“From Inkthreadable to Printful the DTG success stories abound, as the DTG sector, driven by all these factors begins to meet the market expectations of a textile segment in substantial and irreversible growth.
As a vibrant and innovative sector, there is a lot to look forward in the years ahead.”.
Direct to Garment production goes from strength to strength, with a vertical assent predicted.
Stellar growth in the use of direct to garment digital textile printing machinery continues to provide a unique and highly successful business model, gaining traction worldwide. As a technology built to deliver speed to market, its built for on-demand production and as such sustainable manufacturing - driving down inventory and production costs.
The direct to Garment printing market, which stood at US$ 822 million in 2022 is predicted to rise at annual growth rate of 8.3% to US$ 1,820 million by 2032. (FMI).
This represents a more than doubling in size of the global market over a ten year period, that many experts attribute to the unique advantages of direct-to garment printing.
These advantages include ease of entry, a nil finished inventory business model and moving in lockstep with the market shift to customisation and print on demand ecommerce.
As a sector Innovations continue to drive the agenda.
Kornit Digital have made considerable steps with their inks particularly for Polyester fabrics, where their Neopigment™ Olympia ink is their unique, innovative ink for high-quality printing on polyester. Delivering a wider colour gamut, solid colour coverage, and precise pantone colour-matching. This eco-friendly ink is manufactured in-house and specifically designed for Kornit systems to meet the highest sustainability standards.
Outstanding durability and hand feel with a higher L value and opacity for bright prints is achieved, along with increased strength and flexibility to improve print elongation. All of these attributes ensure that the Kornit Digital machinery achieve the highest retail quality and durability standards.
As far as supply goes, there is an abundance of apparel blanks manufacturers who are queuing up to supply the Direct to Garment Industry. From Fruit of the Loom and Bella Canvas in America to numerous wholesalers throughout Europe, the prospective producer has access to the widest range of blank apparel, from T-Shirts and Hoodies and from Sweatshirts to V-Necks. Consumers now demand responsibly sourced apparel, and in the DTG arena the sourcing routes are adapting to assure that organic, certified cellulose and rPET recycled polyester print bases are in good supply.
Machinery is available for all business models (of all scales) and production speeds continue to accelerate. By example: The Brother GTX Pro bulk is stated “to produce 1,400 T-Shirts a week on a single 8-hour shift”. Brother offer their own ink formulation in support of their technology and inks are certified by Oeko-Tex®, GOTS and are also CPSIA compliant to help ensure they are safe for printing and therefore environmentally responsible.
Looking to the year ahead - providing the ultimate in speed, efficiency, flexibility and profitability we arrive at back the Kornit Digital range of DTG machines.
As if the XDI profile ink system isn’t enough, Kornit machines from the Atlas to the Vulcan provide the perfect platform for an up to date and profitable digital printroom, and with 2023 Kornit are about to promote their new Apollo system. The manufacturer recently unveiled the Apollo machine, which uses its Max technology to offer “the highest retail quality combined with full automation control and integrated smart curing processes”.
The printer also utilises technology from Lichtenau, Germany-based Tesoma, Kornit’s most recent acquisition. Kornit said “the single-step end-to-end system addresses accelerated post-pandemic market trends for streamlined supply chains and production near-shoring.”
It is expected to be available in mid-2023, following early customer engagements in the second half of 2022.
So, with innovation, efficiency and speed of production the Direct to Garment Industry moves inexorably upward.
The machinery agenda has also moved apace – the dawn of the hybrid.
Of particular attention is the development of Hybrid DTG printing, where screen printing and digital printing are combined on one platform. A stand-out here is the Kyo Hybrid DTG Printer from Aeoon of Austria.
The Kyo Hybrid Series is the first real combination of a screen printing and digital textile printing which combines the advantages of both. It is the ideal printer for companies with a high volume production needs and offers a unique set of production flexibility.
In addition to stand-alone DTG printing or screen printing, a combination of both printing processes can also be easily integrated. This combination achieves significant savings in the consumption of white ink, while delivering a premier finish.
From Inkthreadable to Printful the DTG success stories abound, as the DTG sector, driven by all these factors begins to meet the market expectations of a textile segment in substantial and irreversible growth. And with Hybrid print solutions now added to the mix there is a lot to look forward in the years ahead.
Colour Separation: The Craft Digital Textile Design Shouldn’t Forget
Textile designer Stephan Alker draws on more than 40 years in the industry, going back to his start at Transfertex in 1980, to trace how colour separation moved from drum scanners, hand-retouched films and engraved gravure cylinders to fully digital workflows.
He argues that this production knowledge still matters in the age of digital printing, because properly separated designs give brands far more freedom.
The Path Foward: Connect Every Link:
Design, colour, workflow, production, data. Each link now depends on the one before it, and the printers who will lead the market are those who strengthen the whole chain, not just the machinery at its centre.
So, this autumn, ask the bigger question on your own shop floor.
Not "Which printer?" but "How well does my business connect demand, design and production?"
Rebés's story isn't one of nostalgia - It's a working blueprint for how heritage manufacturers can stay indispensable in a market that rewards speed, certification, and specificity in equal measure. Four million metres of stock mean nothing without the digital printing capability to turn it into something distinctive.
A 150-year name means nothing without the R&D discipline to win a tender for antistatic, carbon-fibre-infused uniform fabric on the first attempt.
Image Credit: Tejidos Rebé
What if the next dress you wore never touched the factory floor?
This is no longer a fringe experiment. It is a maturing production model, backed by genuine material science, real circularity, and an AI-assisted workflow that is becoming more accessible by the month.
Her advice to designers and brands alike is refreshingly practical: start small, get hands-on with an accessible 3D printer, and build fluency before the technology becomes table stakes. The businesses that treat this moment with curiosity, rather than scepticism, will be the ones shaping fashion's next decade rather than reacting to it.
The 2027 FESPA Awards are now open for entry, and the message to businesses across textiles, apparel, interiors and beyond is simple: your work deserves recognition. Every gold winner featured here started in the same place every entrant does - with a project they believed was worth submitting.
As the only independent awards programme with 18 categories dedicated to print and signage, FESPA offers a genuinely global stage, with shortlisted entries displayed at FESPA Global Print Expo in Spring 2027.
Colour Is Too Important to Leave to Chance
Print will always be the part of the garment people see first.
But the sum of all parts — the fabric, the trims, the fasteners, the finish — is what determines whether a design actually delivers on its promise. Brands that continue to treat colour as a single creative decision, rather than a coordinated technical discipline spanning their entire supply chain, will keep paying for it in re-dips, delays, and disappointed design teams.
A Century of Textiles, and an Ever-changing World
Few companies can trace their roots back more than a century and still count themselves among their industry's innovators. Texia, headquartered in Monistrol de Montserrat, Spain, is one of them.
But the story of Texia is not simply one of longevity.
It is a story of continual reinvention. As the textile industry has grown more global and competitive, Texia has repeatedly reshaped its business, investing in technology, developing its own brands, and placing sustainability at the centre of its mission. In doing so, it offers a compelling example of how a heritage manufacturer can lead rather than follow through a period of profound industry change. Image Credit: Texia
What are we craving Ultimately?
The instinct to slow down while simultaneously optimising every measurable aspect of life isn't a passing curiosity. It's a structural response to a world that feels increasingly unstable, and it's reshaping what people expect from their homes, hotels, workplaces and healthcare environments alike.
For the design and manufacturing sectors, this means rethinking both product and process.
The Structual Shift is Real and its Already Here
Volumes are moving east, where digital production is accelerating rapidly. Consumer behaviour has shifted.
Demand is now driven by personalisation, shorter buying cycles, and an expectation of near-instant responsiveness. Regulatory pressure is intensifying, with supply chain transparency now a legal and commercial fact in many markets. And margins? They are under sustained, structural pressure.
This is not a temporary disruption. It is a fundamental reordering of how textile manufacturing must operate.
The Challenge: Standing Firm as the Industry Shifts
The wallpaper landscape has changed dramatically. Digital printing has lowered the barrier to entry, spawning countless direct-to-consumer brands and pushing much of the market towards faster, cheaper production.
At the same time, manufacturing in the UK has grown steadily harder - rising minimum wage, national insurance, energy and substrate costs all bear down on margins. Surface Print have embraced all of these challenges - and stand resolutely prepared for the future.
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 word "toxic" carries weight. It conjures danger, harm, and things best avoided.
“Yet in the textile industry - Where between 3,000 and 10,000 chemicals move through the supply chain, a reflexive fear of the term is one of our biggest obstacles to progress.”
This article distils the key takeaways and what buyers, designers, and brands should be asking right now.
What Is the Digital Product Passport?
At its core, a Digital Product Passport is a digital record attached to a physical product - For a printed textile product, this means the DPP would capture data on the substrate, inks and dyes used, the printing process and technology, chemical compliance, environmental impact (including water and energy use), supply chain traceability, and end-of-life instructions.
The Market Gap that Changed Everything
Future Fashion was founded in 2019, timed deliberately to coincide with a pivotal moment in global textile technology: the commercial launch of the EFI Reggiani BOLT Single-Pass digital printing system.
The founders recognised that single-pass architecture had fundamentally changed what was industrially possible - and that Pakistan's domestic market had yet to catch up.
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.”
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.
Farnham, UK – October 2026 – The Centre for Sustainable Design® at UCA, in association with The British Standards Institution, will host a free webinar on 10th November 2026 to help fashion, clothing and textile businesses understand the EU's Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (ECGT) Directive (EU) 2024/825 and its practical implications, particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Taking place from 10:00 to 11:00 AM (GMT) via Teams, the session arrives as the new rules come into force across the EU from 27 September 2026, placing tighter scrutiny on how fashion and textile businesses communicate sustainability to consumers.
Istanbul – Turkiye - October 2026 – Better Cotton, the world's leading sustainability initiative for cotton, has reaffirmed its commitment to regenerative agriculture following its recent transition to a regenerative standard system.
The announcement comes as Chief Operating Officer Lena Staafgard reflects on the organisation's participation in the International Cotton Association Ltd (ICA) annual trade event in Türkiye, where sustainability and responsible sourcing featured prominently in industry discussions.
London, UK – 15 October 2026 – Canon today announced that it has been named a "Leader" in the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide Sustainability Programs and Services Hardcopy 2026 Vendor Assessment (doc #US54139426, June 2026).
This marks the second time Canon has achieved this recognition, following its first appearance as a Leader in the 2023 assessment.
Falmouth, UK – October 2026 – Seasalt Cornwall today celebrates two decades since becoming the first fashion company to achieve Soil Association certification to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), a milestone that has shaped the company's approach to sourcing, design and production ever since.
The certification, first achieved in 2005, came at a time when the Soil Association was known predominantly for its work with organic vegetables
Geretsried, Germany –October 2026 – – Rudolf GmbH, a leading innovator in textile finishing solutions, has announced the launch of four new smart concepts designed specifically for the sports and outdoor industry.
The move marks a significant shift from single-product solutions towards holistic, application-driven finishing systems that address the evolving demands of performance apparel.
Tubingen – Deutschland – May 7th 2026 – CHT Group, a global leader in speciality chemicals, has marked World Cotton Day by featuring The WOW Concept by CHT Textile Solutions, a new approach designed to make the dyeing of cellulosic fibres more resource-efficient.
The concept combines BEZAKTIV ONE dyes with selected process auxiliaries to reduce water and energy consumption while maintaining the colour performance the market demands
Valencia, Spain – October 2026 – Canon has joined the Sustainable Print Manifesto as a Development Partner, strengthening a growing coalition of industry leaders committed to making print more sustainable.
The announcement coincides with the launch of an Implementation Framework for More Sustainable Print, unveiled this week at the FuturePrint Packaging, Labels and DTS Summit in Valencia. Other Development Partners include Cimpress, Domino, Gallus, HP, Nazdar and Sun Chemical.
London, UK – September 2026 – New Look, M&S, Sainsbury's, Oxfam and Circle-8 today announce The Circuit, a new collaborative model bringing together retailers, textile recovery partners, automated sorting, recyclers, digital innovators and manufacturers to build new circular textile value chains and transform UK generated post-consumer textiles into future circular raw materials.
The first phase will focus on testing, learning and developing the operational frameworks needed to support future scale-up.
Shanghai, China – August 2026 – Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Autumn Edition 2026 is set to open its doors on 25 August at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai), welcoming thousands of global industry players across three days of sourcing, networking, and trend forecasting.
Spanning 240,000 sqm, the edition will feature over 3,500 exhibitors from 30 countries and regions, organised under four key pillars: Fashion Forward, Performance Textiles, Sustainability, and Textile Future.
From 27 September 2026, stricter rules against greenwashing and higher requirements for sustainability labels will take effect in the European Union.
OEKO-TEX® has taken the new provisions as an occasion to further develop its governance structure.
In doing so, OEKO-TEX® not only meets the requirements of the EU Directive on Empowering Consumers for the Green Transition (EmpCo, EU 2024/825) but also prepares itself for future regulatory developments.