Executives shop at trade shows in preparation for future collections. With the Digital Product Passport and European Green Deal in immediate eyesight, the focus is on transparency and traceability. Buyers recognize that sustainability is important, but many are still fixated on price and may lack the knowledge necessary to make the decisions needed to meet upcoming guidelines and regulations.

Première Vision Paris

Kicking off the European textile show tour, Première Vision, was the first point of call. This show has been regarded as the “Grande Dame” of the fashion industry, with the fashion cognoscenti descending each season and having done so for 50 years, always an inspiration alone, but now there is a shift, driven by the acquisition of PV by GL Events in 2023.

Once spreading through six halls, PV now sits in two, covering fabrics, yarns, trims and leather. Gone are many of Europe’s leading haute couture textile mills, apart from the dynamic Malhia Kent’s eclectic weaves. Where has all the fashion gone? From lingerie, to fashion to sportswear, to swimwear and sportswear, the core identity, the “je ne sais quoi” of a show that has been running for the last 50 years had disappeared. Is this a direct reaction to the way consumers now dress, with sportswear becoming the 24/7 uniform?

Textile highlights at PV included Pelinova, a next gen material developed by Recyc Leather and Lenzing. It is made by collecting leather fibers from pre-consumer waste which are then hydro-projected onto a fabric composed of Tencel Lyocell fibers.

A strong educational forum was included in the trend area titled PV ECO-INNOVATION. Plant-based fake fur natural colored wool and cotton were featured, highlighting the savings in dye chemistry and water. Low impact vegetable dyes and alternative stretch materials, from bio-based spandex to mechanical stretch fabrics, offered new ideas.

The trend forum was full of color and prints, with linen a key component for the Spring/Summer 26 season. Meanwhile, Performance Days, the next textile show, was geared towards Fall/Winter 26/27.

Performance Days Munich

Sustainability and innovation continued to be the  focus, with wool making a grand comeback for the sourcing season. Materials in the trend forum were categorized into 13 groups, including three-layer membranes, base layers, workwear, bags, waterproof 2-layer fabrics, wool and others.

This season of Performance Days emphasized the topic “Certifications – Which Ones Matter?” The answer is still to be clarified. Certification is key, but there are so many out there, all coming at a cost to material manufacturers. In today’s climate, being without certification(s) is a no-no, especially in Europe with the Digital Product Passport coming in by 2027.

The trend area is always a feast of developments, with notable entries in the categories of membranes, safety and durability (including aramid fibers) and wool, which showed remarkable versatility, being utilized in applications ranging from windbreakers to shirts. Additionally, there was notable growth in materials such as hemp-Lyocell blends, recycled polyamide and multi-component yarns. Recycled ocean-waste gained ground and the highlight fabric for me was Century Eternity’s “neon crush” polyester: it was matte black, but when you moved, the crushed lines opened, revealing a shot of neon for a combination of fashion and performance. China-based Jiangsu Shunfeng featured a heat-capturing fluffy yarn with an aero thermal PU finish, comprised of mineral-based additives. DyeRecycle obtained color from recycled textile waste to create a new level of dyes and the permethrin-free BugsUNot mosquito repellent finish, pushing the boundaries in cleaner chemistry.

The wool trend area was a great reminder of this natural noble high performance fiber with inherent thermal regulation, dirt repellence, elasticity and anti-odor options. What did outdoor enthusiasts turn to pre-synthetics? Wool.

With a week reprieve back at base, once again I was hotfooting to Munich, honored to be a jury member at the ISPO Textrends jury meeting. Judging was for Spring/Summer 2027 applications for the sports and outdoor sector. While much discussion was around on the push in consumer well-being with performance textiles, specifically the UV plus protection, bio-based synthetics and end-of-life characteristics of fabrics; a large part of the jury discussion turned to the European Green Deal from the EU Commission.

Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are based on the “polluter pays” principle. The goal is to hold brands accountable for the entire life cycle of their products and to help fund the management of their end-of-life phase, which includes separate collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling of textiles. Previously, this responsibility fell to local authorities. Brands must either set up an individual system that meets regulatory requirements or join dedicated eco-organizations that can assist in implementing these systems.

The figures are staggering. In Europe, clothing and footwear account for 5.2 million tons of waste, which translates to 12 kg per person per year, according to the Joint Research Centre. Currently, only 22% of post-consumer textile waste is collected separately for reuse or recycling.

With buy-in from all levels of the supply chain, from textile manufacturing to responsible apparel design; retailer responsibility to onus on the consumer to reduce waste and overconsumption; only then will we get a more efficient and synchronized industry.