Manufacturing

Between 2015 and 2023 federal labour inspections in Mexico fell by close to 70 per cent, and barely one in a hundred reached the textile industry. A recent study shows the shortfall is not merely a matter of scarce resources but of design, with a statutory limit and a jurisdictional dispute together leaving four-fifths of the garment sector unreachable.

Apparel manufacturing must shift from lowest-unit-cost sourcing toward end-to-end productivity, smart flexibility and shared value creation, the central call of a new manifesto from the International Apparel Federation. The manifesto reframes manufacturers as strategic partners rather than interchangeable suppliers and identifies postponement and closer alignment with demand as practical measures to reduce inventory risk.

Sustainability credentials and AI capabilities are increasingly shaping how textile buyers evaluate suppliers, yet the gap between exhibition-floor claims and commercial application remains significant. Intertextile Shenzhen 2026 drew over 20,000 visits from 74 countries and regions. Wilmet Shea, General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, assesses which innovations translated into tangible business outcomes and where the industry's direction is shifting.

Onshore garment manufacturing in Australia has a new development: a first-of-its-kind Clothing Smart Factory feasibility study is now under way. The study unites RMIT, Swinburne and UTS in a research consortium, backed by Epson and Investment NSW, to assess the technical, workforce and financial requirements for a technology-enabled facility in New South Wales.

Bharat Tex 2026 is set to take place at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 14 to 17 July, organised by the Bharat Tex Trade Federation. Inspired by the government's Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign vision, the third edition features expanded state participation, sustainability recognition and digital enablement tools.

Key elements of the EU's textile labelling framework have become outdated since 2011, no longer reflecting market realities, technological progress, or the broader EU policy environment. A joint call from five European trade organisations to the European Commission has identified four priority areas: fibre tolerance rules, digitalisation of labelling, internal market fragmentation, and the boundary between the TLR and the Digital Product Passport.

Volume-first sourcing has left the apparel industry exposed to chronic overproduction, excess inventory and trapped capital, a new manifesto from the International Apparel Federation (IAF) has argued. Developed by the IAF Business Innovation Committee (BIC), the document calls for a shift toward end-to-end productivity, smart flexibility and shared value creation, arguing that systemic inefficiency, not manufacturing cost, drives the industry's greatest losses.

Europe’s textile fair circuit is crowded, and buyers are weighing travel, time and sourcing returns more carefully as sourcing budgets face sharper scrutiny. For Serhan Pul, Managing Director of B Group US and organiser of Intertex Portugal, the answer lies in efficiency, relevance, buyer qualification and Portugal’s manufacturing strengths rather than scale alone today.

A major internal reorganisation, aligned with a growth strategy and a substantial infrastructure investment programme, has reshaped Fierecongressi's operational model. The restructuring establishes a dedicated Internationalisation Area, merges two business units into a single Fairs Business Unit, and introduces a product-oriented structure to strengthen the company's competitive position in the global exhibition and congress market.

New emphasis on pet textiles, climate-adaptive fabrics, and silver-age applications will define Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition when it returns to Shanghai from 25 to 27 August 2026. The 2026 fair builds on a 2025 edition that drew more than 3,700 exhibitors and 100,000 buyers, guided by four themes: Fashion Forward, Performance Textiles, Sustainability, and Textile Future.