#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.

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.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.

Keeping products moving with Swedish automation at FILTECH 2026

At FILTECH 2026, taking place in Cologne from June 30th to July 2nd, members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will highlight how the country’s engineering expertise is enabling filtration manufacturers to increase productivity, improve traceability and reduce dependence on labour-intensive manual processes.