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At MarediModa 2024, Cannes, Iluna Group is set to showcase a beachwear line that merges design, innovation, and environmental responsibility. Recognized for pioneering sustainable solutions in lace production, Iluna’s new collection targets eco-conscious fashion through two distinct offerings.
The first is a fully certified beach capsule collection, crafted with 100 per cent recycled Qnova and Roica EF materials. This line features bikinis and cover-ups produced on Mayer machines, exemplifying Iluna’s circular fashion commitment.
The second collection includes vibrant, sustainable materials like iridescent lace, GRS-certified laminates, and innovative Lurex cords. Patterns blend floral, geometric, and marine elements, accented by versatile macrame, sangallo laces, and fringed pareos.
Iluna also introduces an exclusive, water-saving lace technology using certified polyamide, fully eliminating water in the production process. Since achieving GRS certification for its Green Label range in 2018, Iluna has tracked sustainability progress via the Higgs Index, with sustainable production reaching over 50 per cent in 2022.
Since 2016, Iluna has produced 7.5 million meters of eco-friendly lace, saving 1.5 million liters of water. This year’s innovations include customizable GRS-certified Lurex nets, organic cotton, FSC-certified viscose, and Roica EF elastomer. As a leader in sustainable textiles, Iluna Group demonstrates its ongoing dedication to responsible fashion that combines style, innovation, and environmental stewardship.
Benninger has launched its JigMaster, a cutting-edge jigger designed for discontinuous fabric dyeing, ideal for delicate materials. This innovative system, developed in Switzerland and produced at Benninger's facility in Pune, India, aims to enhance textile dyeing processes while minimizing environmental impact.
Swisstulle, a leader in European bobbinet tulle and technical knitted fabrics, has adopted the JigMaster to optimize its dyeing and finishing operations. With over a century of experience, Swisstulle focuses on sustainability and high quality, supplying textiles to various sectors, including fashion and automotive.
Achim Brugger, CEO of Swisstulle, emphasized the JigMaster's significance in enhancing efficiency and sustainability for the company. The machine incorporates TwinJig technology, which utilizes two independent troughs, enabling water savings of up to 35 per cent during rinsing. Additionally, its counterflow rinsing system further minimizes water and steam consumption, effectively addressing the textile industry's increasing focus on sustainability.
The machine also ensures precise control over speed and tension, critical for Swisstulle's fine fabrics, while fast heating gradients enhance production efficiency. With its plug-and-play capability, the JigMaster integrates seamlessly into existing workflows, minimizing downtime.
The collaboration between Swisstulle and Benninger underscores a shared dedication to innovation and ecological responsibility. By incorporating the JigMaster, Swisstulle strengthens its position as a forward-thinking manufacturer, committed to producing high-performance fabrics sustainably.
Adidas reported a robust third quarter, exceeding expectations with a 14 per cent underlying growth for the brand. The company achieved a gross margin of 51.3 per cent and an operating profit of €598 million, reflecting strong performance across all regions, channels, and product divisions.
Currency-neutral revenues increased by 10 per cent to €6.438 billion, driven largely by footwear sales, which rose 14 per cent. The successful sale of remaining Yeezy inventory contributed approximately €200 million. The company’s strategy to enhance its football lifestyle business and introduce new collections resulted in double-digit growth across both Lifestyle and Performance categories.
Regional growth was notable, with Europe seeing an 18 per cent increase in currency-neutral sales, while Emerging Markets and Latin America grew 16 per cent and 28 per cent, respectively. Although North America experienced a 7 per cent decline due to the Yeezy business, revenues excluding Yeezy increased.
The gross margin improved significantly by 2.0 percentage points, attributed to lower product costs and a favorable product mix. Operating expenses rose by 10 per cent as Adidas invested in marketing and brand initiatives, including major events like UEFA EURO 2024 and the Olympic Games.
For the first nine months of 2024, currency-neutral revenues increased 10 per cent to €17.718 billion. The gross margin also improved, reaching 51.1 per cent. The company effectively managed its inventories, which decreased 7 per cent, allowing for continued growth.
Adidas anticipates a 10 per cent increase in currency-neutral revenues for the full year. The brand's strong momentum and continued investment in innovative products position it well for future growth, reflecting a strategic focus on engaging with a new generation of consumers.
In summary, Adidas's third-quarter results and strategic initiatives highlight a promising trajectory as the brand aims to strengthen its market position and drive sustainable growth moving forward.
RE&UP Recycling Technologies, an innovator in circular technology, is revolutionizing textile recycling with its Next-Gen Cotton and Polyester, which deliver virgin fiber performance with sustainable benefits. The company recently won the ITMF Start-up Award 2024 at the ITMF Annual Conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, underscoring its impact on sustainable textile solutions.
As RE&UP becomes a corporate member of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), ITMF Director General Christian Schindler highlighted the collaboration's significance, noting the importance of RE&UP’s recycling technology for industry-wide circularity goals.
RE&UP’s General Manager, Andreas Dorner, emphasized the benefits of ITMF membership, including access to valuable global industry data and connections across the textile value chain. This partnership strengthens RE&UP’s mission to drive sustainability and scale circular practices within the global textile sector.
IDE House of Brands, the largest privately-owned promotional products supplier in the Nordics, has launched its first Bluesign certified products within its sports and leisure brand, iwear. This marks IDE as the world’s first promotional products company certified to produce Bluesign Products, introducing items crafted from 100 per cent Bluesign Approved fabrics in its Autumn/Winter 2024 collection.
This step underscores IDE’s commitment to sustainability by promoting clean chemical management and product safety in its supply chain. Lasse Lauritzen, Founder and Chairman of IDE, emphasized that joining the Bluesign network enables them to strengthen environmental performance and increase safety standards, aligning with the company’s core values.
Bluesign CEO, Daniel Rufenacht, commended IDE's leadership, highlighting their impact on industry standards by integrating environmentally responsible production practices into high-quality product lines. This milestone reflects IDE’s ongoing role in driving sustainability, setting a new standard for the promotional products industry.
Australian department store chain Myer has signed a deal worth A$863.8 million ($568.38 million) to acquire the apparel brands of Premier Investments. This acquisition includes transferringthe ownership of the company’s popular brands including Just Jeans, Jay Jays, Portmans, Jacqui E, and Dotti.
The agreement will make Premier-owned Century Plaza Investments largest shareholder in Myer with a 26.8 per cent stake. Premier will also investA$82 million in Myer as a part of the transaction.
Following the transaction, Solomon Lew, Head, Premier, will join Myer's board, marking a pivotal turn in a rivalry dating back to 2017, when Lew began acquiring Myer shares while critici Sing its leadership for poor performance.
Olivia Wirth, Chairperson, Myer will continue to lead the company after the deal, which was initiated in June when Myer approached Premier about combining their apparel divisions.
With its annual sales declining by 2.9 per cent to A$3.3 million and profit decreasing by 26 per cent, Myer has been navigating a challenging retail environment for quite some time.
New Mexico based Green Theme Technologies (GTT), a key player in sustainable materials science, has closed a $6 million Series C funding round led by Pangaea Ventures and Cottonwood Technology Ventures. This new investment will fuel GTT’s mission to revolutionize the textile sector with its PFAS-free, water-free EMPEL technology, which offers eco-friendly, high-performance alternatives to conventional textile treatments by eliminating harmful chemicals and significantly reducing water usage.
The funding will enable GTT to expand development, scale production, and meet rising demand for sustainable solutions in the apparel, footwear, and military sectors. Additionally, GTT plans to enhance its research and development efforts to refine its offerings and increase global impact.
CEO Tom Lopez highlighted the importance of partnering with investors committed to environmental sustainability, emphasizing that the new funding will accelerate GTT’s growth and technological progress. He noted that GTT’s solutions enable manufacturers to produce high-performance products in a more sustainable way, reinforcing the company’s mission to expand its positive impact.
Lead investor Pangaea Ventures, recognized for its focus on sustainable ‘hard tech’ innovations, praised GTT’s approach to responsible manufacturing. General Partner Chris Erickson highlighted GTT’s innovative solutions, which align with Pangaea’s goal of promoting planetary health. Cottonwood Technology Ventures echoed this support, with Managing Partner Dave Blivin commending GTT’s PFAS-free advancements.
This funding marks a pivotal step for GTT as it aims to meet industry demands for sustainable manufacturing without compromising performance, reinforcing its position as a leader in eco-conscious textile innovation.
Los-Angeles-based footwear brand Skechers has increased its full-guidance for fiscal year 2024 and forecasts sales to range between $8.925 billion - $8.975 billion during the year.
The brand reported record-breaking results in Q3, FY24 with sales rising by 15.9 per cent to $2.35 billion, on the back of high growth across all markets. Its international sales rose by 16.4 per cent while domestic sales grew by 15.3 per cent during the quarter.
In Q3, FY24, Skechers’ wholesale sales expanded by 20.6 per cent. These included a 21.6 per cent rise in sales from the Americas and 30.9 per cent growth in sales in the EMEA region. The brand’s sales in the APAC increased by 5.1 per cent.
During the quarter, Skechers; net earnings increased to $193.2 million compared to net earnings of $145.4 million in the corresponding quarter last year.
Robert Greenberg, CEO, says, the significant growth achieved by the company in Q3, FY24 can be attributed to its policy of offering the right product at the right price and ensuring availability at locations where consumers want to shop.
A unique value proposition for the brand’s partners, Skecher’s products offer style, comfort, quality and innovation at a reasonable price to its consumers.
Europe's once-thriving textile sorting and recycling sector is facing an unprecedented crisis, surpassing even the challenges faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Numerous global disruptions , including the war in Ukraine, logistical hurdles in Africa, and the relentless rise of fast fashion, has plunged the industry into a turmoil, leaving the industry struggling for survival and threatening to unravel years of progress towards a circular textile economy.
Issues of oversupply and falling prices
The crisis is characterized by a glut of used textiles and a sharp decline in demand from traditional export markets. Data reveals a shrinking trade in used textiles between the EU and non-EU countries, decreasing from 464,993 tons in 2022 to 430,185 tons in 2023. This decline is highlighted by Germany's exports of used textiles to Ghana, a key export market, which fell from 7911.2 tons in 2020 to 4532.9 tons in 2023.
Compounding the problem is the low demand for recycled materials. Global production of recycled cotton in 2023 was estimated at 319,000 tons, compared to 24.4 million tons of virgin cotton produced. This disparity highlights the uphill battle faced by the recycling industry. Oversupply has led to a drop in prices for second-hand textiles, while collection, sorting, and recycling costs have grown. Since spring 2024, the prices for sorted second-hand garments have fallen below processing costs, creating severe cash flow problems for sorting operators. Warehouses are overflowing, raising the specter of textile waste incineration.
The Netherlands for example, a leader in textile recycling, is feeling the impact acutely. Sorting companies are operating at a loss, with warehouses overflowing and the threat of incineration looming over unsold textiles. The Dutch government is considering emergency measures, including financial support and a potential tax on virgin textile materials, to avert a complete collapse of the sector.
A domino effect
The crisis is rippling through the entire textile recycling chain. Municipalities face growing processing costs, potentially leading to higher waste disposal fees for residents. Downstream players, such as tearing and spinning mills, are also struggling, resulting in significant job losses. Take German textile recycling company Soex for example, has reported a 30 per cent drop in revenues in 2024 due to the crisis. They are struggling to find buyers for their sorted textiles and have been forced to reduce their workforce. Similarly, the Belgian sorting operator, Terre, has seen its warehouse capacity reach limit. They are facing pressure to incinerate textile waste due to the lack of viable export markets.
Need for urgent action
Industry experts and policymakers agree that immediate action is crucial to prevent widespread bankruptcies and safeguard the future of textile recycling in Europe.
Short-term solutions include financial incentives. Many EU companies that contribute to a sustainable circular textile chain need immediate financial support to weather the storm. And targeted investment in recycling technologies and infrastructure is essential, particularly for municipalities grappling with textile waste stagnation.
Mid-term strategies include measures to increase demand for recycled textiles, such as mandatory recycled content in new products, are crucial. Europe also needs to significantly expand its recycling capacity to handle the growing volume of textile waste. And ecodesign requirements favoring sustainable materials can further incentivize the use of recycled textiles.
In the long term the EU's upcoming Circular Economy Act presents an opportunity to enshrine ambitious targets for textile recycling and create a level playing field for recycled and virgin materials. A future Clean Industrial Deal could provide further support for innovation and investment in the textile recycling sector. Taxation is another way. Governments need to explore the possibility of introducing a tax on new, petroleum-based materials and lowering VAT on textile repair, reuse, and recycling activities.
The stakes are high, and without urgent and decisive action, Europe risks undermining its climate goals and jeopardizing the future of its textile sorting and recycling industry. The crisis presents a critical juncture – a chance to reimagine and reinvigorate the sector, or risk losing years of progress towards a more sustainable and circular textile economy.
Some of the world’s leading fashion companies are collaborating with the UK-based biomaterials company PACTto incorporate the company’s new scalable biomaterial made from natural collagen into their collections.
According to Yudi Ding, CEO, PACT, fashion companies can save a significant amount of water by using this biomaterial titled, ‘Oval,’ in their collections. For instance, while other companies may require 1,800 gallons of water to manufacture just one pair of jeans and 400 gallons to produce a cotton t-shirt, Oval requires significantly less water, says Tech EU.
PACT is also building a 13, 820 sqft headquarters in Cambridge, England to ramp up its production capabilities and invest in further biomaterial breakthroughs. The facility includes a laboratory and pilot production facility.
PACT isn't the only company delving into the power of biomaterials. For instance, another Mexican company is creating a leather-like material out of nopal cactus leaves while a Brooklyn-based startup is developing faux leather out of shrimp shells.
