#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2020-05-20

Outstanding Outdoor 2020: Center stage for product innovations

Outstanding Outdoor is the seal of quality for the most outstanding products in the outdoor industry. It serves retailers, consumers and media representatives likewise as an effective orientation aid in the market. This year's round of applications for the product award has already been successfully launched and will be running until May 29, 2020. In line with the circumstances surrounding the coronavirus crisis, the evaluation and awarding will largely be carried out digitally. The winners will also receive a comprehensive year-round communication package.

The Outstanding Outdoor seal of quality serves retailers, consumers and media representatives likewise as an effective orientation aid in the market. / Image credit: ISPO

In a summer without major industry events, it is even more relevant to manufacturers and brands to place their products in an effective manner via other channels - as with the Outstanding Outdoor product award. "We assume that particularly creative, innovative products are created during the crisis. With our label, we offer them the presence they deserve. To ensure many brands as possible have the opportunity to participate despite the current delay in production cycles, the selection process is now split in two stages for the first time," says Franziska Zindl, Head of Awards & Innovation at ISPO. "Thus, no physical samples are initially required for the application."

Outstanding Outdoor: The application period for the most important product award of the outdoor industry runs until May 29, 2020
Preliminary decision and award ceremony via digital channels
Winners receive an extensive high-reach communication package

Adapted, two-stage evaluation process

In the first step, the international jury makes a pre-selection from all products on the basis of the digitally submitted information via online meeting. The panel of experts from various stakeholders in the industry follows the criteria of innovation/trend character, purpose & target group, material selection, effort & composition and design.

Only when a product is selected as a finalist in this step it is necessary to deliver the product sample for the second, final jury meeting. In addition to the criteria already reviewed, the products are then examined for their functionality and quality of workmanship and - linked to this - the price/performance ratio as well as weight and/or packing size are evaluated. Special attention is also paid here to the criterion of sustainability, in which the products can gain an additional point.

The award will be presented digitally again at the end of June. All award winners will receive a comprehensive communication package. This includes integration into the active ISPO press relations as well as a detailed product presentation on ispo.com, available all year round.

“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.

Inside the Making connects denim and sportswear supply chains at Ecomondo 2026

Six European companies are joining forces at Ecomondo 2026 in Rimini to demonstrate how different stages of denim and sportswear production are interconnected. The new initiative, Inside the Making, highlights the importance of cooperation across the textile supply chain in addressing sustainability challenges, from reducing resource consumption to improving transparency and the reliability of environmental claims.

MarediModa highlights transparency and traceability with InsideOut by C.L.A.S.S.

The InsideOut by C.L.A.S.S. exhibition at MarediModa 2026 in Cannes focused on transparency, traceability and the measurable values behind fashion products. Its Decalogue of Values aims to make environmental, social and production-related information more accessible throughout the textile supply chain.

Georg Stausberg, a veteran of the textile machinery industry, takes over as Rieter Group CEO

Georg Stausberg, one of the most experienced executives in the international textile machinery industry, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Rieter Group with immediate effect from 4 November 2026. With more than three decades of industry experience and a long-standing leadership career at Barmag, Stausberg brings extensive technological expertise, international market knowledge and an established network across the global textile industry to his new position.

Jeanologia and BCome connect factory data with Life Cycle Assessment and Digital Product Passports

A new white paper by EIM by Jeanologia and BCome demonstrates how primary environmental data from denim finishing processes can be integrated into a garment's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and prepared for use in a Digital Product Passport (DPP). A comparative case study highlights significant improvements at the production stage while also showing how these translate into the environmental performance of the finished garment.

EDANA welcomes definitive EU anti-dumping measures on Chinese PET spunbond

EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has welcomed the European Commission's decision to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of PET spunbond originating in China. The association considers the measures an important step towards restoring fair competition and safeguarding European industrial capacity.

EU imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese PET spunbond imports

The European Commission has introduced definitive anti-dumping duties ranging from 39.8% to 48.1% on imports of PET spunbond from China. The measures, which entered into force on 31 October 2026, will remain in place for five years and are intended to address unfairly priced imports that have caused injury to European manufacturers. The EU market for these nonwoven materials is valued at approximately €200 million.