December 19, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Dec. 18. The U.S. Senate and House passed the act earlier this month, following the reconciliation of the House and Senate versions of the bill in a conference committee. The final NDAA retains the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) level under the …
December 18, 2025
RTI International, an independent scientific research institute, and LOOM Carbon have announced a strategic research collaboration. The partnership will enable the scaling of LOOM’s proprietary thermal chemical recycling platform, which turns non-recycled and hard-to-recycle textile waste into sustainable carbon-neutral materials. LOOM Carbon’s process converts mixed and contaminated textiles into outputs, including: “Together with RTI, Loom is …
December 18, 2025
Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) has announced that early bird registration is open for its 2026 Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference. The conference will take place on Tues., April 14, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. The event will be hosted at the Columbus Fashion Alliance’s (CFA’s) flagship location, The LOOM, a multi-use …
December 17, 2025
SuperCircle, a textile waste management platform for retail brands, announced that the company has received $24 million in Series A funding led by Foundry. Other investors included BBG Ventures, Renewal Fund and Elemental Impact. The funding will allow SuperCircle to expand its artificial intelligence-powered operating system. SuperCircle provides post-consumer and post-industrial end-of-life optimization for 75+ …
December 16, 2025
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) announced the third round of its Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF 3.0). The program provides U.S textile manufacturers and startups access to AFFOA’s technical expertise and resources, with AFFOA covering labor costs enabled by government funding. PAFF 3.0 expands the program’s scope to accelerate digital engineering/manufacturing and textile …
December 15, 2025
Engineers at Northwestern University have created VoxeLite, a bandage-like device that stretches around the fingertip to let users “feel the digital world.” Comprised of a series of nodes, the wrap helps create digital touch that replicates the way a human fingertip senses real-life touch. This means the device makes signals that match the natural signals our skin detects, which …
December 15, 2025
The San Francisco Fire Department (SFFD) says that it is has become the largest department in the U.S. to transition its entire fleet to non-PFAS turnout gear. This major purchase was made in part through a $2.35 million Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) from FEMA and matching funds from the department, amid growing momentum around …
December 15, 2025
With the proliferation of smart textiles and their new technologies and applications, one finds it relatively easy to pair almost any other topic we discuss in this publication with smart textiles in general, or e-textiles in particular. In this case, our feature, “Wearables lead protective market advances” by Dr. Marie O’Mahony, ties in with our focus …
December 15, 2025
Protective clothing is becoming smarter, with e-textiles bringing new capability in health and environmental monitoring that’s paired with location tracking to offer protection for workers in hazardous locations. At E-Textiles 2025 in Lille, France, a number of European advances were presented around smart protective clothing with new developments including uniforms, footwear and protective gloves for military …
December 15, 2025
From silver nanofibers to smart, sensory-packed dressings, the next generation of wound-healing technology is blurring the line between biology and engineering. As scientific understanding and technology have improved, so, too, have the approaches developed to aid wound healing and infection control. Researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU) led a review of recent research into advanced …
March 11, 2025
We are pleased to announce that Site & Stay has been selected as the official housing partner for Advanced Textiles Expo® 2025, taking place Nov. 5–7 at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Ind. Hotel booking is now open, offering attendees and exhibitors exclusive access to discounted rates at our official host hotels—all conveniently located …
October 17, 2024
Advanced Textiles Expo® 2024, the largest event of Advanced Textiles Association® (ATA), concluded with resounding success Sept. 24–26 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Once again held in conjunction with Sun Shading Expo North America—organized by Messe Stuttgart, founders of R + T and the world’s largest trade fair for roller shutters, doors/gates and sun shading …
August 14, 2024
The Advanced Textiles Association® (ATA) has renegotiated its General Services Contractor contract for the 2025–2027 Advanced Textiles Expo® shows. By selecting Freeman through a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) process, we have secured rates that significantly lower the cost burden on our exhibitors. RFP process Key achievements This successful negotiation translates directly to cost savings for …
July 6, 2021
Messe Stuttgart announced that its new U.S.-based show Sun Shading Expo North America will not be held in 2021 as a separate trade show but will instead contribute its expertise in internal and external sun shading systems at IFAI Expo 2021 in the form of expert talks, open discussions and more. IFAI Expo 2021 will still take place …
May 10, 2021
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021. IFAI Expo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the show this November, and you won’t want to miss it! After a long hiatus of in-person events, this year’s show is the perfect place to reconnect with your industry. Register now to get the Early Bird rate! Early Bird rates end …
November 16, 2020
In a session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, “Smart Textiles Standardization, Active Illumination,” Dr. Jan Beringer, senior scientific expert Hohenstein Group, explained the new standard for active illumination that will soon be implemented in European Union countries. Organizations worked together to develop the standards. It is notable, he said that both textile and electronics industries …
November 13, 2020
The U.S. textile industry has stepped up to meet the demand for face masks, medical gowns, wipes and other products necessary to combat the coronavirus pandemic, but it needs policy changes from Washington so that the U.S. is not caught off-guard again in a future crisis, according to association leaders speaking at Industrial Fabrics Association …
November 12, 2020
Dr. Bryran Ormond, assistant professor, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State explained respiratory protection in an “Ask an Expert” session with Jing Liang, Medical PPE Consulting LLC. Dr. Ormand has typically worked in the area of chemical and biological protective equipment, but with the onslaught of the pandemic, began to focus on respiratory protection generally, …
November 11, 2020
All surgical gowns are not created equal, and a Nov. 11 presentation at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020 helped sort out the differences. The finer points of surgical gowns were discussed by Dr. Martin King, a professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, and Jing Liang, president of Medical PPE Consulting LLC. …
November 11, 2020
How do you create a channel from research to application? How do you create a pathway toward understanding complex human problems across supply chains and market sectors? STEM—a curriculum based on teaching science, technology, engineering and math—has branched out from basic chemistry and biology and physics classes, into collaborative efforts, including textiles, according to Stephanie …
December 15, 2025
Protective clothing is becoming smarter, with e-textiles bringing new capability in health and environmental monitoring that’s paired with location tracking to offer protection for workers in hazardous locations. At E-Textiles 2025 in Lille, France, a number of European advances were presented around smart protective clothing with new developments including uniforms, footwear and protective gloves for military …
December 8, 2025
You may have wondered about “niche markets,” and why they are important. A niche market essentially specializes in a smaller area of a broader market. That niche allows you to create a more focused business so you can establish a loyal customer base because you are concentrating on your customers’ specific needs. This helps to …
November 17, 2025
Sustainability in the textiles industry is a growing concern with changing regulations and global supply chains. New technologies and processes, however, are blossoming to replace materials considered toxic, reduce water consumption and create safer environments for workers and consumers. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence technology is developing fast, offering tools to streamline work and support research and …
November 10, 2025
The Advanced Textiles Association Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC) in Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 4. offered attendees real-world mechanisms for moving their businesses forward in a changing industry landscape. Two presentations dealt with entities established specifically to support research and development, connect various areas of expertise and provide the means to move innovations into commercialization. Advanced textiles: pushing the …
October 27, 2025
Functional textiles are the wave of the future, having huge growth prospects that will influence the survival and growth of the global textiles sector. Market analysis firms have, in recent years, been actively estimating the size of this sector. The field is varied, and hence the type of functionalization and the product types and applications …
October 13, 2025
There are always questions regarding how a company would introduce a product into the U.S. military marketplace, and for those who have tried to do so, many of these attempts have been met with bewilderment, frustration and resignation. Case studies and examples abound across a wide range of technologies, not just for textile products. Such …
September 22, 2025
According to a recent report by the United Nations, the progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 has been slow. It is alarming to note that about 18 percent of the 139 targets are showing regression below the 2015 levels. Governments must have swift action plans to support the SDGs of the United …
September 8, 2025
The creation of sustainable textiles has been top-of-mind for the textile industry since the 1990s. Along with recycled polyester and circular textile-to-textile manufacturing, fibers created in the lab from bio-based inputs are also finding a place in an expanding menu of innovative textile fibers. With a focus on performance and tunability, biosynthetic fibers are now …
August 22, 2025
Editor’s note: Early in my career writing about functional textiles, the board chair of what was then the Industrial Fabrics Association International walked me through the JEC show, running concurrent with our Expo. He gestured around the displays, most of them featuring rigid composites, and said simply, “There are textiles in everything here.” We might …
August 11, 2025
The textile sector in general is dependent on petroleum-based products—including fibers, synthetic chemicals and many accessories—and, importantly, the advanced textiles sector is heavily dependent on synthetic materials. Physical and functionality requirements, such as high strength, and chemical and weather resistance, prevent wide-scale applicability of natural materials. Therefore, there is need to formulate a sustainability strategy …
December 19, 2025
U.S. President Donald Trump passed the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) Dec. 18. The U.S. Senate and House passed the act earlier this month, following the reconciliation of the House and Senate versions of the bill in a conference committee. The final NDAA retains the Simplified Acquisition Threshold (SAT) level under the …
December 18, 2025
RTI International, an independent scientific research institute, and LOOM Carbon have announced a strategic research collaboration. The partnership will enable the scaling of LOOM’s proprietary thermal chemical recycling platform, which turns non-recycled and hard-to-recycle textile waste into sustainable carbon-neutral materials. LOOM Carbon’s process converts mixed and contaminated textiles into outputs, including: “Together with RTI, Loom is …
December 18, 2025
Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) has announced that early bird registration is open for its 2026 Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference. The conference will take place on Tues., April 14, 2026, in Columbus, Ohio. The event will be hosted at the Columbus Fashion Alliance’s (CFA’s) flagship location, The LOOM, a multi-use …
December 17, 2025
SuperCircle, a textile waste management platform for retail brands, announced that the company has received $24 million in Series A funding led by Foundry. Other investors included BBG Ventures, Renewal Fund and Elemental Impact. The funding will allow SuperCircle to expand its artificial intelligence-powered operating system. SuperCircle provides post-consumer and post-industrial end-of-life optimization for 75+ …
December 16, 2025
Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) announced the third round of its Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF 3.0). The program provides U.S textile manufacturers and startups access to AFFOA’s technical expertise and resources, with AFFOA covering labor costs enabled by government funding. PAFF 3.0 expands the program’s scope to accelerate digital engineering/manufacturing and textile …
December 12, 2025
Shawmut Corporation has launched Shawmut Insights™, a proprietary life-cycle assessment (LCA) system that provides detailed visibility into the environmental impact of automotive and industrial textile products. Shawmut Insights is designed to help original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Tier 1 suppliers understand environmental impacts, from raw materials to end-of-life, across Shawmut’s range of warp-knit headliner composites, …
December 2, 2025
The Washington State Department of Ecology has adopted new restrictions on intentionally added PFAS in consumer products, building upon existing PFAS restrictions. “With this rule, Washington continues to stand firmly on the side of public health. As health impacts and cleanup costs from PFAS contamination skyrocket, prevention is the most rational solution,” says Cheri Peele, director of …
November 25, 2025
Hohenstein Medical, a division of Hohenstein Laboratories, has hired Katie Brinkman as its biocompatibility program manager to lead and support the company’s growing biocompatibility service offerings. In this role, Brinkman will lead the development and strategic positioning of Hohenstein Medical’s device biocompatibility program, with a focus on chemical characterization, ISO 18562 gas pathway testing and …
November 19, 2025
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a proposed rule outlining amendments to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), which regulates the reporting and recordkeeping requirements for PFAS. The regulation requires manufacturers and importers of PFAS between 2011 and 2022 to report certain data to the EPA related to exposure and environmental and health effects. …
November 15, 2025
The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber, yarn and fabric to finished sewn products, applauded the Donald Trump administration’s announcement of plans to reinstate duty-free treatment for qualified textile and apparel goods from Guatemala and El Salvador under the Dominican Republic–Central America–United States Free Trade Agreement …
October 13, 2025
Skincare within regenerative clothing defines Coperni’s C+, a series of everyday wear infused with probiotics and prebiotics. Capable of restoring the skin’s microbiome, each garment contains living microorganisms that interact with the skin during wear, support the skin’s natural balance, and help it repair itself over time. The C+ line is made using a biobased …
September 8, 2025
For tissue repair, surgeons are currently limited to mechanical solutions like sutures and staples, which can cause their own damage, or meshes and glues that may not adequately bond with tissues and can be rejected by the body. Medical startup Tissium now offers surgeons a new solution based on a biopolymer technology first developed at …
July 14, 2025
A project titled “Sympoiesis” from designer Iris van Herpen and biodesigner Christopher Bellamy of Bio Crafted, lit up the runway at Paris Haute Couture Week, in early July of this year. The collaboration allowed them to utilize the capabilities of living microorganisms, including bioluminescent microalgae. Of the 17 looks presented in the show, the opening …
June 4, 2025
Researchers at EMPA (Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology) have created a living biodegradable material made from fungi that can allow trash bags to decompose organic waste. It is one of the many potential applications of the studied fungi. In the field of electronics, the living biodegradable material made from fungi can be used to produce sensors, as well …
April 24, 2025
The ZZZN Sleep Apparel System is a voluminous puffer jacket that doubles as a cozy sleep sack, so users can doze off anywhere and anytime in comfort. But beyond its apparent comfortability, it also offers biometric data monitoring and headphones that play music with frequency bands to help people fall asleep. The ZZZN puffer jacket for sleep modernizes “Yagi,” a traditional Japanese winter nightwear. …
February 24, 2025
Pavels Hedström has introduced the Gaia Communication System, a vest and a pair of gloves with sensors so that users feel the health of plants, insects, soil and air. Unveiled under his design practice Inxects, the Swedish architect has installed multiple haptic sensors around the vest and gloves, each of which correspond to a natural object. The …
December 9, 2024
Japanese designer Hiroto Ikebe recently showcased a leather alternative he developed using rewoven silk cocoon waste. His exhibition COCOON ANATOMY, shown during DESIGNART Tokyo 2024, displayed clothing that was designed to demonstrate that silk materials typically discarded or not used for mass production can be repurposed into fabrics and materials with multiple uses. The leather alternative comes from raw silk, …
September 18, 2024
Carolina De Lara’s project, Bacterial Brickbats, explores the interaction between bacterial cellulose and knit textiles to challenge traditional, human-centered design in fashion and textiles. The project negotiates human/non-human liaisons by proposing a study where sharing agency between designer and bacterial cellulose produces a material library illustrating differing needs, creative or biological, resulting in an expressive …
August 12, 2024
A new materials technique has blended the usefulness of knitting needles and yarn with cutting-edge technology to create the equipment and process to make a solid-knit object of almost any kind. Yuichi Hirose first dreamed up this technique when he was a student at Keio University in Tokyo. There, working on digital fabrication methods in …
June 24, 2024
NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2024 Phase II awardee Ethan Schaler has proposed the first lunar railway system to provide reliable, autonomous and efficient payload transport on the Moon. The Flexible Levitation on a Track (FLOAT) system is a durable, long-life robotic transport system—a function that will be critical to the daily operations of a …
December 15, 2025
Engineers at Northwestern University have created VoxeLite, a bandage-like device that stretches around the fingertip to let users “feel the digital world.” Comprised of a series of nodes, the wrap helps create digital touch that replicates the way a human fingertip senses real-life touch. This means the device makes signals that match the natural signals our skin detects, which …
December 15, 2025
From silver nanofibers to smart, sensory-packed dressings, the next generation of wound-healing technology is blurring the line between biology and engineering. As scientific understanding and technology have improved, so, too, have the approaches developed to aid wound healing and infection control. Researchers from National Taiwan University (NTU) led a review of recent research into advanced …
December 8, 2025
As NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon approaches, the Emerging Technologies Conference at ATA’s Expo 2025 offered an update on the preparations. In a session titled, “Creating the Artemis Lunar Boots,” Morgan Campbell revisited the challenges human space travel has always faced, focusing on the planned mission to return to the Moon—77 years after the …
November 10, 2025
With its new PLA/wood pulp materials that use no chemical binder, Freudenberg Performance Materials says that it has achieved a technological breakthrough with sustainability benefits. The company’s innovative materials combine the advantages of both components, addressing the needs of specific segments within plant propagation systems, packaging, filtration, apparel and healthcare. The innovation lies in combining …
November 10, 2025
Akira Kumada, SOLAMENT™ product manager, Takisada-Nagoya Co. Ltd., spoke on the company’s infrared-responsive textile at ATA’s Emerging Technologies Conference Nov. 4 in Indianapolis, Ind. SOLAMENT™ is made from CWO®. Its nanoscale particles capable of absorbing near-infrared (NIR) energy were invented by Sumitomo Metal Mining Co. Ltd., and the product has been “widely utilized for heat-blocking …
October 27, 2025
Inspired by the color-changing ability of cephalopods such as octopi and squid, University of Nebraska–Lincoln researchers are developing a material that could one day be used in sensors and soft robotics applications. The skins of octopuses and their cephalopod brethren are some of the most colorful, high-definition, morphing displays evolution has produced, but it’s their ability to …
September 22, 2025
WINT Design Lab, which focuses on sustainable product innovations, and electronics firm Fraunhofer IZM have partnered to produce a lamp that can change its brightness when the user presses the surface’s stretchable textile. “Soft Interfaces” uses a liquid metal dispensing technology placed inside a fabric that’s new to product applications. The liquid metal, called Galinstan, is embedded into the touch-sensitive fabric …
August 22, 2025
A new strategy for strengthening polymer materials could lead to more durable plastics and cut down on plastic waste, according to researchers at MIT and Duke University. Using machine learning, the researchers identified crosslinker molecules that can be added to polymer materials, allowing them to withstand more force before tearing. These crosslinkers belong to a …
July 28, 2025
In 1959, Volvo engineer Nils Bohlin created the three-point seatbelt and offered the design plans for free to automakers around the world. Since its introduction, the relatively simple, but game-changing, design has been credited with saving more than a million lives worldwide. Now the car brand is back with a high-tech seatbelt upgrade. The new …
July 14, 2025
In metamaterials design, the name of the game has long been “stronger is better.” Metamaterials are synthetic materials with microscopic structures that give the overall material exceptional properties. A huge focus has been in designing metamaterials that are stronger and stiffer than their conventional counterparts. But there’s a trade-off: the stiffer a material, the less …
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