As a leading international trade fair with participants from 129 nations, Heimtextil 2023 was a global stage where textile sustainability was holistically mapped — with products and innovations that have shown that scalable and sustainable innovations are not a contradiction in terms. Olaf Schmidt, Vice-President (Textiles & Textile Technologies) at Messe Frankfurt talks to texfash.com

A rainforest nut that falls off a huge palm tree provides an organic alternative to the ubiquitous button required by the fashion industry as a necessary accessory and at times even an embellishment. Ecuador-based Trafino SA is one of the largest enterprises in the business of exporting these ‘blanks’ made from the tagua nut. texfash.com talks to its Executive President Ignacio Maya to know more. 

The idea of Stony Creek Colors (SCC) took roots when Founder and CEO Sarah Bellos understood the difficulties that brands face when trying to integrate plant-based dyes into their designs. Today, SCC produces the world's only 100% certified plant-based indigo. An in-depth interview with Bellos about dyes, transparency and climate change.

As the versatile denim continues to evolve as a key player in the fashion industry, the two-day Denim Première Vision beginning 23 November at Milano has been dynamically designed to serve as a natural link between the different elements of the value chain and a strong fashion attitude. Fabio Adami Dalla Val, Show Manager, Denim Première Vision talks to texfash.com.

In 2012, a charity was set up in Australia which embodied ideas of circular fashion long before it was to become a catchphrase. Thread Together dwelt on the simple idea of donating rather than disposing of unsold clothing. Today, it provides new wardrobes to at least 2,500 people every week, and has diverted over 3,000 tonnes of clothing from landfill. Chief Executive Officer Anthony Chesler tells texfash.com the saga that Thread Together has stitched.

Natural Fiber Welding— the name says much about NFW’s vision for a world that will be material-rich and plastic-free. The people behind it claim to be “obsessed with leaving the world better than we found it” and so they are on a mission to invent and “manufacture shockingly sustainable materials” from plants. The CEO & Founder of NFW Luke Haverhals tells texfash.com how he is leading his company “a moonshot systems-level shift away” from petroleum-derived products and toxic chemistries.

The Autumn edition of Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo, one of the biggest trade events in this part of the globe, has now been merged with the spring edition next year because of the pandemic situation in China. Wilmet Shea, Deputy General Manager of fair organiser Messe Frankfurt HK, talks threadbare about how trade event organisers are operating in these trying times and, of course, Intertextile Shanghai.

The inaugural Textile Printing & Sustainability Conference (TPS), organised by ESMA, looked at all critical factors and global trends which influence the textile market condition today and in the nearest future: customer-made fashion, responsible businesses, quality concerns, customisation and personalisation. ESMA Chief Executive Peter Buttiens talks about the key takeaways from TPS 2020 and how textile printing will change in the days to come.

The Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week is Africa's largest trade show for fashion, sustainability and innovation. Here, Africa's fashion and manufacturing industry meets international investors and brands. In a run up to the eighth edition which gets under way on 4 November, Skander Negasi, Chief Executive Officer of organiser Trade and Fairs Consulting GmbH, speaks about prospects, problems and mitumba.

Munich Fabric Start is a big event, packed with diverse and distinct verticals within the event ecosystem. See this in the backdrop of the array of exhibitors and the diversity of visitors, and, presto, it becomes an indubitable place to gauge the pulse of the industry and palpable elements that will become trends in the near future. The best person to throw light on all this is Sebastian Klinder, Managing Director of Munich Fabric Start Exhibitions GmbH. A conversation with texfash.com.