Industry News

Pantone 2024 Fashion Color Trend Report

September 22, 2023

Pantone LLC, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced the Fashion Color Trend Report Spring Summer 2024 edition for London Fashion Week (LFW). This season’s report features the top ten standout colors as well as the five new core classics we can expect to see as …

Company News

MycoWorks opens world’s first commercial-scale Fine Mycelium plant

September 21, 2023

Biotechnology company MycoWorks began production at its world-class manufacturing facility in Union, S.C. Now capable of scaling-up to meet luxury industry demand, the company is set to grow millions of square feet of its leather-alternative material produced with the company’s proprietary technology, Fine Mycelium™. This patented technology produces Reishi™, a biomaterial with unparalleled hand-feel, strength …

Company News

Durst Group acquires Aleph SrL

September 20, 2023

Durst Group, manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production solutions, has acquired Aleph SrL, a pioneer in sustainable digital solutions for textiles and interior and exterior decorations. With this strategic move, Durst Group further enhances its position in water-based and sustainable printing technologies. For Durst Group, the acquisition also serves as a bridge to Como, …

Industry News

In memoriam: Galynn Nordstrom

September 19, 2023

Galynn Nordstrom, a longtime editor of Specialty Fabrics Review magazine, died on July 14, 2023. She was at the helm of the Review for more than 15 years and used her deep knowledge of the specialty fabrics industry to create a publication of lasting significance. Nordstrom was quite active in the Twin Cities publishing community, …

Company News

BASF hosts roundtable on cotton at UN  

September 14, 2023

Farmers across the globe are working to meet the ever-increasing demand for sustainably grown cotton. True sustainable sourcing of natural fibers can be complex and challenging, which is why BASF Agricultural Solutions brought together a global delegation of farmers from Europe and the United States to ensure their voices are heard and supported. The event, aptly named …

Company News

Alpine Group partners with FibreTrace

September 13, 2023

Alpine Group — a global textile innovation and apparel manufacturing group — and FibreTrace®, a traceability solutions provider have announced a partnership, delivering transparency throughout Alpine Group’s supply chain, while engaging brands and accelerating positive change across the fashion industry. Ashok Mahtani, co-founder and chairman of Paradise Textiles, the material science and innovation hub of …

Company News

Santoni Shanghai acquires Terrot

September 12, 2023

Santoni Shanghai Knitting Machinery Co., Ltd., founded and wholly owned by Italy’s Lonati family, announced the strategic acquisition of Terrot GmbH, a manufacturer of circular knitting machines based in Chenmitz, Germany. The move comes as the latest development in Santoni Shanghai’s long-term vision to build an ecosystem that aims to reshape and consolidate the circular knitting industry. The transaction …

Events

ATA launches Leadership Academy

September 11, 2023

Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) has launched the ATA Leadership Academy, an initiative set to reshape leadership excellence within the textile industry. This comprehensive leadership development program is designed to offer advanced training to professionals across all levels, with training options for ATA member companies of all sizes. The ATA Leadership Academy exemplifies the Association’s commitment …

My Take

The fun of being a researcher

September 11, 2023

Scientists are often hesitant to speculate (publicly, at least) about future innovations that could impact our industry when the ability to accomplish that is little more than a fantasy. They are more than willing, however, to share information on known-but-very-new technologies or materials that could offer a better solution to a difficult existing problem.  In …

Out There

New inks make it possible to draw stretchable LEDs

September 11, 2023

Although we’re hearing more about stretchable electronics, the fabrication of such devices’ components is far beyond most people’s abilities. Now, however, scientists have created inks that let anyone draw stretchable LEDs onto various surfaces, including fabric, using regular ballpoint pens. The inks were produced at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., by a team led by Assoc. …

Events

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

July 7, 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 …

Expo News

E-textile testing and standards are evolving

November 11, 2020

At the 2020 Virtual Expo session, “Ask the Expert: Textile Electronics Testing and Standards,” Jesse Jur, a professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, discussed how standards and testing continue to evolve due to the evolution of textile-based electronics (e-textiles). Jur said that standards have long been a vital resource for …

Expo News

Guidance offered in commercial insurance market

November 10, 2020

Wildfires, hurricanes, a pandemic and civil unrest have wreaked plenty of chaos on the commercial insurance market in 2020. Steve Christenson, with Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, offered guidance to business owners Nov. 9 at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. “The business insurance market has been going through several changes this year,” says Christenson, with U.S. …

Expo News

How to make your business attractive to a buyer

November 6, 2020

Thinking about selling your business—either to an outside party or the next generation? Then it’s time to start considering how your equipment and processes fit into your succession plan. Jonathan Palmer, the second-generation owner and CEO of equipment supplier Autometrix, and Autometrix director of global sales Truy Pham, led an educational session at IFAI Virtual …

Features

Collaborations benefit warfighters—and consumers

September 11, 2023

The North Carolina Defense Manufacturing Community Support Program (NC DMCSP), which is administered by NC State University Industry Expansion Solutions, is disrupting the performance and functionality that once defined the traditional textile industry. With more than 40 percent of U.S. textiles produced in the state of North Carolina, NC DMCSP serves and supports textile manufacturers on …

Features

Renewed vitality in domestic manufacturing

August 28, 2023

Since the pandemic, the world economy has been run by anomalies. With a strong labor market, one normally expects higher demand in daily nonessentials such as clothing, home textiles and home accessories; the financial reports of major retailers, such as Walmart and Canadian retailer Loblaws, show that year-on-year sales have increased. But an analysis of …

Features

Concerns about chemicals 

August 14, 2023

The chemicals used on many textiles are impacting apparel in concerning ways across the globe. In her book released in June 2023, To Dye For: How Toxic Fashion Is Making Us Sick and How We Can Fight Back, journalist Alden Wicker discusses the hazards certain chemicals pose for human health. In an interview with the author, …

Features

The challenge of making sustainable footwear

July 31, 2023

A single method to calculate and mitigate the negative environmental impact of footwear is much needed. The European Commission is promoting the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF), designed to offer a single method to calculate, and perhaps as important, to communicate the environmental performance of products in a way that makes comparison easier and more transparent. …

Features

A new world in sustainable footwear

July 17, 2023

When Nike launched its Flyknit trainer in 2012, it kickstarted a new era in sustainable footwear. The one-piece uppers, knit on a flat machine, created 60 percent less waste than traditional construction. The transition to recycled polyester (rPET) yarns in 2016 added to the brand’s sustainability cred. Adidas followed quickly with their Primeknit styles and …

Features

The innovation ecosystem in advanced textiles

June 26, 2023

Billionaire investor Raymond Dalio, founder and chairman of Bridgewater Associates, an American investment management firm, has said that education and technology are key influencers among the factors that propel economic development and spearhead growth, but specific skillsets, beyond professional or core competencies, are needed. These include analytical capability, communication and human interaction skills, marketing expertise …

Features

Smart Fabrics Conference: Part II

June 12, 2023

With a packed day-and-a-half, the Smart Fabric Summit in April 2023 provided plenty of information to process, ideas to incorporate and discussions to spark the imagination. Organized by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) and the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh, N.C., student project presentations and tours of the …

Features

The life-changing possibilities for biomedical textiles

May 22, 2023

The pandemic heightened the public’s awareness of textile substrates and elevated the value of textiles in everyone’s eyes, but relatively few know of breakthrough technologies that could transform segments of the medical textiles field. Key attributes of these textiles are their functionality and biocompatibilities, but a range of functionalities may need to be considered, depending …

Features

The Smart Fabrics Conference 2023

May 8, 2023

This year’s Smart Fabric Summit was again organized by the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) and the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University (NC State) in Raleigh, N.C. The event took place on the NC State campus April 11–12. It began with a full day of education and ended with an additional morning of …

Features

The future of polyester (as we know it)

April 24, 2023

Where would we be without polyester textiles? Fibers created from polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are ubiquitous in our apparel, home furnishings, automotive, filtration and personal care industries. In 2021, they represented 57.57 percent of the global fiber market, according to Fibre2Fashion’s market insight tool TexPro.  Yet the need for more sustainable textiles, combined with a volatile …

Industry News

Pantone 2024 Fashion Color Trend Report

September 22, 2023

Pantone LLC, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries, announced the Fashion Color Trend Report Spring Summer 2024 edition for London Fashion Week (LFW). This season’s report features the top ten standout colors as well as the five new core classics we can expect to see as …

Industry News

In memoriam: Galynn Nordstrom

September 19, 2023

Galynn Nordstrom, a longtime editor of Specialty Fabrics Review magazine, died on July 14, 2023. She was at the helm of the Review for more than 15 years and used her deep knowledge of the specialty fabrics industry to create a publication of lasting significance. Nordstrom was quite active in the Twin Cities publishing community, …

Industry News

Accelerating Circularity, Goodwill Industries test textile feedstock hubs

September 8, 2023

The Walmart Foundation has granted $1.2 million to support Goodwill Industries International Inc. and Accelerating Circularity to develop skills, systems, and infrastructure at participating Goodwill organizations to transform unsellable textile donations into recycling feedstock. This transformation is critical to the circular textile economy. The partnership with Goodwill is intended to develop skills, systems, and infrastructure at local …

Industry News

Kelheim Fibres, Magnolab join forces

September 7, 2023

The viscose specialty fiber manufacturer Kelheim Fibres has entered into a collaboration with MagnoLab, an international network of companies in the textile industry based in the Biella region. This partnership highlights the importance of collaboration between different companies to drive innovation and sustainability in the textile industry. Kelheim Fibres, a pioneer in the development of …

Industry News

AATCC 2023 Future Leaders Award Recipients

August 29, 2023

The AATCC Future Leaders Award recognizes promising young professionals in the fields of textiles, apparel, and related material sciences, provides acknowledgement and recognition to enhance their careers, engages these young professionals in the work of the Association, and brings their insights and needs to the forefront. These young professionals are the future of the textile …

Industry News

Columbia Sportswear Company names Tom Gyles SVP, global distribution network

August 21, 2023

Columbia Sportswear Company, a global supplier of designing, sourcing, marketing, and distributing outdoor, active and everyday lifestyle apparel, footwear, accessories, and equipment products, named Tom Gyles its new Senior Vice President, Global Distribution Network in Canada. Mr. Gyles oversees North America and Europe wholesale, retail, and ecommerce company-owned distribution operations (2,000 employees). He is also …

Industry News

President Biden signs “Invent it here, make it here” executive order 

August 2, 2023

President Joe Biden has signed an executive order while visiting Maine on Friday to encourage companies to manufacture new inventions in the United States. Biden landed in Maine for the first time since taking office, packaging his signing of the executive order with a speech at a textile factory in Auburn and a fundraiser in Freeport. The …

Industry News

Circular footwear

July 25, 2023

Fashion for Good launches new pilot with brand partners adidas, Inditex, Target and Zalando, and footwear recycling innovator FastFeetGrinded to test and validate the innovative footwear recycling process to support the uptake of recycled content in footwear, driving the change towards a more circular footwear industry.  Globally, 24 billion shoes are added to the market …

Industry News

Better Cotton & Cotton Egypt Association forge strategic partnership

July 24, 2023

Better Cotton, the world’s largest cotton sustainability initiative, and Cotton Egypt Association (CEA), the organization responsible for promoting and protecting Egyptian cotton worldwide, have announced a new strategic partnership to expand the Better Cotton program in Egypt. The program was first launched in 2020 by the Egyptian Cotton Project, implemented by the United Nations Industrial …

Industry News

Lenzing introduces resource-efficient dyeing for TENCEL Lyocell fibers

July 21, 2023

Lenzing Group, a leading global producer of wood-based specialty fibers, has introduced a new approach that covers yarn pre-treatment and knitting technique to achieve aesthetics that resemble the wash- down effects of traditional dyeing in ready-to-wear and knit garments. To address the pollution caused by dyeing and finishing in the textile industry, the new approach …

Out There

New inks make it possible to draw stretchable LEDs

September 11, 2023

Although we’re hearing more about stretchable electronics, the fabrication of such devices’ components is far beyond most people’s abilities. Now, however, scientists have created inks that let anyone draw stretchable LEDs onto various surfaces, including fabric, using regular ballpoint pens. The inks were produced at Washington University, St. Louis, Mo., by a team led by Assoc. …

Out There

Streetwear is made from preserved seaweed 

June 12, 2023

Inside The Reykjavik EDITION hotel in Iceland, fashion designers Tanguy Mélinand and Drífa Líftóra unveiled their collection of clothes stitched from harvested and preserved Icelandic seaweed. The designers collaborated with SEAWEEDWORKS, a project founded by creative director Charlie Strand, to spotlight the potential uses of seaweed in art, fashion, design and technology for the special exhibition. Before Tanguy Mélinand conceived his pieces, he …

Out There

Biomimetic soft “seed robot” can navigate through soil

May 8, 2023

Researchers at the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia in Genova have created what they say is the first 4D-printed, biomimetic, biodegradable, soft robot that changes shape in response to humidity and can navigate through soil. The researchers say the device has great potential as a new means of monitoring the environment. Photo: Istituto Italiano di Tecnología. 4D …

Out There

Zebra stripes inspire smart, wearable electricity source

April 24, 2023

The zebra’s distinctive appearance has been the source of much scientific debate, from its role in predator confusion, to how it can deter horsefly bites. More recently, it was found that the animals can raise the fur of their black segments to transfer heat away from the skin for temperature regulation. Scientists are taking the zebra debate in this …

Out There

Re-defining soft robotics with self-healing, conductive gel

April 10, 2023

A new material could help produce self-healing and conductive robotic devices that are also soft. Developed by a team of scientists at Carnegie Mellon University, the substance consists of a gelatinous polyvinyl alcohol-sodium borate base, embedded in which are silver microflakes and gallium-based liquid metal droplets. It’s also infused with ethylene glycol, to keep it …

Out There

Columbia U. researcher turns soil into textiles

March 27, 2023

Researchers at Columbia University have succeeded in creating a fabric that’s made from at least 60 percent dirt. Penmai Chongtoua, working with Columbia’s Natural Materials Lab director Prof. Lola Ben-Alon, began to explore the possibility of wearing “earth.” After graduating from the MA in Climate and Society program at the Columbia Climate School in 2022, Chongtoua came to work …

Out There

NEWFACET turns to AI for garment design concept

January 9, 2023

Bridging the evolving leaps and bounds in technology with garment design, NEWFACET offers an innovative initiative imagining a conceptual clothing campaign. The designer makes use of an artificial intelligence (AI) program to explore ways of optimizing workflow and creative processes in visualizing unique concepts and cuts. The result is a series of highly realistic shots that depict AI-created …

Out There

Designers launch bullet-resistant loungewear 

November 28, 2022

Designer duo Tian Wang and Teague Miller have launched “Kickback,” a line of bullet-resistant loungewear and accessories prompted by the more than 100 firearm fatalities a day in the U.S. Handcrafted from heavy duty Kevlar©, the ‘Kickback’ bathrobes are lined with bulletproof body plates, offering protection and peace of mind. The collection also includes slippers and a …

Out There

Designer grows biodesigns from grass root

November 14, 2022

Zena Holloway has launched a collection of biodesigns grown entirely from grass root. The London-based designer and multi-disciplinary artist is exploring the possibilities for root-grown textiles for fashions that are sustainable and compostable. In essence, Holloway is turning grass root into wearable art in a collection named “Rootfull.”  The root itself forms botanical skeleton that …

Out There

Thermal camouflage jacket uses graphene patches

October 10, 2022

British performance apparel brand Vollebak has released details of a new Thermal Camouflage Jacket, which could lay the foundation for an “invisibility cloak” that could conceal its wearer on the infrared spectrum, as well as the on the visible spectrum. The jacket is made with 42 patches of graphene, individually controlled via microcomputer to emit …

What's New?

Fibers with sensors help study the brain-gut connection

September 11, 2023

The brain and the digestive tract are in constant communication, relaying signals that help to control feeding and other behaviors. This extensive communication network also influences our mental state and has been implicated in many neurological disorders.  MIT engineers have designed a new technology for probing those connections. Using fibers embedded with a variety of …

What's New?

Spun-fiber device designed for children with heart valve disease

August 28, 2023

Strep throat is a common and treatable childhood disease in the U.S., but in less wealthy countries, children afflicted with strep can develop rheumatic fever, in which runaway inflammation attacks the body’s tissues. Rheumatic fever often damages the valves of the heart, causing rheumatic heart disease that can lead to serious health problems, including heart …

What's New?

Ink can change color on demand

August 14, 2023

Inspired by cephalopods, scientists have created a new light-activated ink that can change color on demand. It’s made up of microbeads of different colors that rise or sink in response to different wavelengths of light, so that its surface appears as a specific color. This could be useful for new electronic displays or active camouflage …

What's New?

Running shoe start-up adds graphene to its material mix

July 31, 2023

Quebec-based running shoe brand Norda has incorporated graphene-enhanced material from Directa Plus into its shoes. Directa Plus founder, Giulio Cesareo, said he had tried on a prototype pair of Norda shoes made with the graphene material and that the footwear fitted perfectly. The use of Directa Plus material in the brand’s shoes came from Nick …

What's New?

Nike’s ISPA pushes footwear innovation

July 17, 2023

Nike’s ISPAnificio, an exhibition during Milan Design Week 2023, showcased the company’s ISPA shoe-making lab, taking giant steps in circularity. ISPA is a set of design principles—improvise, scavenge, protect, adapt—that breaks the mold of footwear design. The team designs shoes that can be taken apart and repurposed, utilizing sustainable materials such as Flyknit, algae inks, …

What's New?

Thread-like pumps can be woven into clothes

June 26, 2023

Many fluid-based wearable assistive technologies today require a large and noisy pump that is impractical, if not impossible, to integrate into clothing, so wearable devices are routinely tethered to unwearable pumps. But researchers at the Soft Transducers Laboratory (LMTS) in the School of Engineering, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), have developed an elegantly simple solution.  …

What's New?

Electronic skin offers tactile feedback 

June 26, 2023

A team of researchers at the City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has recently introduced a thin, wearable electronic “skin” that provides tactile feedback to users in virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) environments. Called “WeTac,” the wireless electro-tactile system is made of a skin-friendly hydrogel layer that sticks onto the users’ palms and collects their …

What's New?

Scientists devise a sensing sweater for industrial robots

June 12, 2023

Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University have designed a smart sweater for a robot that can immediately stop moving if it accidentally makes contact with an adjacent human worker. To keep from accidentally hurting their human coworkers, many industrial robots have sensors that detect physical contact with people or other objects. This new high-tech sweater can bring this …

What's New?

Super-charged smart textile can multi-task

June 12, 2023

Scientists have developed a simple metallic coating treatment for clothing or wearable textiles which can repair itself, repel bacteria from the wearer and even monitor a person’s electrocardiogram (ECG) heart signals.  Researchers from North Carolina State University, South Korea and Flinders University in South Australia say the conductive circuits created by liquid metal (LM) particles …

What's New?

Textile researchers prepare stem cells to become organ tissue

May 22, 2023

Nearly 3,000 people died waiting for an organ transplant in 2022, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, and more than 100,000 people remain on the wait list. Envisioning a future without the need for donor organs, a North Carolina State University (NC State) researcher is laying the foundation to grow stem cells into …