards standardising sustainability evaluations. Participating brands in this years Conscious Club are Basic Apparel, Bread & Boxers, Cabaia, Camper, Dawn Denim, Flamingos Life, Isaora, Jan'n June, Kings of Indigo, Rita Row, Secrid, Stapf and Thinking Mu, amongst others.

Together with renowned experts, SEEK is once again presenting a content programme with live interviews, talks, panels and community classes. Speakers such as Carl Tillessen (Deutsches Mode Institut), Steffen Liese (JD Sports), Stephan Huber (Style in Progress), Penny Whitelaw (Good on You), Mimi Sewalski (Avocadostore), Valerie Vogel (Engelhorn), Cheryll Mühlen (J'N'C), Rune Orloff (Pool), Sabine Rogg (Trendbüro), Anthony Lui (A New Sweden), Patrick Bergmann (Famefact), Florian Müller (Müller PR & Consulting) will share their insights exclusively with the SEEK community. The diverse programme includes themes such as pricing and profiling success strategies in times of disruption, a "no-bullshit" guide for brand spaces, the most important LinkedIn and consumer trends for 2024, new chances for recruiting and leadership as well as mental health in fashion.

ALLIED Feather + Down, global leaders in high performance, ethically sourced down, and MN Inter-Fashion, manufacturers of high performance luxury outerwear, announced that the ALLIED Feather + Down outerwear collection will be available to the European market.  

Originally released only in Japan, the exclusive collection will be available to select European boutique retailers for the fall 2024 season. Limited to a few hundred pieces, this line will showcase the breadth of ALLIED’s down offering, from their industry-leading ExpeDRY down insulation to their exceedingly high performance 1000 fill power down. It will also include MN Inter-Fashion’s experience delivering quality design and craftsmanship to some of the best known fashion houses in the world.

Designed, cut, and sewn by MN Inter-Fashion in Japan using materials from ALLIED and Pertex, the jackets shall represent a collision between cutting edge fashion aesthetics and materials normally reserved for highly technical outerwear. The result is a unique garment with a sophisticated urban look blended with performance that rivals the most technical outdoor apparel available. 

"Veritas", the trend book for the Spring-Summer 2025 season, looks at a world where each individual defends "their" truth. Gone are the days of tribal fashion... To be discovered at the Parc des Expositions, Porte de Versailles, from 5 to 7 February 2024.

After exploring a world where the senses are once again at the centre, Louis Gérin and Grégory Lamaud, the artistic directors of Texworld Evolution Paris, offer a more personal interpretation of this future humanity. Our wardrobes reflect our individual levels of commitment to the "truth". Faced with the modern paradox of growth versus sustainability, each of us expresses our own vision of the world. These points of view are reflected in the four themes of this new trend book.

Creative themes imagined with AI
Based on the analysis of emerging signals detected in the artistic, economic and social fields, these approaches incorporate elements of artificial intelligence for the first time. The artistic directors have incorporated them - by identifying them - into the 'pattern design' boards that bring together the colours and silhouettes used for each creative universe.

#1 Belief. This theme, which isn't very assertive and is rather introverted, expresses itself with elegance and discretion. The colour temperatures remain calm, in the background. The colour universe is oriented towards more "conservative", mineral shades, dominated by green and blue. The textures express matter and vibrations.  

#2 Immanence. While this proposal remains conservative and mystical, it is more visible than the previous one. It expresses a more talkative "bohemianchic" universe, asserting its point of view through a relatively cynical approach: "these are the new rules of our common life. You have to live with them". The colour range is expressive and warmer, but remains fairly classic. It is expressed more in knitwear or embroidery, materials with relief or a frosted appearance.

#3 Knowledge. This is all about affirming yourself. This theme, which also draws on classic sources of inspiration - nature, plants, flowers - sets out to transform them radically. The colours are strong, contrasting, in opposition, and are applied to materials that express the future, with crumpled, liquid or transparent textures.

#4 Experience. This is the most committed theme in the field of subjective truths. "Trust only yourself. [...] Don't believe. Test [...] trust no one. Learn from your own experience". The colours are very bold: we wear them to attract attention. Acidic, sweet shades are king, as are materials that evoke urban or sporty codes: rips, shiny aspects, organic (second-skin type), but also lace and transparency.
 
All these worlds will be showcased in two Trend Forums: one at Texworld Paris for fabrics, the other at Apparel Sourcing Paris for finished products (a new feature in February 2024). Visitors will be able to discover looks inspired by the fabrics and products selected by the show's art directors. There will also be new areas with samples to illustrate each of these themes: Highlights Texworld, Highlight Apparel Sourcing, Highlights Elite and Highlights Denim.