With high levels of innovation, quality and sustainability, material offerings for the upcoming winter season garnered positive reviews at last week’s Functional Fabric Fair in Portland, OR. The two-day event, powered by Performance Days, provided the industry crowd with plenty of...

Bigger in size and broader in scope, the recent Functional Fabric Fair, held at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland on October 26-27, gained ground with textile execs evaluating trade show calendars for 2023 and beyond.

To get a quick grasp of the important fabric trends for the winter season 2024/25 attendees at the Portland Functional Fabric Fair needed only to take a look at the winners for the Performance and Eco Performance awards highlighted in the Performance Forum.

Consumers would more likely buy sustainable goods if stores promoted eco-friendly items more aggressively, according to recent market research. Recently I spent time scouting retailers to see how consumer shopping sentiment stacked up with the current eco-merchandising scene at...

Gore’s new expanded Polyethylene (ePE) membrane, suitable for various consumer product uses, comes to market this season. The innovative Gore-Tex membrane combines durable performance with eco attributes.

A recently-opened $1.2M Biodegradability Lab at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth was created through a unique private-public partnership, including a $739,936 Massachusetts Technology Collaborative grant and a $450,000 investment from PrimaLoft.

Devan Chemicals, part of the Pulcra Group, a specialist in next generation well-being technology that enables manufacturers to boost textiles with a selection of microencapsulated active ingredients is extending its R-Vital product range.

A dynamic agenda and record-breaking attendance made for a lively Summer Marketing Forum hosted by the Southern Textile Association last week during which presenters outlined market trends and offered ways companies can keep pace with a rapidly changing textile landscape.

Since its formation in 2013, through a series of mergers and acquisitions, as well as internal investments in R&D, manufacturing and service capabilities, Archroma has been building a comprehensive portfolio of solutions...

In an effort to accelerate the digital transformation of its product portfolio, The Lycra Company is teaming with software specialist Browzwear, thus giving designers using 3D fashion design platforms...

One thousand days and several hundreds of sample swatches later, the Functional Fabric Fair, powered by Performance Days, returned to New York last week, ushering in next level, planet-positive fabric collections for active/athletic lifestyle.

The Focus Topic of the Functional Fabric Fair NY show, “The Journey to Carbon Neutrality,” originated earlier this Spring at the Portland, OR event, and has set the stage for industry conversation in 2022.

Texworld’s Summer 2022 Edition sported a refresh. Now the exhibit hall is brighter, more open and easier to maneuver than in the past with Textile Talks happening live on the Show floor rather than closed off in seminar rooms and a colorful and captivating Trend Showcase...

Outdoor Retailer, which many in the industry considered languishing, surprisingly bounced back during its last performance in Denver. The aisles were full of an upbeat younger crowd wearing tee shirts with canvas shorts and tapered pants.

Compass Diversified Holdings has agreed to acquire PrimaLoft from Victor Capital Partners for an estimated $530 million. PrimaLoft joins a handful of other outdoor companies in Compass Diversified’s portfolio, including BOA Technology and the hunting brand Velocity Outdoor.

Advancing their companies’ long-standing research collaboration, HeiQ and Patagonia are bringing to market a jointly-developed odor control textile technology. The product, HeiQ Fresh MNT, features odor control based on essential mint oil derived from a renewable and sustainable source.

RadiciGroup is in Frankfurt, Germany this week displaying its latest range of products at Techtexil 2022 that includes biosource and recycled lines as well as nonwovens and a new line of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Navigating sourcing disruptions is a daunting task that has become even more stressful in 2022 with ongoing lockdowns in China, war in Ukraine and rampant price increases.

Over the last three years, the Street Sports category at ISPO Textrends has soared. Textile mills are increasingly aware of the importance of this sector, where key trends of performance, functionality, and sustainability are embraced without...

Cordura’s NYCO fabric is the cornerstone of this new Sapphire Capsule Collection that will preview at Outdoor Retailer Summer Market upcoming in June.

New Zealand-based TMC Ltd., has introduced Herculan, a patented technology developed by making ground-up modifications to TMC’s proprietary Nuyarn spinning machines, enabling the equipment to accommodate strong wool...

The Functional Fabric Fair Spring edition made its debut in Portland, OR earlier this month with solid attendance, an upbeat vibe and industry focus on the journey to carbon neutrality. The two day, in-person event, powered by Performance Days, showcased 296 fabrics in its Forum area along with...

“The future is not only bright, it is techno-colored,” stated Nadine Johnson, whose pitch-perfect presentation on the metaverse kicked off Struktur, a conference for creatives, making a welcome return earlier this month after a few years hiatus.

Stockholm-based Material Exchange, a B2B digital material sourcing marketplace for the apparel and footwear industry, has achieved its next round of Series A investment, closing in on €25 million (approximately $27M U.S).

Anyone visiting a ski shop during the Fall season has witnessed piles of product packaging leftover from recently unwrapped inventory. “It’s like a powder day of plastic,” commented Peter Arlein, founder/CEO of the Colorado-based firm mountainFLOW eco-wax.

Two of the hottest topics in textiles were center stage last week when experts from industry and academia gathered to discuss circularity and alternative fibers during an event hosted by The Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University (NCSU).

Retail sales were up 14 percent in 2021, the highest retail growth in 20 years, but a variety of factors give shape to a very different landscape for the year ahead. Sales are expected to move forward at a sustainable rate in 2022 but at a slower pace than the past year...

Sustainable footwear brand Erem has announced four new hires to keep pace with rapid growth. Launched last November, Erem’s eco vision is seen in all aspects of the company’s ethos, from development to end-of-life solutions.

Building upon the company’s sustainable platform to help reduce environmental impact, Standard Fiber, a global supplier to the home textile market, is investing in carbon offsets for all cargo containers of textiles it exports from Asia to customers in the U.S. and...

Earlier this month Unifi’s leadership team shared that fiscal 2022 revenues are expected to surpass $800 million, and the company has set a goal of achieving $1.1 billion or more of revenues in fiscal 2025.

The LYCRA Company’s latest development provides functional performance benefits with sustainable features for ready-to-wear and wovens. Called LYCRA Dual Comfort, the technology combines comfortable stretch and cooling properties with long-lasting shape retention.

Nilit has announced organizational changes that reinforce the company’s commitment to sustainability. Sagee Aran will lead product development and commercialization initiatives and Michelle Lea has joined the company to direct worldwide marketing programs.

3M’s Thinsulate Xerogel Insulation has won an ISPO Textrends 2023/24 Top Ten Award that recognizes the latest textile-based innovations for sports and outdoor apparel. An international jury of textile and sporting experts assessed a wide range of new textile-based products before...

Spinnova and adidas Unveil First Commercial Product: The Terrex HS1 hoodie makes its debut as the first adidas product made with sustainable Spinnova fibers marking the first time Spinnova sustainable material is available globally for consumers.

Cordura’s new re/cor RN66, launching at the Outdoor Retailer Snow Show in Denver this week, is “durable, responsible and innovated to last,” according to the company, which highlights the quantifiable benefits of its recycled nylon 6,6 product, versus virgin nylon 6,6.

Polartec’s unique I-Beam knit construction levels up the supplier's anti-shedding Power Air technology by achieving the best warmth-to-weight ratio in this product series.

Taking a modern, eco-aware approach to innovation, Halley Stevensons has introduced a plant-based wax, the first such development in wax finishes. Called EverWax Olive, the sustainably-conscious product is a gentle, protective blend of plant based waxes and...

In addition to an annual round of updates to test criteria, limit values and requirements, along with tips on navigation and understanding new substances, the Oeko-Tex Association has made its Impact Calculator tool available for STeP customers...

“Not quite as expected but successful,” is an apt description from show organizers regarding the recent Performance Days fair. Last minute pandemic-related concerns regarding in-person attendance at the Munich event required the PD team to turn on a dime and be digital only for the December edition.

Unifi and Sorona may target different audiences, but both firms are finding success optimizing sustainable solutions, whether that is on fashion’s red carpet or the green turf of the football field.