#Associations

2024-07-04

Comprehensive and high-level program for ITMF & IAF Convention 2024 takes shape

As frequent visitors of the ITMF and IAF annual conferences have come to expect, industry experts will share the cutting edge of the developments that currently define the textile-apparel industrial complex. The unique collaboration of the textile industry federation ITMF and the apparel industry federation IAF allows the organizers to give a full supply chain picture. At a time when collaboration across the entire chain is indispensable to meet the many challenges, this is a great asset.

Collaboration is also a central theme of a session featuring Inditex, Epic Group and International Finance Corporation (IFC, part of the World Bank Group). The speakers will focus on decarbonization and show how a collaborative approach across the supply chain can achieve the real progress that our industry needs.

The apparel and textile industries are rapidly becoming more regulated, heightening the pressure to create real and significant environmental and social improvements. In a unique, global regulation session, representatives of the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), the China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC), the European Textile & Apparel Industry Federation (EURATEX), and the Japan Textile Federation (JTF), will explain the shape that regulation will take in their countries and regions in the coming years.

These topics and several more about fibers, digitalization, AI, etc. will be discussed in the ancient city of Samarkand, Uzbekistan, a country with a rapidly growing textile and apparel industry, attracting interests from across the world. This convention will be a unique industrial gathering of leaders from across the entire textile and apparel supply chain, from all parts of the world.

For more information, please go to:

www.itmf-iaf-conference-2024-samarkand.org

ITMF names three winners of the Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026

Three projects from the UK, Korea and China have been selected as winners of the ITMF Sustainability & Innovation Award 2026. The projects address textile-to-textile recycling, chemical recycling for automotive textiles and a regenerative approach combining silk production with ecological restoration.

HeiQ & Archroma and Lenzing & Armedangels win ITMF International Collaboration Awards 2026

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has named two industry partnerships as winners of the ITMF International Collaboration Awards 2026. The awards go to collaborations between HeiQ and Archroma as well as Lenzing and Armedangels, highlighting joint approaches to innovation and sustainability across different parts of the textile value chain.

Business situation weakens slightly, but the industry stays cautiously optimistic

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published the results of its 39th Global Textile Industry Survey (GTIS), conducted from 14 to 22 July 2026 among companies along the entire global textile value chain. Worldwide, 10% of participants rated their business situation as good, 53% as satisfactory and 37% as bad — a balance of -26pp, down from -17pp in May but still well above the 2023 lows. All regions are now in negative territory, from South Asia at -3pp to North & Central America at -58pp.

VDMA Textile Machinery with new Executive Board

At the general meeting of VDMA Textile Machinery held in Hanover at the end of September, Dr Janpeter Horn, Managing Director of A. Herzog Maschinenfabrik, was re-elected as Chairman of the trade association. Regina Brückner, managing partner of Brückner Trockentechnik, and Verena Thies, managing partner of Thies Textilmaschinen, will once again serve as vice-chairs for the next four years.

Italian textile machinery at TITAS 2026: strategic partnership and tailor-made solutions for the Taiwanese market

The excellence and innovative capabilities of Italian textile machinery technology are coming to Taipei for TITAS 2026 (Taiwan International Textile & Garment Machinery Show), the leading event for the island’s textile industry and the wider Asian region, scheduled to take place from 6 to 8 October 2026.

New Cotton Review examines competitiveness, market risk, and opportunities

From moving record volumes of Brazilian cotton to market, to managing price volatility, unlocking Ethiopia’s production potential, and strengthening African textile trade, the latest edition of Cotton: Review of the World Situation examines some of the most consequential opportunities and challenges facing the global cotton industry.

Long John puts KARL MAYER's RDJ 7/3 into operation and strengthens its position as a market leader

KARL MAYER has just unveiled its new RDJ 7/3 Jacquard Double Needle Bar Raschel Machine in the international trade press, and the innovation is already causing a stir in the market: The Long John Group, a leading manufacturer of performance footwear fabrics and a long-standing partner of renowned brands, was the first customer to invest in the new machine and celebrated its official launch at its Indonesian plant on August 20.

An eco-friendly alternative to fluorocarbon treatments

Protective and outdoor clothing derives its durable water-, dirt- and oil- repellent properties from the application of fluorinated polymers or per- and polyfluorinated low-molecular- weight chemicals (PFCs). The beneficial properties thus achieved on textiles are offset by environmental and human health risks. For manufacturers of sports, medical, protective and automotive textiles, researchers at the Sächsisches Textilforschungsinstitut e.V. and the Leibniz Institute for Polymer Research have developed liquid-applied dispersions and solutions to functionalise textiles without the use of fluorine.

Patricia Urquiola in the Trend Space: Evolution and new design elements for Heimtextil 2027

At Heimtextil 2027, the Trend Space brings the Heimtextil Trends 27/28, curated by Alcova, to life. Within this framework, Heimtextil’s collaboration with Patricia Urquiola continues into its third year in 2027. In the Trend Space, the architect and designer presents three sculptures: alongside the familiar element “Bambi”, Urquiola is developing two new pieces specifically for Heimtextil. Thereby, she offers her unique interpretation of the trend theme “The Performance of Everyday Living”.