#Fabrics

2025-09-18

The Avantex Fashion Pitch jury awarded the 2025 prize to GoldenEye Smart Vision for its artificial intelligence-based textile quality control system.

By perfecting the detection of visual defects in fabrics, this digital solution enhances customer satisfaction, optimises production processes and reduces raw material consumption. The jury also chose to award a special prize to Green Worms, an Indian micro-enterprise that has set up a local waste collection and processing system. Recycling waste creates sustainable jobs for women from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds.

Thomas Isnard, co-founder of Golden Eyes, in front of Avantex Fashion Pitch jury. © 2025 Messe Frankfurt

‘The jury members were impressed by the quality of the designs submitted by the companies selected for this edition,’ said Claudia Franz, Director of Brand Management Apparel Fabrics & Fashion at Messe Frankfurt. ‘By recognising the GoldenEye Smart Vision project and choosing to award a special prize to Green Worms, we are supporting innovative solutions that address today's major challenges,’ she added.

GoldenEye Smart Vision will benefit from a stand worth €2,800 at Avantex Paris 2026 and €1,000 offered by Messe Frankfurt France, plus €1,000 offered by Texpertise Network, the Messe Frankfurt Group's textile sector network, a one-year subscription to the VLGE creative solution (worth €30,000), one year of incubation at Foundry offered by IFA Paris (worth €4,500), a keynote speech at the Circular Textile Days event, and an article in Luxiders Magazine.

Green Worms will receive €1,000 from Texpertise Network, the Messe Frankfurt Group's textile industry network, a marketing package from Circular Textile Days, and a consultation offered by Jayne Simone Estève-Curé.

The final of the 8th edition of the Avantex Fashion Pitch competition, organised by Messe Frankfurt France, rewards the most innovative, sustainable and relevant projects for the future of fashion. Each of the eleven finalists for 2025 – Adirelounge, Ananas Fashion, CQ Studio, Delfi, Garment By, Green Worms, GoldenEye Smart Vision, Myth AI, Sequinova, Meddle, Style Shifter – had five minutes to convince the jury composed of Jayne Simone Estève-Curé, fashion and luxury expert consultant, Yoobin Jung, ventures associate sustainability at Plug and Play Tech Centre, Carol Hilsum, Investor & Tech Leader at Assembly Ventures, Claudia Frantz, Director Brand Management Messe Frankfurt, Rachel de Gooijer, Marketing Manager, Circular Textile Days.

People the 8th edition of the Avantex Fashion Pitch competition © 2025 Messe Frankfurt

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.

Speed and connectivity: Techtextil and Texprocess provided market-ready solutions for industries under pressure

With more than 36,000 visitors and 1,700 exhibitors from a total of 112 countries, Techtextil and Texprocess 2026 demonstrated how innovation comes into industrial use. The convergence of research, industry and application proved to be a breeding ground for new material solutions, manufacturing and processing technologies. Natural fibres, performance apparel, connected systems and AI-driven processing technologies emerged as key growth and future markets.

Eastman introduces Naia™ Lyte at Première Vision Paris, marking a major breakthrough in fiber tenacity for cellulose acetate filament yarn performance

Eastman unveils Naia™ Lyte, a new cellulose acetate filament yarn that represents an important milestone in performance for lightweight and premium fabrics, at Première Vision Paris. Presented for the first time to the international fashion and textile community, Naia™ Lyte expands the capabilities of acetate yarn by introducing enhanced tenacity, unlocking new creative and technical possibilities for designers, mills and brands.

MUNICH FABRIC START: Between Attitude and Sensuality

The future begins where we reimagine it. After seasons of restraint, Spring.Summer 27 marks a conscious counter-trend: optimism, sensuality, and creative freedom are replacing pragmatism and neutrality. Physical presence and individuality are regaining importance – as a response to uncertainty, exhaustion, and algorithmic predictability. The overarching theme of PLEASURE stands for fashion as an emotional space, as an expression of attitude and cultural reflection. Colours, surfaces, and materials become vehicles for self-confidence and joie de vivre.

“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.

YKK invests USD 150 million in new manufacturing facility in India

YKK Corporation has announced plans to construct a new manufacturing facility in India, reinforcing its long-term commitment to one of the world's fastest-growing textile and apparel production hubs. The new factory will be built at Origins by Mahindra in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, and will become the third manufacturing site of YKK India Private Limited. The facility is expected to be completed by February 2028 and represents an investment of approximately USD 150 million, covering land, buildings, machinery and equipment.