DESIGNERS HOLD THE KEY TO A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE AT FUTURE FABRICS EXPO - LONDON
8th Future Fabrics Expo - London 2019
The Future Fabrics Expo, hosted by the Sustainable Angle was a Triumph! Bringing together the Fashion industry during a two day exhibition packed with sustainable innovations and a seminar program with a guest list that delivered a powerful punch. The issues with our manufacturing choices are serious, and the impact that the fashion industry is making on the environment are almost criminal. As conscious professionals we have to work together to bring about change.
However, we also have to be realistic. The industry needs systemic reform and that can not be delivered over night. It will take many great minds, innovations in textile fabric supply, manufacturing practice, and a generation to swing fashion into a sustainable orbit. The materials we use are toxic to our planet and have to be replaced, but what with? Our society is dependent on plastic, and that has to be replaced with a viable, commercially acceptable replacement.
Numerous innovations were on display from seaweed, coconut palms, re-cycled food waste, re-cycled cottons and synthetic fibres to faux leather and hybrid substrates, many of which will develop over time to become viable alternatives for an industry that consumes trillions for metres of fabric per year worldwide.
Fashion begins with the Designer, who choices control the supply chain at the onset. They hold the key to a sustainable future for Fashion, an industry that collectively is worth an incredible $1.3 trillion dollars
Informed by exhibitions such as the Future Fabrics Expo, awareness grows within our industry and the statistics delivered by the seminar speakers were astounding. If we all make an informed choice however large or small, collectively we will bring about a huge change.
Words of Industry Wisdom:
Dilys Williams: Centre for Sustainable Fashion, London College of Fashion
“The essence of sustainability is about relationships, relying on trust, knowledge and shared intentions”
Clair Bergkamp: Stella McCartney
“Currently we only recycle 1% of our Textile waste: We have to move to circular design and re-cycle”
Orsola de Castro: Fashion Revolution
“As individuals we must make the changes we can NOW, we can not wait for technology”
Matthew Drinkwater: Fashion Innovation Agency, London College of Fashion
“Virtual Reality offers a new platform that we have not yet considered. Is it possible that we utilise Virtual materials and fabrics in our fashion experiences”
Edwina Ehrman, Curator V&A Museums, Fashioned from Nature
“We must label our clothes, to enable the consumer to make an informed choice for good”
Michael Kininmonth, Lenzing Group
“Micro-fibres contained in Textiles are contaminating our planet, we are knowingly making micro beads and polluting our oceans”
Print is no longer defined by the inefficiencies that once characterised it…as advances in production processes and technology have significantly improved its environmental performance.
Taran Rai, Corporate Sustainability Manager at Epson explains why?
The story of what happens when young designers access digital technology is still being written.
What once was a theoretical sustainability goal seems to have shifted into an active regulatory reality.
Is the Textile Market Finally Recovering?
After a difficult few years, there are genuine reasons for optimism. Duncan was candid about the challenges: "The market for textiles has been very difficult over the last three years. I'm not going to hide the truth there. But the tide is turning.“
A profound shift is currently reshaping the sector
Changing consumer expectations demand greater design diversity, faster turnaround times, and sustainable manufacturing practices.
To thrive, interior brands must adapt their supply chains, bringing production closer to the end consumer and moving away from bulk manufacturing.
Digital textile printing offers a definitive solution to these operational bottlenecks.
Digital transformation doesn't announce itself.
It accumulates - one innovation at a time - until an entire industry looks back and realises the ground has shifted beneath its feet. That's precisely where textiles stands today.
The conversations happening now about AI, automation, sustainability, and digital product passports are not theoretical. They are shaping decisions being made on factory floors and in boardrooms right now.
“By leveraging advanced digital textile printing, Marylene Madou has successfully merged traditional craftsmanship with cutting-edge technology. Her approach offers a blueprint for how independent designers can scale their brands globally while maintaining a minimal environmental footprint.”
From Helsinki's printing mill to Paris's Le Marais, discover how Marimekko is scaling a design-led brand with purpose, craft, and bold innovation.
But what makes Marimekko's story compelling is not just its aesthetic legacy?
The textile industry is undergoing a vital transformation. As the insights from Techtextil and Texprocess reveal, the path forward relies on a combination of sustainable hardware, intelligent chemistry, and seamless digital workflows.
From Zimmer's industrial-scale energy reductions and Stratasys's on-demand 3D embellishments, to Kornit's single-step technical printing and the unified digital ecosystems of NedGraphics and Optitex, the tools for change are here. To stay competitive, brands and manufacturers must adopt these innovations, moving away from fragmented, wasteful processes towards a truly connected, circular economy.
Friedmans stands as a testament to the power of combining traditional textile knowledge with forward-thinking innovation.
“Operating from their UK headquarters, Friedmans now serves a diverse array of sectors, including swimwear, dance, entertainment, sportswear, interior decor, prosthetics, and even pet apparel. With a strategic supply chain that reliably serves clients worldwide”
The apparel decoration industry is decisively moving away from isolated, analogue production tools toward connected digital manufacturing environments.
"Kornit’s unwavering commitment to transformative technology continues to disrupt the status quo. For business leaders and innovators ready to capture the future of apparel manufacturing, the path forward is clear”
The Urgent Need for Sustainability at Scale
The transformation at Coats provides a vital blueprint for the wider textile and apparel sector. True sustainability cannot be achieved in silos. As Dearing emphasised:
“Cross-industry collaboration is the engine of meaningful change. Brands, machinery suppliers, chemical providers, and fibre producers must act as an interconnected ecosystem”
Today’s customers demand superior product quality, real-time data visibility, and lightning-fast turnaround times.
For large-scale garment decorators, managing these expectations while balancing seasonal demand fluctuations - such as the massive surges seen during Black Friday - presents a monumental challenge.
"Relying on transactional vendor relationships and outdated legacy equipment is no longer sufficient to secure long-term stability and growth.”
Printing method is never a secondary detail. It shapes the entire life cycle of a product, from concept to customer. In today’s fashion industry, where margins are tighter and speed matters more than ever, technical knowledge has become a competitive advantage.
“The future of textile design belongs to professionals who can combine creativity with execution, aesthetics with practicality, and vision with production reality”.
Are we witnessing the reinvention of Merch driven by adaptive, digital technologies?
The commercial opportunity presented by printed, personalised merchandise is already a lucrative revenue stream; it is the core driver of growth in a multi-billion-pound industry. And the mandate for print businesses is clear: automate, adapt, and offer undeniable added value, or choose to gradually lose market share.
Powderless DTF is an important area of innovation. It deserves research, investment, and thoughtful development.
“But at its current stage, it often feels like the industry is attempting to commercialize the concept ahead of the underlying chemistry and system readiness”.
All Apparel Manufacturers face an Urgent Mandate: “Automate or be Left Behind”.
Industry leaders like Super Nova Sports and Ryozo International were struggling with severe pre-press bottlenecks and unsustainable fabric waste. By integrating AI Sublimation Software into their workflows, these forward-thinking businesses eliminated manual variable data entry, boosted fabric efficiency to over 80%, and reduced delivery times by more than half, establishing a highly profitable, agile, and environmentally responsible production model.
The Future of Manufacturing belongs to those who Embrace Connected Digital Ecosystems
“Whether you produce garments, car interiors, or home furnishings, the transition from creative concept to production-ready product often remains fragmented. Design teams work tirelessly to develop compelling materials, yet technical teams struggle to interpret these visions without losing data along the way.”
The European digital wallcovering marketplace is expanding at an impressive rate.
“For print professionals and interior designers, this transition presents a distinct set of challenges. Achieving flawless colour consistency, managing complex substrates, and meeting stringent environmental standards are no longer optional extras; they are fundamental requirements for commercial success.”
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A swimsuit might start life as a sketch. By the time it reaches the shop floor, dozens of hands have touched it - designers, dye houses, printers, trim manufacturers, quality controllers. Each one interprets colour in their own way, under their own conditions, with their own tools. The result is often a product that looks nothing like the original vision.
Friedman’s is a UK-based wholesale specialist. Offering stretch textiles, digital print & foil effects, supplying designers and brands worldwide.
FabricVision is a fresh, dynamic player in the large-format digital textile printing industry. Backed by over 100 years of combined expertise, we offer a fully integrated production model.
With over 40 years of textile expertise, Greentex leverages a global portfolio & presence to serve a diverse range of fast-to-market customers.
Premier Digital Textiles has been the leading supplier of fabrics ready for printing for over 30 years.