Mimaki: TRAPIS Textile Printing at Heimtextil 2026

Mimaki Europe, a leading provider of industrial inkjet printers and cutting plotters will return to Heimtextil with a renewed focus on material versatility and simplified textile production. At the tradeshow, the company will present TRAPIS, its innovative pigment transfer printing system that enables manufacturers to print on a wide range of fabrics using a single ink set – ranging from natural fibres to blended and synthetic fabrics. Designed for easy, compact and cost-efficient operation, TRAPIS removes traditional barriers to digital textile printing, while also offering the added benefit of drastically reduced water use compared to conventional processes.

ISPO joins the European Outdoor Conservation Association as a Sustaining Member

Raccoon Media Group, organisers of ISPO the world’s most influential trade event for the sporting goods, outdoor and winter sports industries, confirms its commitment to ensuring an enduring impact by joining the European Outdoor Conservation Association (EOCA) as a Sustaining Member and revealing more details of the newly established ISPO Impact Fund.

Recognising that sustainability is non-negotiable, these announcements underscore ISPO’s long-term dedication to environmental responsibility, industry stewardship and collaborative action across the global outdoor community.

Outlast® Wins WTiN Innovate Textile Award with Aersulate®

Outlast Technologies GmbH has been awarded the WTiN Innovate Textile Award in the cate-gory Material Innovation for Aersulate®, its aerogel-infused insulation technology. The award honors outstanding achievements in advanced material development and textile innovation.

Aersulate® marks a significant advancement in thermal insulation. The technology integrates aerogel, whose highly porous structure efficiently traps air, delivering exceptional thermal per-formance at extremely low weight and minimal thickness. In Aersulate® wadding, aerogel ac-counts for approximately 50% of the material volume, enabling superior insulation without bulk.

German Sustainability Award for sustainable dyeing process PIGMENTURA

On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the German Sustainability Award was presented in Düsseldorf in the Products category. The award has been presented since 2008 for exemplary sustainability achievements in business, local government, and research. With five competitions, more than 800 applicants, and approximately 2,000 guests at the closing event, it is the largest award of its kind in Europe.

Recycling mixed-fibre garments: RadiciGroup, The LYCRA Company and Triumph for circular fashion

The process, which is both economically and environmentally sustainable, has enabled the production of an underwear set made from 100% recycled nylon and LYCRA® fibre in a closed-loop system.
      

Auxetic fabrics: More safety and comfort for protective clothing

When everyday materials are pulled, they stretch or elongate in the direction of the pull and become narrower in cross-section. We can also observe this property in two-dimensional textiles. Auxetic structures behave differently here. They have the striking property of not changing under tensile stress or even increasing their width or thickness. These properties are advantageous, for example, in protective textiles or textile filter media. The DITF are researching auxetic fabrics for various applications.

Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris: “Very Middle Ages”, S/S 2027 trends

Baptized Very Middle Ages, the new trend book from Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris outlines the directions that will guide – in a world under pressure – the Spring-Summer 2027 collections. It will be unveiled from February 2 to 4, 2026 at the Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Center. 

Geopolitical tensions, social expectations, digital transformations, shifting markets... At a time when fashion (and the world) is going through strong turbulence, Very Middle Ages chooses to look to the future by invoking a reinvented past. Not as a nostalgic refuge, but as a magnifying mirror of our contemporary tensions. 

This new edition of the Trend Book offers ideas to help creators combine imagination and a desire for renewal while developing the Spring-Summer 2027 collections. It explores a universe often dark, mixing protection, conflict, magic, and augmented identity: a reworked, digital, imagined Middle Ages used as a metaphor for current upheavals. 

Identifying Business Opportunities for Composites in Buildings & Infrastructure

The global buildings and infrastructure (B&I) market for composite materials accelerates toward a projected value of more than $21 billion in 2025. To identify further business potentials for the composite industry, AZL Aachen GmbH has announced a new inte rnational Joint Market and Technology Study: “Next Generation Composites in Buildings & Infrastructure – A 2026 Global Outlook on Growth, Sustainability, and Digitalization.”

Building on the success of AZL’s landmark Buildings & Infrastructure study – conducted in 2017 with 32 global companies – this new initiative will reassess established applications and quantify emerging opportunities across markets, materials, and manufact uring technologies. The addressed market segments comprise following, among others: residential/ non -residential buildings and city furniture, infrastructure for energy supply/ water supply/electricity and heat supply and storage as well as special constr uctions like airports, ports or train stations.

INDA Releases New North American Nonwovens Industry Demand & Forecast Report

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, has released the North American Nonwovens Industry Demand & Forecast, 2024–2029, the thirteenth edition of its authoritative market intelligence series. The report provides detailed demand data from 2019–2024 and forecasts through 2029, incorporating the most recent tariff changes enacted by the current administration and their expected impacts on nonwoven market dynamics.

Redesigned to better support strategic planning and investment decisions, the report offers a reliable, accurate view of demand across all North American nonwoven end-use markets. Forecasts are built from robust analyses of key market drivers and trends, presenting the industry’s growth potential in dollar value, units, and volume (square meters and tonnage).

“This report provides insights on nonwoven demand across the short-life and long-life market segments,” said Tony Fragnito, President & CEO of INDA. “The intelligence included here is critical for business leaders responsible for asset management, operational planning, and long-term strategy.”

MAXXAM® & Graduate Fashion Foundation: Second Year of Student Design Competition

Following the success of its inaugural year, MAXXAM®, the iconic textile brand founded by visionary designer and inventor Rosemary Moore, once again joins forces with Graduate Fashion Foundation (GFF) to launch the second edition of their innovative national design competition. Building on the momentum, creativity, and exceptional talent showcased last year, the 2025/26 competition invites fashion students across the UK and internationally to reimagine the future of womenswear using MAXXAM’s celebrated seamless, four-way stretch textiles.