#Recycling / Circular Economy

2021-09-09

SPINNOVA® materials on New York runway

London-based design duo Ka Wa Key is the latest brand to use sustainable SPINNOVA® materials. The brand’s new capsule collection made of SPINNOVA® fabrics and yarns is introduced at the New York Fashion Week (NYFW) on September 8.

Ka Wa Key and sustainable textile material company Spinnova are showcasing a new, sustainable capsule collection at the New York Fashion Week. Ka Wa Key’s designers Key Chow and Jarno Leppänen used different SPINNOVA® materials such as fabrics and yarns in the collection. The capsule collection will also be shown in Paris in October but will not be available to purchase.

– We found an instant connection with Spinnova because we share the same ambition to make the fashion industry more sustainable. To our amazement the SPINNOVA® materials were also really versatile and we could use them exactly as we wanted – whether it was painting on the textile, dyeing it, adding digital prints or knitting with it. I think this collection really shows that there’s nothing restrictive about using sustainable materials, Ka Wa Key’s Key Chow and Jarno Leppanen say.

The capsule collection inspired by a Finnish film Hardly a Butterfly includes knitwear and woven styles such as printed twill. Just like other Ka Wa Key garments, the collection is genderfluid. The color palette also draws inspiration from Finland, specifically the country’s national butterfly Holly blue.

The collection uses sustainable and fully circular SPINNOVA® fibre, which is made out of wood or waste and produced without harmful chemicals. The SPINNOVA® fibre uses 99% less water and produces significantly less CO2 emissions than cotton production. Spinnova has previously partnered with leading clothing and apparel brands including adidas, The North Face, H&M Group, Marimekko and Bergans.

– We’re happy to see that our material fits runways, everyday use and outdoors alike. Collaborating with emerging brands is just as important to us as working with established brands as we believe the entire textile industry needs to become more sustainable, adds Spinnova’s CEO and co-founder Janne Poranen.

Ka Wa Key

Ka Wa Key is a London-based gender-fluid label by design duo Key Chow and Jarno Leppanen. Reimagining traditional textile crafts, Ka Wa Key uses sustainable materials only to infuse everyday causalwear and knitwear with roots of Asian and Scandinavian heritage. The gender-fluid line constantly works to incorporate ethical sourcing and manufacturing to achieve their vision of simplicity that meets soft masculinity.

“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.

Managed workwear services are providing a blueprint for the circular textile economy

Managed workwear service providers are demonstrating how commercial success and circularity can go hand in hand by extending garment lifespans through repair, laundering, reuse and recycling, according to “Managed workwear services—a circular textile economy ahead of the game”, a new 14‑page report from the global business information company Textiles Intelligence.

Eco-design as the foundation of circular textiles

Based on the results of an extensive European analysis, the Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity is currently developing three practice-based training modules covering recycling technologies, eco-design for the circular economy and sustainable manufacturing. This was preceded by a comprehensive company survey and a joint analysis conducted by the project partners under the leadership of IVGT. The results show that the greatest challenges lie not so much in a lack of technology as in skills gaps.

Usha Yarns secures growth equity investment from Fullerton Carbon Action Fund

Usha Yarns Limited (“Usha Yarns”), a producer of high-quality recycled yarns with advanced, well established production processes, announced a growth equity investment from the Fullerton Carbon Action Fund (“Fullerton”), a private equity strategy managed by Fullerton Fund Management that backs established mid-market companies across Emerging Asia to accelerate decarbonisation.

PERFORMANCE DAYS announces new focus topic & forums for October 2026

With its upcoming October 13–14, 2026 edition, PERFORMANCE DAYS is placing the spotlight on one of the textile industry’s most important transformations: “Bio-Based Materials – From Fiber to Fabric”, a two-part Focus Topic exploring the future of bio-based innovation across the textile value chain. Part 1, presented in October 2026, will focus on fibers and next-generation material developments, while Part 2 at the March 2027 edition will shift the perspective toward dyeing, finishing, additives, and processing technologies.

Febratex 2026 to be the largest edition of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas with 10 exhibition halls

Febratex 2026 will be the largest edition in the history of the leading textile trade fair in the Americas. Dedicated to the textile and apparel manufacturing industries, the event will take place from August 18–21, 2026, in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil, with a strong focus on technology, sustainability, and business generation.

Cotton Brazil Dialogues field trip brings international stakeholders closer to Brazil’s cotton production chain

How do you build trust across the global textile value chain? By opening the farm gates. This is the principle behind the Cotton Brazil Dialogues. At the end of July, the programme welcomed its first group of international participants for a five-day immersion into Brazilian cotton production, combining field visits with technical workshops to showcase the quality, sustainability, innovation and traceability behind one of the world’s leading cotton origins.