Company News

Sheep Inc. raises £5 million in Series A funding round

April 24, 2025

Sheep Inc., a wool apparel brand, announced it has completed its £5 million Series A funding round, led by Inside Out LLC. This investment will support the company’s proprietary Connected Dot technology, which allows customers to trace every garment’s journey—from regenerative farms to the final stitch. Inside Out’s Fashion, Textiles and Home vertical is one …

Company News

INDA announces four new members elected to join Board of Directors

April 23, 2025

The Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) has announced the election of four new members to its 2025 Board of Directors. “We are excited to welcome these exceptional professionals whose insights, extensive experience, and leadership will significantly enhance INDA’s initiatives,” says Tony Fragnito, president of INDA. “Their collective expertise will further strengthen our role …

Company News

AFFOA names Nuream, Z-Polymers as awardees of Product Accelerator program

April 22, 2025

Advanced Functional Fabrics of America Inc. (AFFOA) announced that Nuream and Z-Polymers have been chosen to participate in the Product Accelerator for Functional Fabrics (PAFF) 2.0 program. This initiative aims to accelerate the commercialization of advanced functional fabric products through targeted technical and manufacturing support. Launched in 2024, the PAFF program enables selected companies to …

Company News

Milliken & Company invests $1.5 million in NC State Textile Protection and Comfort Center

April 21, 2025

North Carolina State University’s (NC State) Textile Protection and Comfort Center (TPACC) has received a $1.5 million investment from Milliken & Company. As a result, it has been renamed to Milliken & Company Charitable Foundation TPACC. The center is housed in the Wilson College of Textiles and focuses on advancing comfort in high-performance protective apparel. …

Company News

Jones Family of Companies promotes Andrew Dailey to general manager

April 18, 2025

Jones Family of Companies, Charlotte, N.C., announced the promotion of Andrew Dailey to general manager of Jones Sustainable Packaging. Dailey has been a member of the leadership team for several years. He initially joined in 1991 as vice president of sales and marketing, leading sales at Jones Yarn for 25 years before transitioning to nonwovens. …

Industry News

EU pauses countermeasures on U.S. tariffs for 90 days

April 17, 2025

The European Union (EU) has paused its countermeasures on U.S. trade tariffs for 90 days to allow time for EU and U.S. negotiations.  The pause was first announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen April 9, and went into effect April 14.  The decision was made in response to the U.S. delaying tariffs on imports …

ATA News

Applications open for ATA Board of Directors positions

April 17, 2025

The Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) Board of Directors is seeking volunteer applicants to fill three open positions. The ATA Board of Directors represents ATA’s members and works with the ATA leadership staff, providing guidance on association decisions and activities. Open positions This individual will be the “Chairman-elect” and will automatically become Chairman of the Board …

Company News

Circulose, Tangshan Sanyou Chemical Fiber announce partnership

April 17, 2025

Circulose has announced a strategic partnership agreement with Tangshan Sanyou Chemical Fiber to commercialize and scale the production of ReVisco™ fibers, made with CIRCULOSE® pulp. “We are thrilled to establish a strong strategic partnership with Tangshan Sanyou,” says Jonatan Janmark, CEO of Circulose. “This represents a crucial step forward in our global expansion strategy, fostering …

Company News

SK Capital Partners acquires PPT Group

April 16, 2025

Funds advised by SK Capital Partners LP, a private investment firm focused on the specialty materials, ingredients and life sciences sectors, completed the acquisition of Physical Properties Testers (PTT) Group from Battery Ventures. PPT Group, headquartered in Halifax, U.K., is a physical property test and measurement solutions provider. PPT specializes in the design, production and service of …

Features

Chemicals and functionality in textiles

April 14, 2025

The ongoing tariff uncertainty will certainly impact the global textiles and apparel market.  Although a needed commodity, textiles are dependent on discretionary spending, which depends on the economy. GDP growth plays a critical role in the consumption of textiles and apparels and, therefore, the growth and market size of the global textiles and apparel sectors.  Textile …

Expo News

Plan your stay: Official housing for Advanced Textiles Expo 2025 now open

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 …

Expo News

Advanced Textiles Expo 2024 brings more than 4,200 attendees, showcasing innovation and collaboration

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 …

Expo News

ATA negotiates lower rates for exhibitors at Advanced Textiles Expo

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 …

ATA News

Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America moves co-location debut with IFAI Expo to 2022

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 …

Expo News

Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021

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 …

Expo News

Standard for active illumination developed in Europe

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 …

Expo News

Textile industry leaders call for policy changes to support U.S. production of PPE

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 …

Expo News

The larger issues in respiratory protection

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, …

Expo News

Surgical gowns require extra manufacturing considerations

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. …

Expo News

Rodgers: Textiles are the “T” in STEM

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 …

Features

Chemicals and functionality in textiles

April 14, 2025

The ongoing tariff uncertainty will certainly impact the global textiles and apparel market.  Although a needed commodity, textiles are dependent on discretionary spending, which depends on the economy. GDP growth plays a critical role in the consumption of textiles and apparels and, therefore, the growth and market size of the global textiles and apparel sectors.  Textile …

Features

Powering smart fabrics

March 24, 2025

Energy has become a key issue in the development of e-textiles for applications ranging from wearables to transport. LOPEC 2025, held in Munich in February, elected to highlight the end-user perspective this year across conference papers, poster presentations and the Innovation Showcase, with new technologies sharing the stage with energy efficient designs, so that every …

Features

Making wearable tech a reality

March 10, 2025

We are in the middle of a historic leap in textile technology. Whether it’s the development of new yarns and coatings, or the integration of electronics into existing textiles, the future of wearable technology is rapidly evolving—and the future is bright. It seems like every week brings another breakthrough from R&D firms and universities, unveiling …

Features

Recent advances in biomedical textiles

February 24, 2025

In 2003 after 13 years of global collaboration, the Human Genome Project was successfully completed, providing a comprehensive blueprint of human genetic information. This has given impetus to a rapidly expanding level of research in disease diagnosis, such as cancer, personalized medical treatments, the understanding of genetic disorders, genetic engineering therapies, and applications in tissue …

Features

Challenges and rewards

February 10, 2025

Biomedical textiles are a highly specialized, relatively small segment of the global textile industry. Even among the more advanced textile technologies, the path to commercializing  medical textiles, generally, and biomedical textiles, in particular, is unusually challenging, facing stringent industry standards and government regulations that can take years to meet.  According to Allied Market Research, the global …

Features

The crisis of textile waste

January 27, 2025

December 12, 2024, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report titled “Textile Waste: Federal Entities Should Collaborate on Reduction and Recycling Efforts.” The report also offers practical solutions to address the problem, centering on a collaborative approach. Not that it will be easy, but it is, says the report, very important. Advanced Textiles Source has talked …

Features

Textile waste to wealth

January 13, 2025

According to the United Nations’ Environment Programme, cities globally are expected to produce 2.2 billion tons of waste each year by 2025. Given the economic, environmental and health impacts of waste, it is important for the textile industry to reduce, reuse and recycle the waste. For example, in a spinning mill, recyclable and reusable textile …

Features

An end-of-year industry wrap-up 

December 16, 2024

Research and development (R&D) have a direct impact on economies worldwide. In the case of textiles, including agriculture related to textiles, it provides job opportunities to millions, including an unskilled workforce. Within the textile industry, advanced textiles and chemicals sectors place relatively more emphasis on research. The nature of the industry, size and flexibility, pressure …

Features

Noteworthy innovations in healthcare textiles

December 9, 2024

In the midst of noteworthy innovations in healthcare textiles over this past year, comes the news that the Taliban has now forbidden women to train in midwifery in Afghanistan, where the number of mothers who die in childbirth is amongst the highest in the world. Midwifery was also the last form of education open to …

Features

A plan for meeting EPA PFAS regulations 

November 18, 2024

As state and federal PFAS regulations continue to increase, textile manufacturers must prioritize thorough record-keeping and create a long-term plan for their business to accommodate these regulations. At this year’s Advanced Textiles Expo and Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC) in Anaheim, Calif., education about new regulatory requirements for PFAS substances was a major theme. Top of …

Industry News

EU pauses countermeasures on U.S. tariffs for 90 days

April 17, 2025

The European Union (EU) has paused its countermeasures on U.S. trade tariffs for 90 days to allow time for EU and U.S. negotiations.  The pause was first announced by EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen April 9, and went into effect April 14.  The decision was made in response to the U.S. delaying tariffs on imports …

Industry News

President Trump pauses most tariffs for 90 days, increases tariffs on Chinese imports

April 10, 2025

President Donald Trump has announced further changes to the April 2 executive order imposing multiple country-specific tariffs. The president has suspended most tariffs for 90 days, with country-specific tariffs (detailed in Annex I) now effective July 9, 2025. Countries included in Annex I are currently subject to 10% ad valorem rates, with exemptions listed in …

Industry News

Tariffs on imports to the U.S. begin, affecting multiple countries

April 9, 2025

Country-specific tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump in an April 2 executive order are now in effect. The president declared a national emergency in the executive order as a result of “large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits,” which included a reciprocal tariff policy. Tariffs on imports from various countries were determined by rates …

Industry News

ATA Japan to host World Expo 2025 tour on May 16; registration due April 23

April 7, 2025

As part of its engagement with the World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) Japan will host a group tour of the event May 16. Participants will visit key pavilions, receive guided explanations from industry experts involved in their construction, and exchange insights during a networking reception. International participants are welcome to …

Industry News

President Trump imposes 25% tariff on automobile imports beginning April 3

April 1, 2025

President Donald Trump signed an executive order March 27 imposing a 25% tariff on automobile imports to the U.S., beginning April 3. Currently, the tariff will only apply to automobiles, but a process for including automobile parts is being developed. Automobiles covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement qualify for “preferential tariff treatment,” where they can …

Industry News

European Commission delays tariffs on U.S. goods until mid-April

March 26, 2025

The European Commission has announced a two-week delay in reciprocal tariffs on U.S. goods, which are now set to go into effect in mid-April. The commission announced these tariffs in response to the 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports imposed by the U.S. that began March 12. The commission initially planned to introduce tariffs …

Industry News

Technical textiles market expected to reach $284 billion by 2029

March 23, 2025

According to the latest study from BCC Research, “Technical Textiles: Global Markets,” the technical textiles market is expected to grow from $213.8 billion in 2024 to $284 billion by the end of 2029, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% during the forecast period of 2024–2029. Technical textiles are engineered to provide characteristics such as high strength, chemical …

Industry News

Tariffs on steel and aluminum begin, Canada imposes reciprocal tariffs

March 13, 2025

Twenty-five percent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. began March 12. In response, Canada has imposed reciprocal tariffs on various U.S. products, including a 25% tariff on steel imports. The country has also increased taxes on tools, computers and servers, sports equipment, display monitors, and cast-iron products.

Industry News

Mexico and Canada tariffs paused until April 2

March 6, 2025

President Donald Trump announced March 6 that he would pause the 25% tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico and Canada covered under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until April 2. The president initially announced a delay in Mexico tariffs in a social media post after a conversation with President Claudia Sheinbaum March 6. Later that …

Industry News

As tariffs begin, auto industry given one-month exemption

March 5, 2025

Imports from Canada and Mexico to U.S. automakers were given a one-month exemption to new tariffs on goods from these two countries, which began March 4. This decision by President Donald Trump comes after a March 5 conversation with three leading U.S. auto manufacturers: Ford, General Motors and Stellantis. The administration indicated this would be …

Out There

Gaia Communication System feels the health of nature

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 …

Out There

Rewoven silk cocoon waste used as a leather alternative 

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, …

Out There

Project explores human-bacterial interaction in textile design

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 …

Out There

Solid-knitting machine builds reconfigurable objects

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 …

Out There

FLOAT designed for moving on the Moon

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 …

Out There

Color-changing resin material is heat-activated

April 22, 2024

Artist and designer Kim Mesches has unveiled his “Collection 5,” featuring garments made of a color-changing resin with a technology activated by heat. The material is a mix of thermochromic dyes, pigments and other ingredients, which are then mixed with hardened resin to create the garments.  For example, on sunny days the garments change themselves …

Out There

U.K. firm launches second-generation invisibility shields 

April 8, 2024

Following the successful development of functional invisibility shields in 2022, U.K.-based Invisibility Shield Co. has launched its second-generation invisibility shields on Kickstarter. Among the products is the “Megashield,” which the company claims is the largest one ever created. According to a report on designboom.com, more than four years ago the company focused on refining optical …

Out There

E-skin can produce tactile feedback

March 25, 2024

In recent years, materials scientists and engineers have introduced increasingly sophisticated materials for robotic and prosthetic applications, including a range of electronic skins, or e-skins, designed to sense the surrounding environment and artificially reproduce the sense of touch. As explained on techxplore.com, researchers at Tsinghua University in Beijing recently introduced a new dual-modal tactile e-skin that could …

Out There

Interactive pavilion knitted with smart yarns 

February 26, 2024

An interactive installation that combined textile arts, smart materials and engineering and received a 2023 Black Rock City Honorarium at the 2023 Burning Man. Set against the vast and surreal backdrop of the Black Rock Desert in Nevada, Burning Man is an annual gathering that transforms the flat, barren expanse into a vibrant playground for artistic …

Out There

Augmented reality T-shirts demonstrated at Art Basel

January 15, 2024

Avery Dennison has completed a project with NRVLD, a community-based agency comprised of artists, technologists and media personalities supporting disruptive innovation. Innovation in Textiles reports that the company created limited edition augmented reality T-shirts worn by the NRVLD executive team during an immersive event held during Art Basel Miami Beach in December 2023. The 30 …

What's New?

Elastic Inks for textile-integrated electronics

April 14, 2025

Electrically conductive prints on textiles are the basis for functional textiles with electronic functions, or “smart textiles.” Conductive inks and binders must be well matched to ensure permanent conductivity even under external mechanical influences, such as stretching, pressure and bending. German research institute DITF is working on new ink formulations that meet these requirements. Textiles …

What's New?

Smart prosthetic hand knows how hard to grasp 

April 14, 2025

Johns Hopkins University engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds. The system’s hybrid design is a first for robotic hands, which have typically been too rigid or …

What's New?

No-touch smart fabric device is introduced

March 24, 2025

Touch-sensitive clothing capable of controlling devices via touchscreen-like finger taps and swipes on the fabric is impressive, but a touchless finger-gesture-detecting fabric has now been developed that offers a new functionality.  The experimental textile is being developed by scientists from Nottingham Trent University in the U.K., the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf research lab in Germany and the Free …

What's New?

Adaptable lining makes prosthetics more comfortable 

March 24, 2025

British biomedical startup Unhindr, an Imperial College London spinoff company, is developing an adaptive lining for the sockets of prosthetic limbs that responds to how the body’s soft tissue naturally shrinks and swells during the day. Because a prosthetic limb that fits in the morning may not fit the same way late in the afternoon, the …

What's New?

eVent announces new high-performance weather protection 

March 10, 2025

eVent® Fabrics, Leawood, Kansas, a provider of waterproof, breathable and windproof fabric laminates, introduces its newest high-performance laminate, stormburstLT. An ultralight and ultra-breathable product, it’s designed for extreme applications: stormST for outdoor and lifestyle applications; and windstormST for breathable windproof and softshell applications. This completes eVent’s collection of laminates, providing brand partners with custom solutions …

What's New?

Smart pajama top can detect sleep disorders

March 10, 2025

A smart pajama top has been created to help detect sleep disorders and provide an alternative to visiting a sleep clinic. The garment, developed by Professor Luigi Occhipinti and colleagues at the University of Cambridge, U.K., is integrated with a series of graphene strain sensors that sense subtle vibrations in the neck muscles, even when …

What's New?

Medical textiles have infection protection

February 24, 2025

In collaboration with the German technology group Heraeus, the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research (DITF) are developing fibers and textiles with a novel infection protection system. The basis is an antimicrobial mechanism of action licensed from Heraeus and marketed under the name AGXX.  The goal of the collaboration is to optimally integrate the …

What's New?

LOOMIA and AFFOA collaborate on a new textile heater

February 10, 2025

Brooklyn, N.Y.-based LOOMIA, provider of electronic textiles and flexible electronics, and the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), have introduced the Gentoo Heater, which has been engineered to perform in ultra-cold environments.  According to AFFOA, a non-profit Manufacturing USA Institute driving fabric-based innovation in the U.S., the next-generation heater is a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)-based resistive heater that …

What's New?

Shielding suit by Vollebak deflects radio waves

February 10, 2025

Vollebak has released the Shielding Suit, a wearable technology made with pure silver that blocks radio waves so no one can track, hack, or call the users. The silver-added suit, which shares the same electromagnetic shielding technology that NASA has used for its Mars Rover, blocks electromagnetic radiation and shields users from infrared cameras.  Comprised of a jacket and pants, the suit deflects …

What's New?

Vest designed to safeguard astronauts from radiation 

January 13, 2025

The latest issue of Upward, official magazine of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, highlights the AstroRad vest, a pioneering wearable technology designed to safeguard astronauts from harmful solar radiation during deep-space missions. Developed through a collaboration between StemRad and Lockheed Martin, the vest has undergone extensive testing through the ISS National Lab, leading …