#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2021-06-17

VF Corporation’s new incubator launches innovation competition

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC), a global leader in branded lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories, today announced that its Venture Foundry incubator is launching an Entrepreneur In Residence (EIR) Innovation Challenge to identify and validate high-growth opportunities that furthers VF’s purpose of powering sustainable and active lifestyles for the betterment of people and the planet. To apply and learn more about the EIR Innovation Challenge, please visit: https://bit.ly/2StMWYt.

VF Venture Foundry invites Entrepreneurs to develop new commercial applications tailored to consumer needs and market opportunities in the apparel industry

The EIR Innovation Challenge is looking for smart, creative, and resilient entrepreneurs to help build the future of active and sustainable living by solving the challenges related to:

Overcoming Obstacles to the Outdoors

Preserving Unstructured Play in Nature

Enable Sustainable Movement

Personalizing the Process

U.S. based founders and entrepreneurially minded leaders from diverse backgrounds who have the creativity and curiosity to ignite change and disrupt industries are encouraged to apply.

“We’re excited to invite entrepreneurs into the collaborative environment we’ve built around Venture Foundry,” said Kent Bassett, VP and Head of Venture Foundry. “Venture Platforms along with Venture Foundry was created to help build new, disruptive businesses in high-growth spaces with the ability to rapidly experiment and validate new market opportunities. We want to continue to incubate and invest in new, leading-edge, consumer-led ideas that will serve both our brand portfolio and new markets that we find worthwhile.”

The newly created Entrepreneur-in-Residence role will have access to the resources needed in building an early stage startup business, but with the backing of VF’s larger infrastructure to develop and commercialize new business models, marketplaces, platforms, and ecosystems. All Innovation Challenge proposals should center around new forms of consumer engagement that deliver against or outside of VF’s current portfolio of brands.

The EIR Innovation Challenge follows the recent announcement of the launch of Venture Platforms, an innovation capability that will focus on identifying, developing, and investing in new, future-focused opportunities for VF and its portfolio of brands.

Built with the backing of the world’s most iconic brands, Venture Foundry is a new incubator under Venture Platforms focusing on new or evolving business models, platforms, experiences, and services. VF Venture Foundry is interested in ideas and approaches that meet broad-scale consumer needs, advance fast-growing technologies, and create new and innovative business models. To learn more about Venture Platforms, check out Venture Foundry here:

https://www.vfc.com/our-company/venture-foundry

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

Messe Frankfurt commits further to East Africa: three textiles trade fairs during Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week from 2027

Messe Frankfurt and its Texpertise Network continue their steady, successful trajectory in the region. As Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) opened today, Member of the Executive Board Detlef Braun announced that Messe Frankfurt is licencing its three leading international trade fair brands Texworld, Apparel Sourcing and Texprocess to Nairobi, Kenya for the first time in 2027. From now on, they will take place annually as part of the Africa Sourcing and Fashion Week (ASFW) Nairobi.

ATCO Hygienics, Uzbekistan, orders baby diaper production line from ANDRITZ

International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from ATCO Hygienics to supply a new baby diaper production line for its plant in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The order is included in ANDRITZ’s order intake for the first quarter of 2026. Commissioning of the production line is scheduled for the end of 2026.

Nico Pedretti appointed as Managing Director Graf Group

As of June 1, 2026, Nico Pedretti has assumed the role of Managing Director Graf Group. With more than 20 years of international industrial experience and extensive expertise in Operations, Supply Chain Management, Finance and Controlling, he brings a broad range of leadership and business experience to support Graf’s continued success.