United States

CottonConnect is transforming global cotton supply chains through regenerative farming, full traceability, and collaborative brand partnerships. Led by CEO Alison Ward, the social enterprise empowers farmers, promotes sustainability, and builds climate resilience across India, Pakistan, China and beyond. With scalable programmes and robust impact measurement, CottonConnect aims to make sustainable cotton the norm, not the exception, in a volatile global market.

Getting the right shade of dye is often difficult for fabric manufacturers, but research from the Wilson College of Textiles is using machine learning to tackle the mismatch of shades which could actually help reduce textile manufacturing waste by more accurately mapping how colours will change during the dyeing process.

Recent court rulings have struck down President Trump's sweeping tariff regime, challenging executive authority over trade policy. The US Court of International Trade found Trump exceeded his powers under emergency legislation, sparking immediate appeals and creating uncertainty across global markets and supply chains.

The International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN) has urged the fashion sector to review its environmental marketing practices to ensure compliance with consumer protection law, and establish that any claims made are truthful, clear and accurate, substantiated with sufficient evidence.

Researchers at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln have developed a patent-pending first-of-its-kind technology for fibre-to-fibre or chemical recycling that effectively eliminates dyes, distinguishes between natural and synthetic blends, and produces high-quality fibres in a procedure which is economically viable and scalable.

The Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART) Association works towards strengthening economic opportunities by promoting the interdependence of the for-profit textile recycling industry segments and provides a common forum for networking, education and advocacy. SMART President Brian London dwells at length on the second-hand clothing waste and global trade.

This is not the first time that India has found itself with a heaven-sent opportunity. This time, however, all indicators are that the ground situation is different. Will India be able to upstage China in the global textiles and apparel trade? A ground report.

Researchers at Cornell have developed a new type of unobtrusive smart clothing that may not require you to manually log your workout, because an artificial intelligence pipeline detects movements, identifies the exercise and counts reps. It could also be useful for physical therapists monitoring the progress of patients at home.

Re-strategise, re-set, upskill, go compliant, build in agility and resilience—these should be the mantras for the footwear industry as it gears up in the next 89 days for the final dictum from the White House. And yeah, US+1 will work here too. And that could well be here’s looking at you India!

The lesson of the current US tariffs crisis roiling the trade world is this: you cannot keep relying on one country as your export destination. From now on it has to be ‘US Plus One’.