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Northern Europe’s biannual fashion trade show, The Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) has entered into a major strategic partnership with Danish technology firm Delogue to launch ‘TechCreate a CIFF Collaboration.’ This initiative is designed to bridge the gap between fashion and technology, making its physical debut at CIFF 66, running from January 27–29, 2026, in Copenhagen.
The initiative is built on three key pillars. The first was a webinar held on November 26, where stakeholders discussed how technology can boost creativity, optimize production, and improve industry transparency.
The second, and most prominent pillar, is the dedicated TechCreate physical space at CIFF 66. This immersive exhibition area will host demonstrations, talks, and collaborations exploring the future of design, production, distribution, and sustainability. CIFF aims to emphasize the vital role of digital tools, sustainability data, and workflow optimization in both the creative and commercial processes of the industry.
The final pillar involves a continuous content series on CIFF Media, the fair's digital platform, featuring interviews, trend analyses, and conversations with leading innovators.
Sofie Dolva, Director, CIFF, avers, TechCreate puts innovation on center stage. The organization’s partnership with Delogue provides a platform where creativity and technology meet, and where visibility is transformed into knowledge and action A tech company specializing in PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) for fashion brands, Delogue views the partnership as an opportunity to ensure technology empowers creatives. The initiative is also co-created with several technology partners, including the transparency platform tex.tracer, the ERP solution TRIMIT, the procurement digitizing tool E-SCM, and the data exchange platform Fashion Cloud. By embedding technology storytelling directly into its physical and digital presence, CIFF’s ambition is to make technology an essential ctex.tracer,omponent of creativity and sustainability for both established and emergE-SCM, ing brands.
Rapidly transforming apparel into a lower-carbon industry requires collaboration, innovation, and creativity. In this spirit, Sensil by NILIT and Roica by Asahi Kasei have collaborated to introduce the concept of a new fabric with less environmental impact, combining Sensil ByNature, a NILIT Biomass Balanced Nylon 6.6 yarn, and Biomass Balanced Roica premium stretch fiber, both designed for high-performance apparel.
Both companies utilize textile raw materials created through the Biomass Balance (BMB) approach, which utilizes renewable feedstocks made from reclaimed and recycled organic waste that does not compete with food sources, nor need the use of land for its production.
Sensil ByNature is the first textile Nylon 6.6 yarn for apparel made using a Biomass Balanced renewable feedstock sourced from biogenic waste. Meanwhile, Biomass Balanced Roica premium stretch fiber incorporates renewable raw materials in place of traditional fossil hydrocarbons. Roica will focus its Biomass Balanced (BMB) efforts at its Taiwan plant, the company’s key reference hub for BMB production.
Because BMB products are identical to traditional products, the resulting fabrics engineered with Sensil ByNature and Biomass Balanced Roica retain the comparable comfort, aesthetics, and performance as their conventional counterparts. This means that apparel brands can integrate these environmentally conscious fabrics without redesigning collections.
The companies use Biomass Balance accounting and third-party certification to appropriately allocate the percentage of renewable feedstocks to their products so that brands and consumers can rely on the sustainability claims. In addition, the companies are certified under the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification Plus (ISCC+) system, ensuring rigorous control and transparency in renewable feedstock use across the supply chain. This partnership will contribute to reducing environmental impact. NILIT’s Sensil ByNature lowers greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.8 kg CO₂ eq per ton of yarn versus traditional nylon.
Asahi Kasei projects that the new Roica Biomass Balanced stretch fiber, combined with manufacturing optimizations, will reduce CO₂ emissions compared to existing products. However, since production decisions have only just been made, exact numbers are not yet available.
When blended, Sensil ByNature and Biomass Balanced Roica stretch fiber help designers create outstanding stretch fabrics that substantially reduce a garment’s environmental footprint, lessening reliance on fossil resources, supporting circularity initiatives through renewable inputs, and improving Life Cycle Assessment, while maintaining the premium look, feel, comfort, or stretch performance consumers expect.
Global athletic brand Puma has significantly amplified its retail presence with the opening of its new London flagship store in the heart of Oxford Street. Spanning an impressive 24,000 sq ft, the store is the brand’s largest-ever European flagship. Its strategic location is near Selfridges and the Bond Street Tube Station, placing it in one of Europe’s busiest shopping hubs.
The store features key Puma innovations, including the running technology Nitro, its top-tier football boots Future, Ultra, and King, along with the current lifestyle product range. High-tech installations include a digital running video-wall that reacts to touch, and an archive area showcasing iconic pieces from the brand’s 77-year history.
To mark the launch, the store carries a London Exclusive collection designed by VP Creative Direction & Innovation Heiko Desens, which reinterprets British icons like the Union Flag and Harris Tweed through a modern Puma lens.
Arthur Hoeld, CEO, Puma says, the new store gives Puma the chance to connect with more people than ever before - right in the heart of one of the world’s most iconic shopping destinations. It is a powerful platform to engage directly with consumers, showcase our latest performance innovations, and strengthen our brand presence.
The store’s striking glass-fronted exterior and distinctly urban interior, which utilizes grey and white as base tones to highlight the colorful products, ensure high visibility. The flagship will host a dynamic program of events through late 2025 and into 2026, including athlete appearances, exclusive collaborations, a pre-race Hyrox experience on December 3, and a motorsport event on December 11, highlighting the Puma x Aston Martin F1 Team partnership.
India’s huge textile industry, long celebrated for its command over cotton and competitive manufacturing scale, is going through a foundational redesign. At the heart of this shift lies an emerging consumer appetite for textiles that do more than drape and insulate. Fabrics are being engineered to sense, monitor, regulate, and communicate, transforming garments into data-driven wearables. What was once a downstream innovation challenge for brands and designers has now become a structural rewrite of the fibre-to-fabric ecosystem itself.
The stakes are rising sharply. The country’s smart clothing opportunity projected to touch nearly $1 billion by 2030 depends on a decisive shift from commodity-driven production to the sophisticated construction of e-textiles and technical fabrics. This means India’s most traditional mills must learn the language of electronics, automation, and materials science almost overnight.
The policy engine behind the transformation
India’s federal policy posture is now explicitly aligned with this upstream transformation. The industry is being repositioned not simply as labour-intensive manufacturing, but as a technology-led manufacturing base with integrated material science capabilities.
For example, the Ministry of Textiles reports that India currently produces 1,700 million kg of man-made fibres and 3,400 million kg of man-made filaments annually. Further, an analysis of the Indian market shows that India’s technical textiles industry was valued at $29 billion in 2024 and is forecast to reach $45 billion by 2026, $123 billion by 2035 and $309 billion by 2047.
In addition, India’s share of global textiles & apparel trade is about 3.91 per cent in 2023-24, while the sector’s exports accounted for 8.21 per cent of total Indian exports that year. Major government programmes such as the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for textiles and the National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) are directly supporting investment in man-made fibres, technical textiles and value addition. Reports say, the PLI scheme has catalysed investments of around Rs 7,343 crore (approx. $ 0.9 billion) in the textiles sector, generating turnover of Rs 4,648 crore and exports Rs538 crore in one cycle.
From a strategic viewpoint, this policy architecture signals a clear objective: reposition India’s upstream textile segment from low-end, labour-intensive bulk manufacture to a high-value, technology-enabled materials manufacturing hub.
Inside the smart textile mill
In spinning rooms and weaving halls across the country, a quiet digital revolution is already underway. The traditional textile workflow reliant on manual inspection and high wastage is being replaced with AI-driven defect tracking, predictive maintenance, and automated process control. Such upgrades were once optional for mills serving mass-market fashion, but they become business critical when the raw materials involved are conductive polymers or nano-ink coatings that cost many multiples of standard cotton.
Quantitative benchmarks reinforce the case: mills that introduce automated inspection systems and end-to-end digital workflows can reduce defects, increase uptime and mitigate waste critical when conductive inks or specialty fibres cost multiples of standard materials. Several industry studies suggest a profit boost of roughly 8 to 9 per cent can be achieved when defect levels drop through digital inspection.
Crucially, intelligence is now being embedded at the earliest stages of manufacturing. Rather than attaching sensors to garments at the final assembly stage, a method that compromises comfort and durability, Indian mills are experimenting with ways to weave electricity into fabric itself. Modified polymers are being extruded into conductive filaments; silver-nanoparticle inks are being printed on base fabrics with circuitry designed to stretch and bend with the human body. The tactile softness of a T-shirt must coexist with the performance reliability of a biometric device.
Integration, value capture and new business models
The business case for vertical integration has never been stronger. Vertically integrated textile parks such as those envisaged under the PM MITRA programme are emerging as the preferred model for embedding end-to-end capabilities: fibre production, yarn spinning, weaving, smart-fabric conversion, electronics embedding and finished apparel. This integration secures shorter lead times, higher margins and better IP protection.
One real-world example: a South India–based textile leader, servicing defence and high-performance wearables, developed a biometric-monitoring jacket. Critical to the success was the company’s ownership of the entire chain, from conductive ink development to sensor layout on fabric ensuring washability, signal stability and acceptable cost structure. Such projects illustrate that competitive advantage in the smart-apparel domain is not anchored in the garment alone, but in the upstream mastery of materials and integration.
For B2B players in the supply chain, fibre suppliers, chemical formulators, machine-builders, fabrics converters the opportunity is twofold. First, addressing high-growth segments like defence, medical wearables, industrial safety and sports performance gear; second, capturing margins previously reserved for brand-led garment segments. Technical textiles thus become a new frontier of value capture rather than commoditised apparel.
The roadblocks to India’s growth
Yet, the ascent of e-textiles is far from frictionless. Inputs such as carbon fibres, graphene composites, and nano-inks remain significantly more expensive than conventional fibres, narrowing the market to specialised sectors like defence, medical monitoring, and athletics. A workforce steeped in traditional textile know-how must suddenly acquire fluency in flexible electronics and digital manufacturing. Without this talent transformation, progress remains uneven, especially across MSME clusters that dominate the textile economy.
Durability continues to be the toughest scientific challenge. A smart garment cannot lose function after three laundry cycles or under strain during use but achieving that resilience requires testing protocols and performance standards that India has yet to institutionalise. Meanwhile, energy storage remains the final frontier. Wearables today rely heavily on rigid battery components; the vision of energy harvested directly from human motion is still trapped inside the research lab.
A fabric industry becoming a tech industry
Despite these barriers, the direction of travel is unmistakable. India’s textile sector is shifting from a business defined by price and productivity to one shaped by intellectual property, innovation ecosystems, and exportable technological value. What emerges from this transition is a fundamentally new identity: textiles that think, fabrics that interact, garments that generate data.
The companies that adapt fastest today will become the global suppliers of military wearables, medical monitoring apparel, sports-performance gear, and industrial safety solutions tomorrow. And as costs fall and capabilities mature, the intelligence embedded in protective gear will flow into everyday wardrobes.
India’s transformation from the world’s fabric mill to the world’s fabric-tech powerhouse has already begun and it is being spun, woven, and printed deep within its textile heartlands. The success of this metamorphosis will determine not just the future of Indian apparel manufacturing, but the nation’s ability to lead in a global industry where function is rapidly becoming fashion’s most prized feature.
Shedding the image of a fast-fashion label, Marta Ortega Pérez, Chairperson, Inditex, aims to elevate Zara’s image as a brand focusing on quality, and long-term sustainability.
Since taking over the leadership role in 2022, Perez has shifted the company's narrative from being solely about rapid trend replication to emphasizing ‘selling well’ rather than just ‘selling more.’ She is pursuing a strategy to align Zara's image more closely with high-end and designer fashion, distancing it from the budget-focused fast fashion image:
Under her leadership, Zara has increased its collaborations with major fashion industry figures, including renowned photographers like Steven Meisel and prestigious architects and designers like Vincent Van Duysen. These partnerships are used for campaigns and new store concepts, legitimizing Zara’s design discourse.
The brand has opened new flagship stores, such as the major Barcelona location to resemble museums or exclusive residential spaces. This transformation focuses on emotion, experience, and careful, intellectual design, aiming to seduce premium customers and appeal to a ‘residential sense,’ encouraging more frequent visits.
Ortega has explicitly stated that the new ambition is ‘not about selling more, but about selling well,’ suggesting a move toward higher quality, better design, and a potentially more deliberate pace than the traditional fast fashion model.
The strategy emphasizes bridging the gap between high street and high fashion, offering accessible yet high-quality clothes.
Inditex has set ambitious corporate sustainability goals, which directly challenge the high-volume, disposable nature of fast fashion. The company aims to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. It has set goals to significantly increase its use of recycled and ‘net-generation’ fibers. This includes targets for having a high percentage of fibers sourced from recycling processes or regenerative agriculture by 2030.
Zara is expanding circularity programs like Zara Pre-Owned, which encourages the resale, repair, or donation of used garments, thereby extending the life cycle of its products.
There is a continued focus on commitments regarding supply chain management, human rights, and the reduction of hazardous chemicals.
Additionally, Inditex is investing heavily in logistics and technology to support its new values. The company is implementing an extraordinary investment plan for logistics, including new distribution centers, to enhance efficiency and responsibility across its operations.
In essence, Ortega’s strategy is a multi-pronged effort to reposition Zara as a premium, design-forward, and responsible fashion retailer capable of competing with luxury segments, while still leveraging the efficiency of its supply chain. This shift is crucial for maintaining relevance in a market increasingly critical of traditional fast fashion's environmental and social impact.
This year’s edition of Texworld Apparel Sourcing Paris will once again be held at the Paris-Le Bourget Exhibition Centre from February 2–4, 2026.
The trade show will again serve as one of Europe's most vital sourcing platforms, bringing together approximately 1,300 suppliers from nearly 30 countries. Organized by Messe Frankfurt France, the event holds particular significance for brands and sourcing managers preparing their Spring–Summer 2027 collections. It will emphasize sustainability, material transparency, and traceability as central themes, utilizing the Texpertise Econogy tools - including the Econogy Finder, Talks, and Tour - to help buyers identify compliant and responsible partners.
This year, to enhance sourcing efficiency, Messe Frankfurt has strategically redesigned the hall layout: Texworld Knit and the All about her segment will move to Hall 3, while Activewear, Casual and Sport, Print, and Jacquard will be grouped together in Hall 4 to strengthen the continuity between materials and finished goods. Hall 2 will remain the main hub for networking and trend sessions.
The 2026 show will also feature the return of two signature concepts: Initiatives, which spotlights artisanal crafts and industry research, and Ready to Sell, a curated selection of commercially viable products aligned with the SS27 creative direction. Industry observers expect this redesigned model to facilitate the faster evaluation of sustainability commitments and supply-chain credibility, which are increasingly dominant factors in purchasing decisions for international buyers.
Fueled by a rising focus on health, wellness, and advanced textile technology, the global functional apparel market is experiencing significant expansion. According to a report by Allied Market Research, valued at $282.30 billion in 2018, the market is projected to reach $505.80 billion by 2026, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.7 per cent from 2019 to 2026. Europe was the largest regional market in 2018, commanding a 30.2 per cent share.
A key category within technical textiles, functional apparel is highly receptive to new product development and technological breakthroughs in fiber and fabric materials. The rapid emergence of these garments is directly connected to evolving consumer behavior.
The rise of the millennial generation is a primary influential trend. Millennials prioritize a holistic approach to health and fitness, making active lifestyles an integral part of their daily routine. Functional apparel manufacturers have successfully built an emotional connection with this demographic, who actively seek clothing that promotes fitness and activity.
Furthermore, the extensive advantages of activewear—including water resistance, bi-stretchable function, anti-bacterial fabric, and wicking capabilities—are attracting a growing number of participants in physical activities. The female consumer base for activewear is also expanding rapidly due to a holistic approach to sports and fitness. The increasing adoption of athleisure wear for everyday use, combined with rising disposable incomes and heightened fitness concerns, further propels the market.
Despite strong growth drivers, the market faces challenges. The volatile cost of raw materials and inflated design costs contribute to a high price point for the final product, which can hinder sales among price-sensitive customers. Additionally, the proliferation of counterfeit brands poses safety and inconvenience issues for consumers.
The market is segmented by product (sportswear, active wear, protective clothing), application (sports industry, outdoor clothing, healthcare), and distribution channel (offline and online). Geographically, strong growth is anticipated across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific (including China and India), and LAMEA.
Already a major economic engine, India’s textile and apparel (T&A) market is poised for significant expansion over the next decade. A new report from IMARC Group notes, valued at $222.08 billion in 2024, the market is projected to grow to $646.96 billion by 2033, reflecting a strong CAGR of 11.98 per cent from 2025-33.
India's textile sector is currently at a critical transformation point, blending its deep heritage in cotton, silk, and artisanal craftsmanship with cutting-edge modern textile mills and brand-driven fashion ecosystems
Growth is being fueled by a confluence of strong market drivers including rising disposable incomes, increasingly brand-conscious consumers, and the expansion of both domestic and international retail channels are boosting demand for ready-to-wear, athleisure, and premium garments. There is also a notable shift toward high-end fashion and smart textiles.
Environmental awareness is driving market changes, with demand for ethical and environmentally sustainable materials, recycled fibers, plant-based fabrics, and circular textile models growing across the entire fashion value chain.
Key initiatives, including the PM MITRA textile parks, Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes for man-made fibers, and digital support for weaver clusters, are accelerating modernization efforts and improving the country's export competitiveness.
Investments in technological improvements across spinning, finishing, dyeing, and digital printing are enhancing both product quality and overall production efficiency.
While India’s traditional strengths, such as skilled labor and abundant natural fiber availability, remain essential, the IMARC report highlights, future success lies in design innovation, establishing leadership in sustainability, and adopting vertically integrated manufacturing models. For brands to capture higher-margin opportunities, they must invest heavily in supply chain transparency, digital retailing, and compliance with strict export-market standards. Meanwhile, supporting artisan communities and MSMEs will be vital to preserving India's unique craft identity in the global market.
The global textile industry is at a crossroads where mere efficiency and profit no longer guarantee survival. This was the central message delivered by Uday Paul Singh Gill, Senior Partner at Gherzi Consulting, Zurich, during his keynote address at the Dornbirn Global Fibre Congress (GFC). He argued that long-term success requires a fundamental shift in mindset, prioritizing regenerative innovation that balances profit with purpose.
The Innovation Paradox: Unintended consequences
Gill challenged the traditional view of innovation, pointing out that some of the greatest scientific achievements have led to profound environmental damage. "I have worked in polyester all my life. But yet, polyester is said to be the miracle of science. And we didn’t know that the solution to the fibre industry by polyester can end up in creating microplastics."
He used the invention of the combustion engine and the widespread use of polyester, which fragments into microplastics, as classic examples of how innovation, when unchecked by purpose, leads to "highly unpredictable, unintended consequences." He concluded that the new mandate is to put "purpose and discipline on innovation" to ensure it benefits humanity and the planet.
The call for ‘Regenerative’ innovation
The key to long-term survival, according to Gill, is regenerative innovation—a system that moves beyond just being "less bad" to being actively good for the environment and the community.
This concept demands the creation of symbiotic groups where:
● Industry prospers.
● Nature benefits.
● The community is prosperous.
Gill stressed that simply scaling up ideas or achieving cost efficiencies is no longer enough. Instead, innovation must create lasting value, not just profit, by leveraging the convergence of three major domains: physical, digital, and biological.
Surviving the shortening corporate lifespan
The speaker warned that as the pace of disruption accelerates, the average lifespan of corporations is shrinking. Companies that fail to continuously renew themselves will become obsolete, much like Blackberry or the Indian TV company Onida, which failed to adapt to digital technology.
Gill linked this instability directly to inefficient resource deployment and overcapacity, stating that innovation is required when "scale out grows demand." The solution lies in creating a strategic architecture for resilience and "first time right execution."
The brain economy and human centricity
Perhaps the most thought-provoking argument centered on the "Brain Economy," which focuses on capturing and leveraging human cognitive surplus. Gill criticized modern workplaces for pushing humans to work like machines while simultaneously trying to make machines think like humans."We are pushing the humans beyond their limits and stretching them to work like machines. Whereas at the same time we are trying to make the machines think and work like humans. So this is why I think we are going wrong on both sides."
For regenerative innovation to succeed, the human element—creativity, well-being, and mental state,must be superior and agile, working on top of the machines, not beneath them.
Finding the "Sweet Spot" for sustainable profit
Gill’s strategic recommendation for manufacturers looking for long-term survival was to integrate their value chain to find the "sweet spot" between scale and value.
● Commodity Model: High scale, low profitability, high volatility.
● Speciality Model: High overheads, inconsistent profitability.
● The Sweet Spot: Integrating the chain to combine the best aspects of scale and specialty, resulting in improved earnings quality and long-term viability.
He concluded with an urgent call to action, emphasizing that the time for incremental change is over. Successful innovators are those who execute their ideas sustainably and fast, making it clear that, going forward, the industry must prioritize the planet first, the people first, and then the profit.
The global textile industry is entering a period of exponential growth and profound technological transformation, according to key figures speaking at the Dornbirn Global Fibre Congress (GFC) in Mumbai. While demand for fiber is set to soar, the industry's fossil-fuel foundation is shifting, placing pressure on machinery manufacturers and innovators to rapidly pivot toward circular and bio-based systems.
Insights from Georg Stausberg, CEO of Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions, and Professor Thomas Gries, Director of the Institute of Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, painted a picture of opportunity, provided the necessary technological investments are made now, particularly in India.
The Growth Mandate: 168 mn tons of demand
Despite economic volatility and geopolitical pressures, the long-term outlook for fiber demand remains overwhelmingly positive.
Stausberg highlighted that population growth and increasing global wealth are driving continuous expansion. "We expect that in 50 years from now, there will be 1 billion more people on our planet," Stausberg noted. This demographic surge is projected to push the total demand for fiber—man-made and natural—from the current level of approximately 118 million tonnes to a massive 168 million tonnes in the coming decades.
To meet this scale, the manufacturing base is consolidating in Asia, with India poised to capitalize significantly on the growth, particularly in specialized areas.
The Technical Textile boom in India
The demand surge is not just for apparel; it is heavily focused on specialized, high-performance fibers—known as technical textiles. These products are critical for modernizing infrastructure and manufacturing sectors, areas where India is experiencing rapid growth.
Speakers forecast the technical textiles segment in India to nearly triple by 2040. The key growth sectors include:
● Geotextiles: Used for road and railway construction.
● Building & Construction: Demand for concrete reinforcement and insulation materials.
● Automotive: High-performance yarns for seatbelts, airbags, and tyre cord, essential for the growing domestic and export car industry.
The polyester paradox and the shift to bio-economy
The dominant fiber, polyester, currently accounts for 85% of global man-made fiber production. However, this dominance presents the core challenge for sustainability efforts.
Professor Thomas Gries emphasized that the current reliance on petrochemicals is unsustainable, necessitating a shift into a "non-fossil base" future, or the Bi-economy Transition. He outlined three critical strategies for this pivot:
- Bio-based materials: Utilizing biomass, natural fibers, and bio-based building blocks.
- CO2-to-Polymer: Developing technology that captures carbon dioxide and makes polymers directly out of it.
- Recycling: Aggressively scaling up systems for textile waste.
Professor Gries reminded the delegates that sustainability must encompass more than just a carbon footprint—it requires coping with society, education, and well-being—a holistic approach to transition the entire ecosystem.
Chemical recycling: The missing link
While mechanical recycling is the current industry standard, it is limited in its ability to process complex materials like blended, colored, and contaminated fibers, which constitute the majority of post-consumer textile waste.
Stausberg underscored the urgency for a breakthrough in chemical recycling. Oerlikon, a world leader in equipment manufacturing, is actively working with partners on intensive research to bridge this gap. "Recycling at the moment, state-of-the-art is mechanical recycling, where we already have solutions available," Stausberg explained. "Chemical recycling is also very important... and hopefully we can offer solutions here in the next 2–3 years, also for textile-to-textile recycling."
The machinery suppliers, represented by Oerlikon Barmag, recognize their critical role in the circular economy by providing end-to-end solutions, often referred to as "from melt to yarn." These solutions are necessary to process feedstocks ranging from traditional fossil-based polymers to new bio-based materials and the monomers recovered from chemically recycled textiles.
The consensus from the conference floor was clear: the technology exists to handle future demand, but achieving true, industrial-scale circularity—the kind that can transform textile waste back into high-quality fiber—requires massive, coordinated investment in chemical processing technology to move past the limitations of mechanical sorting and shredding.
