Features Archives

Biomedical textiles’ success stories

April 13, 2026 | Features

There are a number of reasons why the success of biomedical textiles in recent years is worth noting. First, it’s a demanding market niche fraught with standards and regulations that take time—and time is money. The investment needed to even start in this market is considerable. It’s also high…

The system-level imperative

March 23, 2026 | Features

Rapid advances in high‑performance fibers and the growing need for multi‑hazard protection are reshaping the protective textiles market, yet the real test of these innovations lies in the field. A compelling case in point is new research on how ballistic protection interacts with firefighter tur…

Are protective textiles the future?

March 9, 2026 | Features

It appears that the time has come for protective textiles—a market that can also expect a strong future in the functional textiles industry. As the protective textiles sector is an important segment of the technical textiles industry overall, there is ample evidence supporting this assertion is av…

Photovoltaics for the future

February 23, 2026 | Features

Editor’s note: The word “uncertainty” has been used more often in the last year than I can ever remember. There’s uncertainty regarding international trade, funding for new research, the current administration’s support—or lack thereof—for alternative energy, and many other areas that …

Powering a more climate friendly future

February 9, 2026 | Features

Textiles have typically been an industry with high energy consumption. In some circumstances it can be highly labor intensive and show lower productivity, depending on the level of modernization. The industry in past decades has been addressing these issues, and it has opportunities to be more clima…

Navigating change

January 26, 2026 | Features

EDITOR’S NOTE: With a new administration in Washington as of one year ago, change and its inherent uncertainties have been ongoing. I asked these experts in the industry to respond to questions about navigating the changes.

Textiles and Tariffs

January 26, 2026 | Features

The U.S. – China trade deal has led to positive reactions by global financial markets, but uncertainty persists—and uncertainty is not good for business in terms of expansion and investments. Given the current scenario, China comes out to be a loser in the emerging textiles trade landscape, whil…

Maintaining critical funding for advanced textiles

January 8, 2026 | Features

On January 5, 2026, the Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives released conference bills for important appropriations that fund federal research and allied agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The…

Wearables lead protective market advances

December 15, 2025 | Features

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 aro…

Niche markets for protective clothing

December 8, 2025 | Features

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 customer…

Category: Features