FW
Eight innovative design talents have been selected as finalists for the 2025 International Woolmark Prize, the prestigious award celebrating fashion innovation and sustainability.
The finalists include ACT N1 (Italy), Diotima (USA), Duran Lantink (Netherlands), Ester Manas (Belgium), LGN Louis Gabriel Nouchi (France), LUAR (USA), Meryll Rogge (Belgium), and Standing Ground (UK/Ireland).
This marks the first biennial edition of the prize, which has supported design talent for over 60 years. Each finalist will receive AU$60,000 to create six Merino wool looks, showcasing the fiber's versatility and eco-friendly properties. One designer will win AU$300,000 to advance their business, with opportunities to feature in leading global retailers.
IB Kamara, Creative Director for Off-White and Editor-in-Chief of Dazed, has been appointed Guest Artistic Director for the event. Kamara will play a key role in highlighting the work of the finalists and supporting their contributions to the future of fashion.
The program’s Innovation Academy offers mentorship from industry leaders like Gabriella Karefa-Johnson and Sinead Burke, alongside support from partners like Byborre and Knitwear Lab.
Two additional honors will be presented at the final event, the Karl Lagerfeld Award for Innovation and the Supply Chain Award, recognizing exceptional contributions to Merino wool and sustainable practices.
With a legacy that includes Karl Lagerfeld and Yves Saint Laurent, the Woolmark Prize continues to spotlight transformative design talent committed to sustainability.
India's textile and apparel trade fair, Bharat Tex 2025, is set to host a promotional roadshow in London from Nov 27-28, 2024. The event aims to showcase India’s strengths in textile manufacturing and explore opportunities for international partnerships. It will be held in anticipation of the main fair scheduled from Feb 14 -17, 2025 in New Delhi.
The two-day roadshow will include a symposium, exclusive one-on-one meetings, and round table discussions on the first day, while the second day will be dedicated to additional meetings with Indian delegates. This format will offer ample opportunities for direct engagement and in-depth discussions about the future of the textile trade.
Bharat Tex 2025 seeks to enhance India's reputation as a global textile hub and to foster new business connections with international markets. Although many UK-based brands and retailers already have strong ties with Indian manufacturers, the London roadshow will provide a platform to explore new trends, partnerships, and opportunities in India's thriving textile and apparel industry. Attendees will participate in B2B and B2G meetings, sign memorandums of understanding (MoUs), and engage in other networking activities.
Organised by the Textile Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) with the support of India’s Ministry of Textiles, Bharat Tex 2025 will emphasise the advancements in India’s textile sector, focusing on innovation, sustainability, and investment potential. The fair is designed to attract global interest in India’s growing capabilities in textile production and design.
At the Bharat Tex 2025 Curtain Raiser event in New Delhi, Giriraj Singh, Union Textiles Minister, highlighted the sector's significant potential, projecting that India's textile industry will grow to $350 billion by 2030, creating an estimated 35 million jobs. The roadshow in London will pave the way for deeper international collaborations and investments that will contribute to this ambitious growth trajectory.
Set for continued growth next year, Vietnam’s garment industry is looking to diversify its key export markets as it waits to see what steps will be taken by US President-elect Donald Trump in terms of tariffs.
According to the Vu Duc Giang, Chairman, Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), the country’s garment exports will rise to $47-$48 billion in 2025 while this year, the country’s apparel exports will rise by 11.3 per cent to an estimated $44 billion. To leverage this growth, the association will continue to diversify its export markets, products and clients, he adds.
Garments from Vietnam are exported to about 104 markets, but the US remains its biggest market, accounting for about 38 per cent of the country’s apparel shipments this year. The Southeast Asian nation is the second-largest supplier of clothes and shoes to the U.S., according to the American Apparel & Footwear Association.
Vietnam is the world’s third largest apparel producer and exporter after China and Bangladesh, according to VITAS. The trade group sees positive momentum for exports next year as many garment companies have already received orders for the first quarter, Giang added.
China's dominance in the US garment import market is waning. After reaching a peak around 2010, its market share, both in terms of value and the number of units, has been steadily declining. This trend has significant implications for both the US and Chinese economies, as well as the global garment industry.
Statistics clear the picture
China's share of US garment imports peaked around 2010, with nearly 40 per cent market share in value terms and over 45 per cent in units. Since then, there has been a consistent decline, with China’s share in 2024 estimated at around 25 per cent in value and 35 per cent in units. Interestingly, the decline is more pronounced in terms of value than units, suggesting a shift towards cheaper garments from other sources. The Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) data too supports the trend. For example, in 2010, China accounted for 39.5 per cent of US apparel imports by value. By 2023, this had fallen to 27.2 per cent.
There are several reason for this decline. For a start, rising labor costs in China is a major factor. As China's economy has grown, so have wages, making it less competitive as a source of low-cost garments. Meanwhile, US importers are increasingly diversifying their sourcing to reduce reliance on any single country, particularly in light of geopolitical uncertainties and supply chain disruptions. Growth of other manufacturing hubs like Vietnam, Bangladesh, and India has increased competition, attracting investment and market share. OTEXA data too reveals, Vietnam has been a major beneficiary of this shift. Its share of US garment imports by value has increased from 7.9 per cent in 2010 to 15.7 per cent in 2023. In fact, Nike, once heavily reliant on China, has significantly diversified its sourcing. In its 2023 fiscal year, Vietnam accounted for 31 per cent of its footwear production, surpassing China's 24 per cent reveals Nike Fiscal Year 2023 Impact Report.
Nearshoring is another factor as some US companies are shifting production closer home, to countries in Central America and the Caribbean, to reduce lead times and transportation costs.
Implications of the shift
For the US: The diversification of sourcing can enhance supply chain resilience and potentially create new opportunities for trade with other countries. However, it may also lead to higher prices for consumers in the short term.
For China: The decline in garment exports puts pressure on its economy to move up the value chain and focus on higher-value-added industries.
Global garment industry: The shift is creating a more dynamic and competitive global garment industry, with implications for labor standards, environmental sustainability, and trade policies.
While China is unlikely to lose its position as a major garment supplier to the US entirely, its dominance is clearly diminishing. The trend towards diversification and regionalization of production is likely to continue, shaping the future of the global garment industry. This presents both challenges and opportunities for all stakeholders, and it remains to be seen how these will play out in the years to come.
Eastman’s Naia Renew fibers are redefining sustainable fashion with their innovative circularity model, powered by the company’s carbon renewal technology. This process breaks down hard-to-recycle waste into molecular building blocks, transforming them into high-quality feedstock for Naia Renew fibers. The result is a versatile, biodegradable, and GRS-certified cellulosic fiber that blends sustainability with uncompromised style and comfort.
Naia Renew ES (Enhanced Sustainability), already available at scale, boasts 60 per cent GRS-certified recycled content. Its composition includes 40 per cent certified recycled waste material, 20 per cent certified recycled cellulose, and 40 per cent sustainably sourced wood pulp. Eastman aims to push these sustainability boundaries even further.
To highlight this innovation, Eastman has launched the ‘Recycled and Runway Ready’ campaign, blending photography and AI to showcase how waste can be transformed into striking garments. The campaign spans diverse styles, from formalwear to casual streetwear, reflecting the fibers versatility.
The garments, made with Naia Renew fibers, are not just conceptual, they are available globally in stores and online, featured in collections by top fashion brands. With Naia Renew, Eastman proves there’s no trade-off between responsibility and beauty. These fibers cater to countless fashion applications, enabling stylish, sustainable creations at scale.
Benefiting the textile industry, the UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) has secured a six-year extension for the Climate Change Levy (CCL) rebate scheme. Starting on Jan 01, 2026, the new scheme will continue until Mar 2033. According to Adam Mansell, CEO, UKFT, the current scheme saves the textile industry around £5 million annually, so a new six-year extension is excellent news.
The CCL rebate offers discounts on energy taxes to textile companies in exchange for meeting energy reduction targets. This scheme specifically supports the wet processing sector, including dyeing, printing, coating, and drying activities, as well as spinning, weaving, and knitting operations. There have been no changes to the eligibility criteria, so companies already in the scheme that have met their targets or paid the buy-out fee are expected to be automatically enrolled in the new program.
While UKFT has retained the fundamental structure of the scheme as similar to previous schemes, it has made several other key changes. The new scheme will streamline reporting with targets set every two years and requirement of minimal annual reporting. Companies must also complete a mandatory annual self-certification on the 70/30 rule. The scheme will also introduce a new standardised target system to simplify energy reduction goals, eliminating confusion over previous 'relative' or 'novem' measures. Additionally, energy surpluses from the new scheme can be used to meet future targets, but surpluses from the current scheme cannot be carried over.
UKFT will continue to manage the scheme, assisting companies with paperwork, registration, and performance monitoring. To avail the benefits of this scheme, participants will have to pay a £185 fee to the Environment Agency, a £250 joining fee to UKFT, and an annual administration fee equivalent to 5 per cent of the savings achieved, which is reduced to 3 per cent for UKFT members or affiliates.
In the first 10 months of 2024, spanning Jan-Oct 24, Cambodia’s garments, textiles and footwear exports rose by double digits, as per a report by the General Department of Customs and Excise. Cambodia’s textile exports increased by 14.5 per cent Y-o-Y to $406 million during the Jan-Oct’24 period while garments exports rose by 23.6 per cent to $8 billion.
Additionally, Cambodia’s footwear exports also increased by 22 per cent to $1.33 billion to the international market, up 20.6 per cent, the report added.
Hoe Ee Khor, Chief Economist, Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), says, the garments, footwear and textile sector remains one of the major drivers for Cambodia's economic growth. Growth in this sector is projected to rebound in 2024, driven by the rising demand for consumer goods in major advanced markets, he adds.
The garment, textile and footwear industry is also the largest foreign exchange earner for Cambodia with about 1,538 factories, employing approximately 913,000 workers, mostly female, according to the latest report by the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training.
The Eurasia Group has opened a garment factory in the Kashkar Kyshtak Village, Kyrgyzstan in partnership with the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
A part of the bigger textile and garment complex being developed in the region with an investment of over $27 million, the garment factory was built with a capital of over $3.5 billion with USAID providing technical assistance to improve product quality, create more efficient production processes, create a website and organise a fashion hackathon.
According to the US embassy in Bishkek, the unit will generate 600 jobs besides expanding the country’s presence in global markets.
Garments produced in the factory, on its being fully operational will be exported to the the Middle East and North Africa, the European Union, and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
In a meeting with 150 representatives of textile manufacturers and exporters in Panipat, Giriraj Singh, Union Textiles Minister urged the industry leaders to expand the textile market size to $350 billion and exports to $150 billion by 2030.
During the meeting, he addressed key issues impacting the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and manufacturing industries in the textile sector, particularly in Panipat, a key hub for textiles and handlooms in India.
Singh also emphasised on the need for development of new products by the industry with different blends, such as jute with bamboo, and recycled cotton with synthetic fibers, on floor-covering and carpet products.
The meeting was organised by the Handloom Export Promotion Council under the leadership of the Office of Development Commissioner for Handlooms, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India in coordination with the Panipat Exporters’ Association. It discussed policy matters concerning infrastructure development, export promotion strategies, Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), and policy support for SMEs in improving their growth and international competitiveness.
The meeting also highlighted d the importance of collaboration between the government and industry stakeholders to address these challenges and work towards the long-term growth of India's textiles and export sectors.
Singh also visited the factories of some of the leading handloom, home textiles and recycled manufacturing units in the region such as Mahajan Overseas, Excellent Fabtex, Shree Jee International, ASM Home furnishing and H R Overseas and emphasised on the need to utilise Green Energy for meeting 100 per cent of the energy requirements of these factories.
The Minister also recommended collaboration between the Panipat carpet and floor-covering industries, and the jute industry of Kolkata to promote the use of jute as a raw material in the textile industry.
ALLIED Feather + Down (AF+D), leaders in ethical and high-performance down insulation, has won the 2024 ISPO Award for its innovative 1000 Fill Power ExpeDRY down jacket.
Developed in collaboration with Japanese textile trading firm MN Inter-Fashion, the jacket showcases unmatched innovation with traceable, ultra-rare 1000-fill power down treated using AF+D’s ExpeDRY technology. This chemical-free, water-resistant treatment leverages Fuze Technology’s gold microparticles to ensure faster drying.
The jacket features Pertex 5d fabric, known for being one of the lightest textiles globally, in its shell and liner. The combination delivers unparalleled performance and comfort, creating a jacket described as ‘like wearing a cloud.’
“We aimed to blend peak performance with a fashion-forward aesthetic for both urban and alpine settings,” said Matthew Betcher, Creative Director at AF+D. “Receiving this recognition from ISPO highlights our innovative approach.”
ExpeDRY technology, already seen as a new standard in water-resistant down insulation, ensures the jacket remains lofty and effective in any environment. This award-winning parka exemplifies AF+D’s commitment to merging cutting-edge functionality with sleek design, aligning with the evolving trend where performance outerwear meets fashion.
The 1000 Fill Power jacket is part of AF+D’s forward-looking collection, now available in Japan and Europe. Visitors can view the jacket in the ISPO Award Exhibition Area (Hall B1) or at AF+D’s booth (A1.112).
