VIATT 2026 announces inaugural lifestyle Trend Forum

“The launch of VIATT's inaugural Trend Forum marks an important new step for this fair,” stated Ms Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd. “Leveraging Messe Frankfurt’s nearly three decades of leadership in coordinating apparel and home textiles trend forecasting – a track record of consistently setting industry benchmarks – we are now extending this unparalleled expertise to enlighten the entire textile value chain. Utilising the expertise of our top-level trend curators, this holistic approach is designed to deliver unparalleled insights, foster robust innovation, and empower businesses to anticipate and shape consumer preferences with greater precision and relevance.”
 
Acting as a unified set of principles that flows seamlessly across sectors, the LIFESTYLE TRENDS shape fashion choices, home interior design, and interactions with technical products and interfaces.
 

Haelixa Raises EUR 2 Million to Scale DNA-Based Traceability Globally

Haelixa, the Swiss-based deeptech provider of DNA-based product traceability, has raised EUR 2 million in a pre-series A investment round to support international scale and long-term strategic growth. 
 
The round was led by existing backers Verve Ventures and Zurich Kantonalbank, with participation from an impact-focused investor 212 NexT Fund. This complements the catalytic funding awarded through the Temasek Trust Amplifier programme. 
 
The investment will support Haelixa’s international expansion, targeted team growth, and deeper collaboration with textile brands and supply-chain partners. 
 
Physical Proof in an Era of Rising Risk 
Haelixa’s patented DNA-based technology physically marks raw materials at any stage of production and enables later verification of origin and authenticity. The plant-based, invisible DNA markers are embedded directly into raw materials and remain detectable throughout complex, multi-tier supply chains. 
 

Orthopac RVMC-20 plus: Smarter Weft Straightening with AI

In times of rising cost pressure and growing quality demands, textile producers worldwide are searching for solutions that combine precision, efficiency, and sustainability. With its latest innovation, the Orthopac RVMC-20 plus, Mahlo once again demonstrates how to improve technology to meet today’s challenges.

For decades, Mahlo has set the benchmark in automatic weft straightening. The new Orthopac RVMC-20 plus continues this tradition, building on the trusted Orthopac RVMC-15 while introducing a decisive technological step forward: double scanning with AI-supported control systems.

The concept relies on two detection units – one at the fabric inlet and one at the outlet. At the inlet, so-called Feed Forward Control analyzes distortions before they even reach the straightening rollers, ensuring precise positioning from the first centimeter. At the outlet, Closed Loop Control continuously monitors the result and applies AI-based corrections in real time. This dual approach enables the system to cope even with highly variable distortions at high production speeds. The outcome is reliably straight fabric, less waste, and consistent premium quality.

Eastman introduces Naia™ Lyte at Première Vision Paris

Eastman unveils Naia™ Lyte, a new cellulose acetate filament yarn that represents an important milestone in performance for lightweight and premium fabrics, at Première Vision Paris. Presented for the first time to the international fashion and textile community, Naia™ Lyte expands the capabilities of acetate yarn by introducing enhanced tenacity, unlocking new creative and technical possibilities for designers, mills and brands.

“Naia™ Lyte marks a significant development in acetate filament yarn innovation,” says Ruth Farrell, general manager of Eastman’s textiles business. “By increasing the tenacity of our yarn, we are expanding the performance boundaries of acetate and enabling new lightweight fabric applications, while staying true to the comfort, aesthetics and reliability that define Naia™. Naia™ Lyte is already being produced commercially, and we are excited by initial reactions to this new, innovative addition to our Naia™ portfolio.

Funding approved: Textile Factory 7.0 to be built in Mönchengladbach

Textile Factory 7.0 – the vision of a networked, emission-free industrial park of the future for the city of Mönchengladbach is becoming reality. The Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) has approved funding for the project.

The aim of the project is to establish a technology and development centre in Mönchengladbach and thus develop an industrial park of the future. Instead of considering individual technologies in isolation, Textile Factory 7.0 combines energy efficiency, AI/robotics and biotechnology in a single functional textile real-world laboratory under the close cooperation of industry and research.

The project will make a decisive contribution to sustainably increasing the attractiveness and productivity of regional textile production: the T7 Factory will create new jobs and strengthen innovative textile research at the location.

Reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Guatemala

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), which represents the full U.S. textile supply chain from fiber and yarn to fabrics and finished sewn products, welcomed the announcement of a reciprocal trade agreement between the United States and Guatemala.

National Council of Textile Organizations President and CEO Kim Glas:
“The reciprocal trade agreement with Guatemala marks an important step toward strengthening the U.S. textile supply chain. We commend the administration for taking decisive action to remove reciprocal tariffs and provide preferential treatment to qualifying textile and apparel products from Guatemala under the Dominican Republic-Central America-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).

“NCTO and the broader U.S. textile industry are grateful to President Trump, U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Jamieson Greer, and the administration for concluding this agreement with Guatemala, following on the heels of the recently announced agreement with El Salvador.

Lenzing AG: Majority owner of TreeToTextile AB, accelerating industrialization of new fibers

The Lenzing Group is taking another strategic milestone by acquiring a controlling majority in the Swedish innovation company TreeToTextile AB. This step strengthens Lenzing’s position as a leading provider of sustainable, wood based specialty fibers and expands its innovation pipeline with a highly scalable, patent protected technology platform. The transaction is executed through the issuance of new shares. 

TreeToTextile represents the next major technological leap in cellulosic fiber production – following the development of viscose in the early 20th century and Lenzing’s own Lyocell technology in the 1990s. The process offers a significantly improved sustainability profile, attractive cost advantages, and broad applicability across textile and nonwoven markets. With the majority acquisition, Lenzing underscores its commitment to consistently advancing its premiumization strategy and further expanding its leadership position in the global specialty fiber market. 

Rieter Completes Acquisition of Barmag

Rieter has successfully completed the acquisition of Barmag as of February 2, 2026. This strategically important acquisition makes Rieter the world’s leading system provider for natural and synthetic fibers. 

Barmag will be consolidated as of February 2, 2026, and integrated into the Rieter Group as the “Man-Made Fiber” Division. The management of Barmag will remain with the company. Georg Stausberg will continue to lead the division and report to Thomas Oetterli, CEO of Rieter. At the same time, he will join the Group Executive Committee.

The transaction is financed by the capital increase completed in October of last year as well as by long-term bank loans. In addition to substantial cash reserves in its operating units, Rieter also has a significantly increased revolving credit facility at its disposal.

adidas: Record Revenues in 2025 and Launch of Share Buyback

adidas announced preliminary results for the fourth quarter of 2025. In Q4, currency-neutral revenues for the adidas brand increased 11%. Including Yeezy sales in the prior year (2024: around € 50 million), currency-neutral revenues increased 10%. In euro terms, revenues reached € 6,076 million in the quarter (2024: € 5,965 million). The company’s gross margin improved 1.0 percentage points to 50.8% (2024: 49.8%), while operating profit more than doubled to € 164 million (2024: € 57 million).

Modern Testing Methods for Raw Cotton

The 38th International Cotton Conference Bremen will take place from 25 to 27 March 2026 at the Bremen Parliament. The program will focus on technical innovations, market trends, and regulatory frameworks across the entire value chain – from agriculture to the circular economy. As well on the focus of high-profile speakers: Cotton quality and testing methods 

Raw cotton from different areas of production varies considerably in terms of fibre properties, thus directly influencing how well cotton can be spun into yarn and how textiles behave in further processing. Innovative testing methods enable assessing each bale reliably and reproducibly according to defined quality parameters. The aim is to make cotton qualities comparable, as this is a key prerequisite for global trade, pricing and reliable supply chains. Quality and quality testing are the historical focus of the Bremen conference.